| Olympic Selection Trials |
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After all the hours and miles of training through the winter and all those tough mental times on training camps, the team comes together every year for the second biggest race of the season: Final Trials. We travel to Belgium for this important race, which marks the end of winter and the start of the summer racing season. But more importantly, it is the biggest opportunity for the 9 British pairs and a handful of invited club pairs to show what they can offer to the Olympic boats. The men’s chief coach, Jürgen Grobler, selects the pairs based on performances from last season and the winter training, so there is a (very) rough rank order going into the race. I was selected with my regular rowing partner, Andrew Hodge. We have been undefeated at trials for the last 3 years and had strong aspirations to win for the last time in the 2008 Olympiad.
This is the tensest time of the season, because you are racing directly against your teammates for your seat. There are only 14 seats available in the Olympics for the men’s rowing team, which means that some of the team and a lot of the club hopefuls will not get the chance to go to Beijing.
The event is made up of a 1900m time-trial to get a speed order, a seeded 2000m semi-final and a 2000m final held all in pairs and over 2 days. We were very lucky with the weather for the racing. Although it was cold and wet, the wind was very light, which allows to water to stay mirror flat and gives the fairest conditions.
Hodgey and I won the first two races, and were determined to win the final too. We were racing the country’s best and we know how fast they are from all the training we do together. In the end I think Hodgey and I managed to put together what we thought was our best race together in the last four years to win. This performance gives me a lot of confidence leading up to the next two tests: the body crushing 2000m ergo test and the technically challenging ‘seat-racing’.
We have a lot to look forward to but selection is nearly done. |
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