World Champion for a 3rd time! It feels good to be back on top of the world and in position to take charge looking forward to Beijing. 4 years ago we had this same opportunity after having won back-to-back titles in 2002 & 2003, but this boat has been built on horsepower and it also has a lot of Olympic experience, something that the boat in Athens did not have.This year, the final of the men's 8 was different for me than it has been in years past. This time there was a real sense of using this regatta to further improve for the big race in 11 months…..the Beijing final. This crew is focused on the current short term goals, like winning the World Championships but the big picture is as clear as ever for all of us.
(the top 7 eights at this regatta qualified for the Olympics. There were 16 eights in total)
Lining up for the final from lane 1-6 we had Poland, Russia, Canada, USA, Great Britain & Germany. Coming into this race we knew that Russia would likely jump out to a fast start and try to rattle the field. When the starting horn went, Russia did exactly what we expected and took a 3 seat lead on us. I told the guys that Russia was out in front and that we should just stay calm and continue executing our strokes and within 20 seconds we were level with Russia, USA & Germany. We had a good start and got into a great rhythm from which we could just start cranking out powerful strokes. When you get a driving rhythm in rowing, it makes hard work feel easy and everyone in the boat wants to work harder and harder. We decided that level pegging wasn't what we wanted to do since early in the race we wanted to see what the rest of the field could and see if any other country would be willing to try and match our speed. Once we hit 600m then 750m it was clear to me that nobody was going to keep up with us so I just kept driving my guys hard knowing that our fitness was superior to every other boat and we wouldn't be hurting nearly as bad as they would be. By the 1000m mark we had over ¾ of a boat length lead on Germany and we still weren't willing to let off since we had earned our lead, trying for more would nearly devastate the opposition at this point.
With 500m remaining in the race Germany tried to make a dent in our 2 second lead and we were determined not to budge. They took about a seat and I told the guys what they were trying to do and the boat surged with power and we took it right back. With 250m to go, Germany gave it their last ditch effort to move on us and we actually started to move away proving that the confidence in our fitness to drive that early pace was totally worth it. I couldn't resist putting my arms in the arm with 2 strokes to go signaling that we were World Champions. We beat them by 2.3 seconds.
It was a great feeling to be at the finish line knowing that you achieved your goal for the summer and you were back on track with respect to the Olympic final in Beijing. There were 3 members of the boat who were first time world champions and it was great to welcome them into this elite club.
As the flag was raised I realized that it is a good thing we're elite rowers because our singing careers are never going to get off the ground the way we belted out the national anthem on the podium!!
Some people only ever get one chance to be a World Champion…some never get a chance, but on Sunday I realized again just how truly special it is to win a World Championship. 4 years ago I had just finished winning my second world title in a row and we were setup for success looking forward to Athens. I now have that same situation in front of me again except this time I am much more prepared for the expectations and pressure that an Olympic Games brings.
Olympic training camp opens October 1 in Victoria so we will all try and recuperate our bodies and minds as this will be the last extended break before the Olympics are over next year. After having won the worlds…..I think we've earned it.
Some people only ever get one chance to be a World Champion…some never get a chance, but on Sunday I realized again just how truly special it is to win a World Championship. 4 years ago I had just finished winning my second world title in a row and we were setup for success looking forward to Athens. I now have that same situation in front of me again except this time I am much more prepared for the expectations and pressure that an Olympic Games brings.
Olympic training camp opens October 1 in Victoria so we will all try and recuperate our bodies and minds as this will be the last extended break before the Olympics are over next year. After having won the worlds…..I think we've earned it.
Please check your local listings as the Worlds rowing footage will be on CBC Sports this Saturday. I also won a bronze medal in the coxed pair so check that race out as well.
Cheers
Brian
