At the Olympic Games in Rio on Sunday, the Olympic rowers, James Thompson and John Smith, will be in quest to accomplish what very few other South African athletes have been able to do. They will try to win a gold medal at two consecutive Olympic Games.
Those in the know predict that the Tuks/HPC crew will most probably be in the mix when the real ‘fight’ for medals starts.
One of the definite highlights for South Africans during the 2012 Olympic Games in London was when Thompson, Smith, Matthew Brittain and SizweNdlovu won the men’s fours. It was the first time a South African crew won a gold medal at the Games.
Due to the fact that Brittain had to retire in 2013 because of a recurring back problem, the South African rowing squad had to rethink their way forward to Rio. This resulted in Thompson and Smith reinventing themselves as one of the top lightweight double sculls crews in the world. They won gold at the 2014 World Championships.
Brittain admits that he was impressed with way the Tuks/HPC crew adapted to sculls rowing.
“I always thought it would be extremely difficult to switch, but they made it look easy. Of course it's easier to become good at one if you have already mastered the other, but it's very unusual to be exceptionally good at both. But the double seems to suit them because it's more about power than the four and they are both really strong.”
According to Brittain his former teammates should have an excellent chance to medal, perhaps even gold.
“Obviously James and John have the experience to know how to approach the event, but the Olympics is so big that it can throw even the toughest competitors. They will of course be up against some serious competition. France will have the top-ranked crew and it will be tight between South Africa and Norway. “
In May, at the World Cup Regatta at Lucerne, Switzerland, the French crew, Pierre Houin and JeremeAzou, won. Norway’s KristofferBrun and Are Strandli finished second with the South African crew in third place. The time gap between the three crews was a mere three seconds.”
“If nothing unforeseen happens, I think the final will be close. It will probably come down to whoever trained better during the six weeks since the last time they raced each other,” said Brittain.
Brittain describes the Olympic Games as the pinnacle for any rower.
“It creates a huge amount of pressure, not only from the media, family and teammates but also from within yourself. You know you have only one or maybe two chances in a lifetime to excel. In the end it all boils down to a few minutes of racing.
“I can honestly say that being an athlete at the Olympics is both absolutely amazing and incredibly stressful. On the one hand there is an energy at the Games that isn’t present at any other competition. Every athlete is in his or her prime and focused on making this ultimate sporting dream a reality. On the other hand you realize that this is something to which you have dedicated your life and you can’t afford to squander the opportunity. The emotion and energy is unlike anywhere or anything else in the world and it takes a lot of confidence to arrive at the start line with your head in the right place.”
Virtual Campus
Get Social With Us
Download the UP Mobile App