Persistence has paid off for Yorkshire's Laurence Whiteley. Today he and newcomer international rower Lauren Rowles made sure that GB will have a para-rowing mixed double scull in Rio by winning their repechage at the World Championships.
In making the six boat final in style, despite the torrential rain, they made sure of bagging one of the eight qualifying places for the TAMix2x category on offer here. The world final is on Thursday.
Whiteley has ploughed a lonely furrow in training over more than two years whilst he waited to see if a suitably-classified female would come along to race at international level in the mixed double.
Fresh from A Levels at school in her home town of Bromsgrove, teenager Rowles has fitted the bill perfectly. She began rowing earlier this year and picked up the sport quickly. Already a wheelchair track racer who represented England at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year, she also knew how to train and compete with the best.
Ukraine took an early lead in today's repechage. Whiteley and Rowles were locked in a first half tussle with Poland for second and third places. Just before halfway the GB double moved into second place and began to make ground on Ukraine before going onto win in 4:07.74 - just under two seconds ahead.
Whiteley said: "I've spent two and three quarter years waiting for this moment. It does't matter that it's raining. Our gaol here was to qualify and it feels great".
Rowles added: "We have dedicated everything to every session since I started and credit to all the coaches - Nick (Baker) and Tom (Dyson) - and to the physio and to everyone who has supported us and helped us get here.
"When it started raining we thought it was just like so many days at Caversham [the national training centre] so it felt just like at home.
"It's amazing because I haven't been rowing for very long. It's incredible".
Today's success might not have happened at all but for a chance meeting with Rowles one day when she and GB Rowing Team staff members were both at the world-famous Stoke Mandeville sports centre.
Whiteley, meanwhile, when recovering from bone cancer, wanted to take up sport again. The Northallerton man who was born in Scarborough started with swimming but realised that rowing suited him better. He has raced internationally in the non-Paralympic single scull previously.