[Interviewer]: For you, for the press, did the effort we know that it’s very difficult with the semi’s today and the final tomorrow. It’s a very short schedule sir. We’re really very thankful to you and to Lassi to come here today. I don’t know whether they really need an introduction, maybe a very quick one for the new ones. You never know, there are maybe people who are not that familiar with rowing. Mahe Drysdale. He has represented New Zealand at six world championships, two Olympic Games. At the opening ceremony he was, in Beijing, he was the flag bearer. It was a very honored, typical kiwi dress on him. He has four world championship titles. One silver, Olympic bronze and, yeah, that's a part of his biography. Lassi Karonen, I just said to his trainer, to me he is also one of those charismatic rowers. But when I looked, actually, he started quite late internationally. In 2003 and he got his first (inaudible 0:01:06.6) medal in 2006. He was a finalist in the Olympic Games in 2008 and he has one big supporter although he doesn’t know it yet. That's his son Gustov; you will always see him there around. So my first question is, you were together in the semi today and it was a funny, funny end of a race. I had the impression with Olaf who started very late and then wanted to give everything until the last meters to win with you. And you, Lassi, you were a little more, you seemed a little bit more relaxed and qualified. Okay let them fight. Is this how it was or was it just a feeling seeing it?
Lassi: I felt comfortable just to qualify for the finals and that was the main goal today in the semis and I didn’t want to give it all just to take second or first place.
Mahe: It was, for me it was a pretty comfortable race. Obviously I was in front and, and I thought that we’d have an agreement that we could just cruise over the last bit but Olaf didn’t want to play that game. So I just had to put in a few strokes to make sure I finished in the first and get a seat to land tomorrow. But I think tomorrow we’ll see a real race all the way.
[Interviewer]: Any questions from, from, the floor?
[Ed Hewitt]: Ed Hewitt from Row 2K. I have a question for each of you, a different one. Mahe, believe I read that you were in a bicycle accident this week so I wanted to ask what happened with that and how you’re feeling. And Lassi, I wanted to ask if you took any inspiration from your teammate in the women's single winning last year?
Mahe: I was, unfortunately, on Saturday before a heat, I was just coming down on my bike by Hotel Topless and a car pulled off the road into a car park. And I hit the side of it and went over the bonnet and rolled across the ground. So thankfully I got no damage apart from a few scrapes and I pulled a groin muscle. But otherwise, yeah, it didn’t affect my rowing and thankfully nothing more came of it. So I've been getting... rowing has been fine.
Lassi: You have to be more careful when you’re cycling man. And I, I was definitely inspirited by Frieda last year. She did a great world championship and it, yeah, it shows that you can do a lot when you’re working hard and giving it all so she is a big inspiration for me.
[Female 1]: I have a question for Mahe. The first is what did the car look like (laughing)? The second is that I know you’ve been one to sample different boats over time and I see that you’re in Empacher with the reverse carbon winged rigger and I wanted to ask if you were going to keep that through the weekend. And Lassi, I think you have the same boat right?
Mahe: The car's a dark station wagon so be careful of that driving around. I think it was a Scota. And, yeah the boats. I’m settled for this year on the Empocker. I’ve been trying different boats and this is, this is the boat that at the moment that I’m comfortable in. There’s still a few things I think that need to be improved but generally I’m pretty comfortable and enjoying. You know, for me, this year I’ve had to change a few things and the boat seems to suit the way that it rows.
[Female 1]: Do you like that boat? Lassi, is this the new, is this the next generation of boats in a single?
Lassi: I’m feeling comfortable in my boat as well. I really like it and I think the car is at the shop right now being fixed.
(Laughter)
[Female 2]: I’ve got a couple, one for Leslie. You seem to have had a very good season this year. You’ve won medals at all the world cups. Have you done anything different coming into this season?
Lassi: Yeah, I feel I’ve had a great season. This world cup and what I’ve done differently I don’t really know. I’ve changed a few things in my technique, I guess, to use my legs more efficiently. And I’ve made some other settings in my boat as well and then I’ve been able to, to, do my training really good and I haven’t been that much sick and injured so. I think that’s a big part of it as well.
[Female 2]: And one for Mahe. Earlier this season you got to meet with Evanoff and I’m just wondering if he gave you any sage advice when you met him?
Mahe: Yeah, he was an interesting character to talk to and, you know, really, really interesting especially when you’ve watched some of the old races and the way they used to race. Just too really get some insight on what he thought. I think technically he’s a, a brilliant sculler. Even in today’s world he’d, you know, you’d still look at his technique as one of the best. Yeah, one of one of the things I sort of took it from is he said you only need to lead from the start if you’re weak in the head. So, I suppose I’m not really a great starter and it’s something that has certainly has been the way that I’ve raced and it grew from a little bit. I don’t think I’d do it quite the way he did it because he used to give people four or five lengths before he’d start trying to wind through them in the last 250 and I don’t think that’s possible in these days.
[Interviewer]: Might be a little bit difficult to come back I think with the field too huh?
Lassi: You can try.
[Interviewer]: Yeah (laughing). Just to come back on the field. What about come back with Marcel Hacker?
Mahe: Yeah, well, Marcel has looked very good this week. He’s always been, in my opinion, been the best sculler in the field technically. And I think he's showed that throughout his races. He’s looked very, very comfortable obviously coming off the back operation. He hasn’t wanted to push himself too much. But I think tomorrow he probably will have a go and, if he can reproduce some of the speed that he used to have he could be pretty dangerous.
Lassi: I think Marcel is always a dangerous rower and he’s, he could be really quick. I think the issue he has sometimes is more or less mental. Athlete wise he is a very good sculler. So you should always look out for Marcel.
[Male 1]: Hello, maybe I can have a go? Yako from the press center here. Lassi, a question for you. Which ranking would satisfy you tomorrow in order, to say, keep this in the evening?
Lassi: My aim is to bring home some heavy metal to Sweden and if I do that I will certainly say keep this for a couple of times. I think I will celebrate a little bit anyway because the championship is over and I can relax some.
[Male 1]: Other guys aren’t here today? Aren’t you speaking with each other or...?
Lassi: Not right now because we don’t see them that much, I guess. If they would come here we could talk to them.
(Laughter)
[Interviewer]: It’s something that’s always a little bit, that is very nice to see. It’s the end of final of the single skill men. You seem... There is something special about the single skill in the men, in the men’s field that you don’t always find back in the women's. Do you feel that as well? Or because you row together you do the Great Eight together, and do all these events. Do you communicate between yourselves in between races?
Mahe: Yeah, we’re all pretty good friends. I’ve trained with most of the guys in the final. We’ve raced together obviously in the Great 8. So it’s something that we are good friends off the water. Obviously on the water we’re not. But you know it is great to be able to be together, especially in training. You know, you push each other to new levels and neither of you ever want to lose. So, you know, it’s something that maybe is, is, unique to the single field. But I think part of that is, if you don’t talk to your competitors then you’ve got no one and you’re pretty lonely by yourself.
Lassi: I don’t see it as un-normal because this is the normal thing for me. I don’t know how it is supposed to be.
[Interviewer]: Earlier in the week when Synek hit his qualifying or when he came through in third or just slipped through. Do you guys have a take on what he was doing in that race? Whether he was foxing a little?
Lassi: I don’t know if he was very safe in that situation. He was managing just with less than a second so I think he had some issues with his rowing. I don’t know really what. But I think he can sort that out until tomorrow and be a very dangerous tomorrow still.
[Female 3]: A question for Mahe. The New Zealand team seems like a very tight knit group. I understand you do a lot of training together. In your blog, your latest entry, you had updates on how everyone else did. Can you speak to the value of training together as a team and how you help one another?
Mahe: it’s been something that has happened throughout the years and it’s why we’re successful as a country because in training we’re split up into groups which will be competitive against each other. For example, when I started in the single, you know, the Evers-Swindell twins were my training partner. So you’re pushing each other along in training every day and that goes throughout the whole squadron. The great thing now is we’ve got, you know, so many top crews that are pushing for those titles that, you know, every week we have a couple of races where we set off on handicap. And, you know, each week there’s different crews winning those. So it just keeps everyone on edge and makes sure you’re all pushing to new levels. And, you know, over the years I’ve seen some massive improvements in the times that, you know, that what we used to do in 2003 and 2004 wouldn’t even get you in the top ten anymore. So, you know, that’s, that’s where the level has gone as we push each other harder. You know we all improve and we’ve seen some of that out on the water and, you know, the two golds that New Zealand have won so far have come down to under, you know, under eight one hundredths of a second. And I think it’s those sessions when you’re pushing each other to the limit, you know, over twenty K day in day, out that, that makes you hungry and makes you come through in that, that final. But, hopefully, all going well I won’t leave it to that and I’ll be comfortably in front tomorrow. But I’m sure there's five other guys who will figure differently.
Lassi: Yes we will.
[Female 3]: Along the lines of competition with you guys, we’re taking bets around the press center on who will win the Tufta Games this year. Who do you think? And what is the hardest competition within the Tufta Games?
Lassi: Will you take part in the Farmer's Challenge?
Mahe: I think I’ll just pass on that. I know when to quit when I’m ahead.
Lassi: I’ve been to the Farmer's Challenge two times and it’s quite hard competition. It’s more or less a strong man competition sometimes. And it could really hurt your body if you’re doing it the wrong way, I guess. So and Olaf is always the favorite on his own ground and he sets up the competition for his benefit (laughing). I’m lucky he isn’t here.
(Laughter)
[Interviewer]: And we won’t tell him, promise. Just one more question. Last year, in New Zealand, I guess there was quite a lot of pressure on you Mahe. Is it different this year for you here? Do you feel a difference? Is it...
Mahe: not really. For me, you know, whenever I go to race I have goals in the things that I want to achieve. In some ways last year, although I was at home, you know the pressure was off a wee bit because I had an injury. And it was really, for me, all I was worried about was being out there and being on the water was a success in the first place. So I suppose that throughout the year had distracted me. It ended up being a pretty good world champs for me, you know I would have obviously have loved to have won it but, yeah I was pretty satisfied with the year. This year has gone a lot better. I’ve come into here with no excuse which is a good thing because it means that you have to go out and push yourself as hard as you possibly can everyday.
[Interviewer]: And for you Lassi, I saw lots of Swedes here. Many more than last year. Does that make a difference? Do you feel that when you’re on the water? Or you do you know it and it plays a role?
Lassi: Yeah, I feel the support from the Swedish guys and I am, I understand that they weren’t in New Zealand because it’s quite far trek (laughing). But, yeah, it’s very fun to see the Swedish flags on the grandstand and to, to hear their cheers. It’s great.
[Interviewer]: Any more questions? So I think we gonna thank you, (inaudible 0:16:47.0), thank you. And all the best tomorrow and hope to see you on the podium of the Medal Ceremony.
Lassi & Mahe: Thank you.
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