[Interviewer]: (Began in mid sentence) through international field we also have some translators with us. So, no problem, you can ask the questions in English or in German if some of you want and we can then have people translating.
Who have we today? Please excuse my pronunciation, I'm sure it will be wrong. We have for China, Xiuyn Zhang, that’s the lady there at the end. Her name is not maybe one of the easiest, but she has been in the field quite a long time now. She was, for the first time in 1993, at World Championships and she immediately won a gold medal. But that was in the quad. That’s maybe why we don’t know her face that well. She participated in nine World Championships, two Olympic Games. She even had a silver in the double in ’96, when she was doubling up with the four. And then she.... In the double, yeah? In the double she had the silver and she was doubling up in the four in that event as well. And she didn’t participate last year, but the year before she was at the World Championships. So, that’s our first guest.
I don’t know. Do I really need to introduce Ekaterina? Ekaterina Karsten. She really is a true legend for us. And, yeah, she has her first gold medal. I’m sure she doesn’t mind if I say in ’96, as well actually just like Xiuyn Zhang, but it was in the single and it was the first medal ever for Bella Louse. And in total she has four Olympic gold, Olympic medals. She has five World Championships but don’t ask her about the rest of her medals. She did forget counting. It’s too numerous.
Next to her, we have AnneKatrin Thiele. She has two medals in single at World Cup events. She mostly raced in the double up till 2010. And she had a bronze at the World Championship 2009, in the Quad. And silver in the Olympic Games. In the double, yeah.
And then we have Frida Svensson, she’s the reigning World Champion. She had a bronze in 2005-2006 and when she again made the A final, it was a gold. So she knows what she wants when she goes to an A final it is to get a medal and preferably a gold one. She also participated in two Olympic Games and this year she had all A finals in 2011. According to her trainer, to her coach, she’s putting up in strength up to the final tomorrow.
So, who starts off with a question?
[Ed Hewitt]: Ed Hewitt from row2k. All of you have a number of years in the single and multiple Olympics. Not everyone can last that long in rowing. And so what do you think it is about that has made you able to keep going for so many years and for multiple Olympics? Is it something about the single? About who you are? About something else?
[Interviewer]: Shall we start with Ekaterina maybe and then give the word to Xiuyn Zhang?
[Ekaterina Karsten]: It’s, before the Olympics Ekaterina will do only the single. Maybe later she will participate in another World Class. She doesn’t know exactly yet, it depends.
[Xiuyn Zhang]: So, Xiuyn has been rowing for twenty years and she loves the sport. Actually, she has retired two years ago after 2009. But she wanted to become a coach. She returned to come back and she is quite happy with what she has done over the last one year and now she is looking for the qualification in the Olympic game next year.
[Annekatrin Thiele]: I would like answer gentlemen, it is better for me [in German]
[Translator]: So the main thing she said is she has been rowing since 1994. And the main motivation to keep on rowing is just the fun and the love for the sport of rowing and to be out in nature and it’s just the major driver of all her rowing. Apart from that she loves the competition and tests herself with others. Of course, in the double and the quad there was already a great challenge to be out there and compete against the others. But to move into the single the motivation was actually to have the personal competition to actually see not only in the double but in the quad, but where can she go as an individual in the single. And that was the extra personal motivation to try the single and the big aim is to row the single at the Olympics next year. And as you were saying it’s a lot of fun involved and as long as she has the fun in the sport then the love for it she will keep on going.
[Frida Svensson]: I started rowing in 1992 so it sounds like I have a long way to go if you listen to the ladies on the left. But I will stay in the sport as long as I feel that I have something to give, as long as I can improve myself. And I don’t think I’ve reached the top yet. And why I’m in the single? It’s cause I’m simply the best at home and there is no one else to race with so there are no options. I also think that this is the event that suits me the best. If I do well, I get all the credit. If I don’t do well, I need to take the blame as well. I think it’s a nice tread between happy faces and very sad faces. But I like it, I enjoy it very much.
[Melissa Bray]: This is a question for you Anne. Melissa Bray from FISA. I just want to ask you all if you are full time athletes? And if you’re not, what else do you do?
[Frida Svensson]: I’ll start since I have the microphone. No, I’m not a full time athlete. I work on the side. I work four days a week and I’m simply a waitress on the side.
[Annekatrin Thiele]: I’m a full time athlete. I am working at the State Police but I have free all the year and go on practica when the season goes to end. So as the season is finished, I go to work and the rest of the year I have free for doing rowing.
[Ekaterina Karsten]: Eka’s job is a rowing coach. But now she’s a professional sportsman instructor of the National Team.
[Xiuyn Zhang]: She has a degree, a Masters in sports. So over the last few years she also participates in as a lecturer in the Beijing Sports Institute.
[Interviewer]: Just to build on, Frida when you are as a waitress, do people recognize you?
[Frida Svensson]: Well yes they do. I live in a very small town. I think the population is around 10,000 people. I mainly work lunch hour so I don’t work late nights or anything like that. I’m not allowed to be there when it’s fun. So yes, most of the people recognize me. But I enjoy it, its fun. They are a part of my rowing life and are very interested in rowing and how I do when it’s World Cup and World Championship like now, so it’s quite fun. They try to stay updated when it comes to my results in my racing. So, I enjoy it.
[Yaka]: May I have a go? Yaka here from Rest Center. We’ve been speaking a lot about the weather conditions the whole week. How do you like it? And if any of you will try tomorrow and beat the world record because the conditions are quite good for that?
[Frida Svensson]: For myself, the main goal tomorrow will not be to beat the world record. But if I will be the first one to cross the finish line and I break the world record that would be awesome. But no, that’s not the main focus here and about the lake it’s lovely scenery. I heard a lot of people comparing it to Lucerne. But I might agree with some that this is even better than Lucerne. The water feels very alive so even if it might look flat from the grandstand it’s still very alive out on the course. But so far I’ve loved it and no matter what the conditions will be tomorrow I’m sure it will be a lovely racing day tomorrow too.
[Interviewer]: Annekatrin?
[Annekatrin Thiele]: I say it in German . . .
[Translator]: Okay just too quickly translate. The course is great and she actually really likes it that you can see the course from the hotel where you can see the conditions and prepare a little bit before you actually come down. She has noticed that in the singles, of course, the course is rather lively with all the big boats rowing around so you can feel the other boats training and racing. But tomorrow they should be out there by themselves so they should be good. And it’s actually the same at every course. About the world record time. It does not really matter. But the aim is to get as fast as possible from start to finish and to be in front, I mean ahead, as much as possible. So it’s about the position and not really about the time. If in the end there’s a world record time that would be perfect but it’s all about the position. And then just saying again how beautiful the course is and that she enjoys rowing it.
[Annekatrin Thiele]: Annekatrin says that the distance here is rather specific. But it would all depends on the water conditions. The main thing is the rowing and how it is prepared for the race. She thinks it’s not a big problem to row in such a beautiful lake as here.
[Xiuyn Zhang]: Xiuyn feel that this lake is a very beautiful lake and with excellent facilities. However, during training there are lots of boats. And it cause a little bit of inconvenient quite choppy waters, especially when catamaran and speedboats are passing. But, no matter what, she loves this course and she’s well prepared for the race tomorrow.
[Interviewer]: Maybe a last question about the semi finals. Because when you look at the results it’s in both semi finals, it was three and three. It was as if for a little bit there were two parts and the six best are in the final. It’s very close for China, (inaudible 0:14:51.2) and Sweden. Only not even a second between the three of you. Was it a gentlewomen agreement?
[Frida Svensson]: Well, I didn’t get that memo before start. (Laughing) yeah, maybe it ended like that. I’m pretty sure that we all wanted to make sure that we were the first three to cross the finish line and I think we had to look at each other like pass the meter mark, the five hundred meter mark. And we were very certain it would be the three of us crossing the line first. There might have been afterwards a little bit of gentlemen’s agreement (laughing). I don’t know. But nothing not before start no and there won’t be tomorrow.
[Interviewer]: I trust you.
[Ekaterina Karsten]: Eka says if you see all the results of the season they are practically the same everywhere. But, of course, there was no agreement at all.
[Xiuyn Zhang]: As you know, all the sculler rowing today they are very experienced sculler. And they know each other quite well. And over the last few race they are competing with each other. So for this year I think most of the sculler would like to qualify for the Olympic first instead of trying to win a medal. So as well as the other sculler they may like to fight tomorrow in the final B first for the place. So the fighting is not to hard as today. I think not their agreement. I think they respect each other quite well.
[Interviewer]: Ekaterina you were in the other semi final so it’s a little bit more difficult for you. But how was your semi final?
[Ekaterina]: Our semi final, my semi final was good. I row good and I think the distance between Rocha and me was bigger than in the first semi final. But we are also three points ahead in the final and tomorrow we see what goes on.
[Interviewer]: Thank you and we really look forward to it. So, (spoke thank you in several different languages) and all the best to all of you. Thank you.
Comments | Log in to comment |
There are no Comments yet
|
row2k's Worlds coverage is brought to you in part by:
row2k's Worlds coverage is brought to you in part by: