By the time they have reached the World Championships, elite athletes have done almost everything there is to do well, and have had an equal number of difficult challenges to overcome. Rebounding from a close and hard-fought loss to race again on a quick turnaround is certainly one of them.
Canadian single sculler Carling Zeeman did just that in her repechage today, rowing to a comfortable open water win after missing the sole qualifying spot from the heat by 0.03 seconds on Monday after having rowed back from third position nearly to win it. After the rep, Zeeman shared how she approached rebounding from the near-miss to rally for today's rep.
"Going into each race, it's important to take what you can from the last race, and then start fresh for your next race," she said. "In the heats I did make some mistakes, but I also did some really good things, so I took the good things and just focused on building off those. "
Saying that and doing it can be tough for many athletes, and Zeeman offered some perspective on how she approaches it.
"You need a certain degree of discipline and mental toughness, because you can beat yourself up about it in the moment, but it's not going to help you in the next race; it doesn't help you fall asleep at night," she said. "You just have to let it go. We all do this for a reason; I do it because I enjoy racing. To hold onto something that you could potentially be upset about is just not helpful." Zeeman also commented on the oft-debated topic of the value of a trip through the reps, which many coaches and athletes sometimes welcome, but it does always mean there is another race – which in the single has implications since it means five races during the week. Zeeman can see it both ways.
"I look at it as practice run for the final, another chance to to go out and focus on what I'm working on technically, and to execute it in a slightly less stressful situation," she said. "The biggest thing for me today was just to stay calm and do my own thing. If I can do that, then I'm in the running."
Zeeman races next in the Friday semis that include a heap of stellar women's single scullers; both semis should produce some superb racing, don't miss it; good luck to Zeeman.
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