Roeipraet 4-2019

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There’s the occasional smile, and the odd chuckle, but not the overwhelming emotion one may expect when listening to the call of them winning gold.

2016: Mahe Drysdale (left) looks over to Damir Martin after a photo-finish.

The emotion slightly kicks in when he talks about the race. “I love sport. And I love watching Kiwis do well, and it could be anyone else doing that, but when it’s yourself, it’s pretty special.” The veteran is clearly driven towards a third Olympic gold, but it hasn’t always been the case. Even at 18, an age when others are still daring to dream, Drysdale concedes he gave up the dream. “My first Olympic memory is 1988 and wat- ching Carl Lewis winning in Seoul. That was the defining moment for me because that was when I thought ‘I want to go to the Olympics’. I was what, nine years old? And that was what I wanted to do. Throughout school I loved sport. I was good at everything, but not great at anything. So by the time I got to university I thought I’d done my dash and that I wasn’t going to make it. And then rowing came along.” Rowing’s been with him since. The now years of experience are evident when Drysdale talks about Tokyo. It’s consistently “if we make it”. He knows all too well that nothing is a done deal, regardless of the past.

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