0:40:15 > 0:40:17It's not long now until the Olympic Games,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19once again, take the world by storm,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22so I have been taking the opportunity to catch up
0:40:22 > 0:40:24with some of Britain's leading gold medal hopes.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27And I'm here today at the National Centre of sporting excellence
0:40:27 > 0:40:31at Bisham Abbey to meet a pair who, together,
0:40:31 > 0:40:35combine to be one of the most dominant forces in world sport.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39Helen Glover and Heather Stanning created history when they won
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Team GB's first gold medal in the coxless pairs
0:40:42 > 0:40:45at the 2012 London Games.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48The long-term rowing partners have blitzed their opponents,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51remaining unbeaten since 2011,
0:40:51 > 0:40:55during which time they've set a new world record and collected
0:40:55 > 0:40:58gold medals at the European and World Championships.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02With such fine form, they are red-hot favourites to defend
0:41:02 > 0:41:07their title in Rio and cement their status as Olympic legends.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11I want to find out why their partnership is so effective...
0:41:11 > 0:41:13I think two Heathers in the boat would be
0:41:13 > 0:41:17a very quiet boat and two Helens in the boat would be a lot of
0:41:17 > 0:41:20information a lot of the time and never having time to digest it.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23How Helen's friends reacted when they learnt
0:41:23 > 0:41:25she'd won an Olympic gold.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28I got quite a few messages after the Olympics saying,
0:41:28 > 0:41:30"I didn't even know you rowed.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32"I've just seen you win the Olympics."
0:41:32 > 0:41:36..and discover if they can defend their Olympic title.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39There are New Zealand and there's America
0:41:39 > 0:41:41and there are three of us all aiming for that top spot.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44And, you know, we want to be the ones to take it
0:41:44 > 0:41:46and there's no reason we wouldn't be the ones,
0:41:46 > 0:41:47but it's going to be tough.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53So, are you a strictly professional partnership
0:41:53 > 0:41:57- or are you actually friends as well? - We're friends as well.- Yeah.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00I'd say we're almost friends first, in a way, aren't we?
0:42:00 > 0:42:04I think that we do get on really well outside the boat,
0:42:04 > 0:42:08but, ultimately, we know that we're together because of the project
0:42:08 > 0:42:09that we're in.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11- It's got to help.- Yeah.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13It makes it a lot easier when it's tough, like,
0:42:13 > 0:42:15when the training's tough
0:42:15 > 0:42:17and it's not going well for one reason or another.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Or you're just finding it difficult individually,
0:42:19 > 0:42:22it's nice to know that you're in a boat with someone you get on
0:42:22 > 0:42:24with really well, you really respect.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26And it just makes it so much easier.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28You know, I'm working hard, I'm going through this for a reason
0:42:28 > 0:42:31and it's with Helen and it's, yeah, it just makes it so much better.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34And switch off time's important as well, so what do you do,
0:42:34 > 0:42:38what do you talk about when you're not training?
0:42:38 > 0:42:40It ranges from anything to do with...
0:42:40 > 0:42:41Rubbish, we just chat rubbish.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44I think if you could hear our conversations we have on
0:42:44 > 0:42:45training camp, it's...
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Last year, you tried to teach me bird noises, didn't you?
0:42:48 > 0:42:51- Yeah.- That'll be the Steve Backshall influence.- I know.- Yeah.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53You're not supposed to tell people this, Heather.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56- But I was so bad at it you gave up. - Yeah, I know.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58What sort of bird noises?
0:42:58 > 0:43:01- Just, I have an app... - CLARE LAUGHS
0:43:01 > 0:43:04..which is also a game where you learn bird noises
0:43:04 > 0:43:06- and you've got to guess the bird. - Chaffinch is good.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08The willow warbler is a personal favourite.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11- How does the willow warbler go? - I don't know if I can do it.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14It's just like a...du-du-du-du-du-du.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16I think that was one of the only ones I could get,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18- because of the warbling. - You didn't get any of them.- OK.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21So, you're clearly trying to educate yourselves.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23Yeah, we're into quite similar things.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25Actually, we often keep an eye on lots of other sports as well.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28You know, when the rugby's on, we'll always kind of
0:43:28 > 0:43:30keep up-to-date with that and especially the other Olympic sports.
0:43:30 > 0:43:34We're always really interested in who's qualified, especially in
0:43:34 > 0:43:37the last few weeks when we've been looking to qualification and
0:43:37 > 0:43:40we've been seeing other teams and their qualification systems.
0:43:40 > 0:43:44And now we can recognise names that were in London with us
0:43:44 > 0:43:47and seeing who out of them have qualified and things like that,
0:43:47 > 0:43:48we find that really interesting.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50Now, be honest about each other, cos, actually,
0:43:50 > 0:43:53it's easier than being honest about yourself sometimes.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55Heather, how would you describe Helen?
0:43:55 > 0:44:00Helen is incredibly competitive but actually very laid-back as well
0:44:00 > 0:44:03and extremely determined.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06She knows what she wants and she'll work incredibly hard to get it.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09- Is she tidy?- No.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11That is one thing Helen is not.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13And, Helen, how would you describe Heather?
0:44:13 > 0:44:15Tidy.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19Organised. She's...yeah...she's very...
0:44:19 > 0:44:21She's got a quiet determination,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24she knows what she wants and she will kind of
0:44:24 > 0:44:27quietly go out to get it.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31But I think she's also very dependable, but equally,
0:44:31 > 0:44:33you know, a little bit like what Helen said about me,
0:44:33 > 0:44:36all those things aside, she's also very laid-back
0:44:36 > 0:44:37and quite chilled out as well.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39Do you think you bring out the best in each other?
0:44:39 > 0:44:42I think we've both got quite different personalities in training
0:44:42 > 0:44:45to out of it, so, I think, outside of training we're both
0:44:45 > 0:44:48- probably quite similar...- Yeah. - ..and then as soon as we step onto
0:44:48 > 0:44:51- the training environment, we sort of polarise.- Because...?
0:44:51 > 0:44:55You're more vocal in what you want, what you feel and I'm a bit
0:44:55 > 0:44:58more quiet about it and I'll just kind of...
0:44:58 > 0:45:00Internally, I know what I want, but I'm not very good
0:45:00 > 0:45:03at expressing it, and so I'll just quietly get on and work hard...
0:45:03 > 0:45:05I'm happy to receive lots of information,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07I'll sit here and be told lots of stuff,
0:45:07 > 0:45:09but I won't necessarily give much away.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11I think two Heathers in the boat would be a very quiet boat
0:45:11 > 0:45:16and those things that need to be said would possibly get said
0:45:16 > 0:45:18a few months later down the line
0:45:18 > 0:45:21and two Helens in the boat would be a lot of information
0:45:21 > 0:45:23a lot of the time and never having time to digest it.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26- So, I think that we bring the best out in each other.- Yeah.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29Because I learn from Heather that there are times
0:45:29 > 0:45:31where it's good to be quiet and to digest what's going on
0:45:31 > 0:45:33and to really take stock of situations
0:45:33 > 0:45:36and then Heather, I think, gets from me a sense of urgency
0:45:36 > 0:45:40about the here and now and making the best of the day we're in.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43And I think that that bounces off each other really well.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45How did you both get started in rowing,
0:45:45 > 0:45:46was it something you did at school?
0:45:46 > 0:45:49No. I picked it up at university,
0:45:49 > 0:45:52University of Bath. And you were even later than that, weren't you?
0:45:52 > 0:45:56Yeah, so I'd finished university and I started my teacher training
0:45:56 > 0:45:59when my mum called me up and said there was an advert in the paper -
0:45:59 > 0:46:02it was four years or about five years before the London Olympics.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05They were looking for fresh people to go into different sports
0:46:05 > 0:46:07and hopefully win medals.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11And the only criteria was that you needed to be over a certain height.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13- What was the height? - The height was 5'11".
0:46:13 > 0:46:15And once I turned up, they told me I was only 5'9".
0:46:15 > 0:46:22So I stood on my tiptoes and met Paul Stannard, who was the coach.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25He looked at my background and he thought I'd be suitable for rowing.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29It's an amazing thing, do you ever sort of look at each other and go,
0:46:29 > 0:46:31"We're Olympic champions"?
0:46:31 > 0:46:34- See, we don't...- No.- ..and I think that's probably because
0:46:34 > 0:46:36we've carried on. I think...
0:46:36 > 0:46:39I always haven't... I haven't had that grounding moment of having
0:46:39 > 0:46:42that total realisation of being an Olympic champion.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45It took me a long, long time after winning in London
0:46:45 > 0:46:48to even say that I won the Olympics.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52- It really took six months or so to kind of have that feeling.- Yeah.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54You're right, it might not happen until you've retired.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56- I don't think it will. - I think, yeah.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58There was certainly a period during the games,
0:46:58 > 0:47:01afterwards when we had the medals, like, "This is really exciting."
0:47:01 > 0:47:04And the whole euphoria of the games. But afterwards, you're working to
0:47:04 > 0:47:05do that again, so you don't sit back and go,
0:47:05 > 0:47:08"I'm an Olympic champion, I've done this all before."
0:47:08 > 0:47:10You're like, "What do I need to do to win that Olympic gold?"
0:47:10 > 0:47:13The weird thing is, am I right in thinking, Helen,
0:47:13 > 0:47:14that you didn't tell your friends
0:47:14 > 0:47:17that you were rowing at the Olympics?
0:47:17 > 0:47:18I think for some people...
0:47:18 > 0:47:21I got quite a few messages after the Olympics saying,
0:47:21 > 0:47:23"I didn't even know you rowed.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25"I've just seen you win the Olympics."
0:47:25 > 0:47:28Because I just think it's always good to do things quietly.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31I just think if you can do something quietly, do it quietly.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34And it's always much nicer for people to find out
0:47:34 > 0:47:35of their own accord, I think.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Quite a surprise that would be.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40Whereas, Heather, you didn't have the luxury of not telling
0:47:40 > 0:47:42a lot of people, because you had to take time out from the army
0:47:42 > 0:47:45- and therefore everybody knew? - Yeah, pretty much.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48Yeah, they didn't give you that much time after the Olympics
0:47:48 > 0:47:51to rest on your laurels, cos you were sent to Afghanistan?
0:47:51 > 0:47:53I didn't go for about six months and then, yeah,
0:47:53 > 0:47:56I did a six-month tour, came back and got back into a rowing boat.
0:47:56 > 0:48:00Was there a rowing machine at all in Afghanistan? Could you...?
0:48:00 > 0:48:02Yeah, I mean, I was working a full-time job,
0:48:02 > 0:48:05training was very much a second thing.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07So if, at the end of the day, I felt too tired to do it,
0:48:07 > 0:48:10I would just go to bed, rest, get up the next day and start again.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13And, you know, it's one thing being in that situation,
0:48:13 > 0:48:17and you know what is expected of you and you know exactly what's
0:48:17 > 0:48:19around you and you trust the people you're with.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Being at home and your best friend, basically, the person you've
0:48:22 > 0:48:26won a gold medal with at the Olympics is on tour in Afghanistan.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29How are you keeping in touch and were you concerned?
0:48:29 > 0:48:32Whenever somebody you know goes away to Afghanistan, I think,
0:48:32 > 0:48:36there's obviously going to be a sense of, not worry,
0:48:36 > 0:48:38but just, obviously, hoping, wishing them the best
0:48:38 > 0:48:40and hoping that they're OK.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42Um, but we kept in touch a little bit.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45You gave me a phone call on my birthday and there were e-mails
0:48:45 > 0:48:46and things like that.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48So, I was actually surprised at how easy it was
0:48:48 > 0:48:49to kind of stay in touch.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53But equally, I was definitely very focused on my task of rowing
0:48:53 > 0:48:56while I was staying at home as well. So, it definitely, kind of...
0:48:56 > 0:48:59It wasn't like things were on pause and I was waiting.
0:48:59 > 0:49:01I was definitely making sure things were moving on.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04And it's probably given you good training, given that you're going
0:49:04 > 0:49:07to marry Steve Backshall and he's away wrestling crocodiles,
0:49:07 > 0:49:09and, you know, cosying up to lions.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12You have to get used to some sort of threat to that.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15"Oh, I can deal with this."
0:49:15 > 0:49:16When is the big day?
0:49:16 > 0:49:19It's about three weeks after we finish, so in September, yeah.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21- So, have you done all the planning? - My mum's done all the planning.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25- Helen's been heavily involved... Not.- She even chose the dress?
0:49:25 > 0:49:27I'm just going to turn up and see what it's like.
0:49:27 > 0:49:29- Did she taste the cake? - I have chosen the dress.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31- She chose the dress...- Yeah. - ..that's all you've done.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35- Got the dress, got your shoes. - You might be a different shape then.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38I hope I'll be a different shape, I think...in the three weeks...
0:49:38 > 0:49:40I did say to the dress people in the dress shop,
0:49:40 > 0:49:42"Don't worry, "I'll be a little bit smaller by the time..."
0:49:42 > 0:49:44And they were like, "Really?!"
0:49:44 > 0:49:46So, I hope I fit in my dress, basically,
0:49:46 > 0:49:48when the time comes round.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52Have you got a role to play? Yeah, yeah, I'm a bridesmaid.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54What sort of bridesmaids' outfits has she chosen?
0:49:54 > 0:49:56They're nice, I haven't tried it on...
0:49:56 > 0:49:58I really wanted to kind of buy a, like, hideous dress.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01Puffball, exactly, going for the peach...
0:50:01 > 0:50:03- Yeah, exactly. - No, they're really nice.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06- Nice colour.- It'll be fantastic. It's a great... Are you excited?
0:50:06 > 0:50:09Yeah, it'll be a lot of fun and I've got loads of the rowing girls
0:50:09 > 0:50:11- coming down to Cornwall for it. So...- Oh, it's in Cornwall, is it?
0:50:11 > 0:50:15It's just outside a beach where I grew up, loads of family,
0:50:15 > 0:50:19loads of friends and it's going to be a good party, yeah.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21What was the proposal like?
0:50:21 > 0:50:23Oh, it was like the most romantic proposal ever.
0:50:23 > 0:50:24- Was it?- Yeah, yeah.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27We went, after the World Championships last year,
0:50:27 > 0:50:29we went to Namibia.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33And we were out in a desert sunset
0:50:33 > 0:50:35and he set up his camera on a little tripod
0:50:35 > 0:50:37to take photos of the sunset.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39And as we were stood there in front of it,
0:50:39 > 0:50:43he turned round and got down on one knee.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46He didn't know my ring size because I never wear jewellery.
0:50:46 > 0:50:51And he had, from Cornwall, he'd got a ring carved with a Cornish word,
0:50:51 > 0:50:53and proposed to me then.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56And then we walked around the corner and there was a table set up
0:50:56 > 0:51:00for champagne and stuff. So yeah, it was very romantic.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02- It's lucky you said yes.- I know. - Can you imagine?
0:51:02 > 0:51:04That would have been so awkward.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06"Not now, I'm concentrating on the Olympics.
0:51:06 > 0:51:08"Oh, you've got dinner and champagne."
0:51:08 > 0:51:10- Pick a better thing. - "Oh, a lovely wooden ring(!)"
0:51:10 > 0:51:12THEY LAUGH
0:51:12 > 0:51:15The coxless pair of Helen Glover and Heather Stanning
0:51:15 > 0:51:20created history by winning Team GB's first gold of London 2012.
0:51:20 > 0:51:25As well as a first-ever gold for a GB women's boat at an Olympic Games.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28A further three world titles and a European title during an
0:51:28 > 0:51:31unbeaten run stretching back to 2011
0:51:31 > 0:51:34cement their status as rowing greats.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37They are putting their bodies on the line in pursuit of
0:51:37 > 0:51:41a second consecutive Olympic title and I want to learn about their
0:51:41 > 0:51:43killer training regime.
0:51:43 > 0:51:47Let's talk about training and the hours that you do and what you do.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49What's a typical day?
0:51:49 > 0:51:51A typical day - we probably do three to six hours
0:51:51 > 0:51:53of actual physical training a day.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55And that's six days a week.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Every week, bar three weeks a year.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00And the training will be anything from
0:52:00 > 0:52:02on the water in a boat together
0:52:02 > 0:52:04or in singles during the winter.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06On the rowing machines in the gym,
0:52:06 > 0:52:09then strength and conditioning training as well in the gym.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11Do you like it? Cos some people do, they love training.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13You know, we're lucky to do it.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15And so there are definitely moments where we're kind of out on
0:52:15 > 0:52:18the water or we're sat on a rowing machine or lifting in the gym,
0:52:18 > 0:52:22and you think, "Wow, I can't believe I'm doing this.
0:52:22 > 0:52:23"I can't believe this is me
0:52:23 > 0:52:26"and I get another opportunity to go to another Olympics.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29"This is just beyond my wildest dreams, really."
0:52:29 > 0:52:32Is there anything about training that you just dread?
0:52:32 > 0:52:34- Yeah. - THEY LAUGH
0:52:34 > 0:52:35I'll be honest.
0:52:35 > 0:52:38For me, I think the rowing machine, probably for most people the
0:52:38 > 0:52:41rowing machine is something that people don't really look forward to.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43When you get out on the water, even if it's a tough session,
0:52:43 > 0:52:46you feel like, you're outside, you're out on the water.
0:52:46 > 0:52:47I think on the rowing machine,
0:52:47 > 0:52:50it just feels like you're hurting yourself. And going nowhere.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53But they're crucial sessions. I'd never take them out of the
0:52:53 > 0:52:55programme. But you definitely don't look forward to them.
0:52:55 > 0:52:56You need loud music,
0:52:56 > 0:52:59or to put them in a really good place with a really nice view.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01- We've tried everything, Clare. - Yeah, I'm sure.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03To be fair, you have been doing this.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07- We tried the music. - Tried watching other rowing videos?
0:53:07 > 0:53:11Yeah. It does work. The views do work. But it still hurts.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13You could watch Beyonce in concert on a massive screen.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16- That is something we haven't tried. Maybe we should.- Keep up with her.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19That would be good. Fuel is very important for you
0:53:19 > 0:53:22if you're expending that many calories. If you're working as
0:53:22 > 0:53:25hard as you are, you need to be eating a lot, I assume?
0:53:25 > 0:53:29What do you eat? What are your...daily intake of calories?
0:53:29 > 0:53:33- It can be about 4,000 to 5,000 calories, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:53:33 > 0:53:354,500, 5,000 calories.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37I think I was up to about 5,500 this winter.
0:53:37 > 0:53:41- Just cos of the extra mileage that we were doing and stuff.- Yeah.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45We try to be pretty healthy. So you'd have four main meals a day.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48You'd have breakfast, second breakfast, lunch and dinner.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51And that's kind of what you'd normally expect.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53So a lunch would be a big lunch for a normal person,
0:53:53 > 0:53:56but the difference is, I think, what we supplement between those.
0:53:56 > 0:54:01So the second breakfast will be, you know, poached eggs, toast and beans.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04Before bed you might have cereal or a protein shake.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06Something in the afternoon as well.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08Yeah, in the afternoon you'll have toast and...
0:54:08 > 0:54:10Do you sometimes think, "No, I don't want to eat any more"?
0:54:10 > 0:54:12Yeah, definitely.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14I think there are time, especially in the winter when you're
0:54:14 > 0:54:17trying to get that many calories in, it is quite tough to do that.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21But you'll always feel it the next day or you'll get a cold,
0:54:21 > 0:54:23or something will happen to your immune system if you haven't
0:54:23 > 0:54:26- eaten the right amount.- Oh, really? What? It's that quick an effect?
0:54:26 > 0:54:30- Yeah.- I think, yeah, you definitely feel run down and you just know
0:54:30 > 0:54:32it's cos you were under-fuelled.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34You're incredibly dominant.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37You've been unbeaten, as we know, since 2011.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39Together you seem unbeatable.
0:54:39 > 0:54:44How do you keep yourselves motivated to know that that may not last?
0:54:44 > 0:54:48And also, where is the room for improvement, if any?
0:54:48 > 0:54:51I definitely think this feeling of dominance and unbeatability
0:54:51 > 0:54:54is not something that we feel ourselves.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58We feel quite vulnerable, I think that fear of failure and that
0:54:58 > 0:55:00healthy paranoia pushes us on quite a lot.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03However, having said that, when we get to the start line,
0:55:03 > 0:55:05and especially the lead-up to the race,
0:55:05 > 0:55:07that vulnerability does disappear.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10I think it's important to maybe feel vulnerable during training
0:55:10 > 0:55:12- and strong during racing.- Yeah. - So when we get to the racing,
0:55:12 > 0:55:15we feel like there's no reason somebody should beat us.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18There's no logical explanation for us to lose a race
0:55:18 > 0:55:22if we've been winning all this time and doing the right thing.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25I think that's something that we... We always train like underdogs
0:55:25 > 0:55:30and try to arrive at competitions like champions.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33Yeah, as well, Robin is really good at making sure we
0:55:33 > 0:55:35feel like there's always room for improvement.
0:55:35 > 0:55:40- Is that your coach?- Yeah. Robin's coached us since 2010.- Yeah.
0:55:40 > 0:55:42The summer or winter of 2010.
0:55:42 > 0:55:47And he, yeah, he's always finding something for us technically.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50He is probably the world's best technical coach and we're very,
0:55:50 > 0:55:52very lucky to have him.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54He makes us feel like we can always improve.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56But at the same time, yeah,
0:55:56 > 0:55:58that we are doing the right things and we're on the right path.
0:55:58 > 0:56:02He can be very hard on us sometimes, but that's exactly what you need.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05If you want to be better, you need someone to really push you.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08Do you think that rowing and indeed other sports
0:56:08 > 0:56:11need more female coaches?
0:56:11 > 0:56:14And is it something either of you would ever think of doing?
0:56:14 > 0:56:18It would be lovely to see more females involved in sport at
0:56:18 > 0:56:20the high level, but it needs to be the right personality.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23I really hope that it's something which is going to happen.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26I can imagine it being a natural transition because the more
0:56:26 > 0:56:28women are coming into sport,
0:56:28 > 0:56:31and the more women are staying in sport longer, the more likely it is.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34I mean, most of the male coaches are ex-athletes.
0:56:34 > 0:56:36So you imagine that the more females there are in sport,
0:56:36 > 0:56:39the more females will stay on and coach.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42And hopefully, that will just be the answer.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44Also, the better they do the less, they have to think,
0:56:44 > 0:56:46"Well, do I have any credibility here?"
0:56:46 > 0:56:49- Exactly, yeah.- Yeah, you do. You're a champion, of course you do.- Yeah.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52- Or an Olympic silver medallist or bronze medallist.- Yeah.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55It doesn't take a really great sportsman to make
0:56:55 > 0:56:56a really great coach.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59But it does, like you say, give that credibility, which I think is
0:56:59 > 0:57:01really important in the sporting environment.
0:57:01 > 0:57:03Especially for a woman coming in.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06If you want to be the first woman in your sport to be
0:57:06 > 0:57:09a top coach or something, I do think that the performance as an athlete
0:57:09 > 0:57:12is a good springboard towards that.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15When you decide to become a full-time athlete,
0:57:15 > 0:57:18what are the decisions you have to make about your life?
0:57:18 > 0:57:22And if, for example, not socialising is one of those decisions,
0:57:22 > 0:57:26does it feel like a sacrifice? People talk a lot about sacrifice.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29Or does it just feel like, well, that's the decision I've made,
0:57:29 > 0:57:30this is the way I live?
0:57:30 > 0:57:34Initially, it's just a choice you've made and it's what you want to do.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37And there are some times you think, "Ah, I'd really love to be
0:57:37 > 0:57:39"going to this wedding or seeing these people."
0:57:39 > 0:57:41And I think that's probably when some people talk about the
0:57:41 > 0:57:45sacrifices cos there's times when it might be your closest friend
0:57:45 > 0:57:47and you're missing some of the most important things in their life.
0:57:47 > 0:57:50And you're like, I can't be there to support them.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52You're no good as company at that wedding, frankly.
0:57:52 > 0:57:53- No.- No, that's true.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55All you're doing is thinking, "I shouldn't be here."
0:57:55 > 0:57:58Yeah. You're looking for a seat cos you want to get off your legs.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00You're just eating everything in sight.
0:58:00 > 0:58:02THEY LAUGH Oh, that bad?
0:58:02 > 0:58:04You're not drinking anything.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06And you're asleep by 10.00.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09And you're going, "All right, I need to be in bed by 9.00."
0:58:09 > 0:58:12- "Great, I'm so glad you came(!)" - Yeah.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14- "See ya!"- So, yeah. People are probably pleased
0:58:14 > 0:58:17- that we don't make it. - THEY LAUGH
0:58:17 > 0:58:21Going back to you and what you are together,
0:58:21 > 0:58:23and what you are in the water together,
0:58:23 > 0:58:26the motivation to become better -
0:58:26 > 0:58:29do you find now that you don't want to let each other down?
0:58:29 > 0:58:33That this is part of what drives you, is the other one?
0:58:33 > 0:58:35A rowing race hurts so much. It really does.
0:58:35 > 0:58:39That's the fourth, fifth minute, you're in so much pain.
0:58:39 > 0:58:42And when you know that you're doing it for somebody else,
0:58:42 > 0:58:45not just for yourself, it makes it so much more powerful.
0:58:45 > 0:58:47Because I think you can give yourself excuses,
0:58:47 > 0:58:49- but you can't give that for another person.- Yeah.
0:58:49 > 0:58:53- You can't back off.- No, particularly not if they know you as well.
0:58:53 > 0:58:54- BOTH:- Yeah.
0:58:54 > 0:58:57Does the memory of the pain, does that go pretty quickly?
0:58:57 > 0:58:58If you win a race,
0:58:58 > 0:59:01- you kind of immediately forget how much it hurt halfway.- Yeah.
0:59:01 > 0:59:04If you've lost that race, not only do you have the pain of losing, but
0:59:04 > 0:59:08you're in agony for the whole race without the adrenaline of winning.
0:59:08 > 0:59:11- Do you remember the last time you lost?- Yes.
0:59:11 > 0:59:14And do you hold on to that memory of the last time you lost?
0:59:14 > 0:59:16A little bit. A little bit, yeah. Yeah.
0:59:16 > 0:59:19I don't think we'll ever let ourselves forget it
0:59:19 > 0:59:22because in one sense, it was almost the best thing that happened.
0:59:22 > 0:59:25Cos that winter we were so determined about everything we did
0:59:25 > 0:59:29that we knew that come London, we'd be in the best shape possible.
0:59:29 > 0:59:32We'd done absolutely everything. We'd left no rock unturned.
0:59:32 > 0:59:36We'd really pushed ourselves. It wasn't just because we'd lost.
0:59:36 > 0:59:38I think we would have probably done that anyway.
0:59:38 > 0:59:41But we had a memory, we had a video to look back and watch and go,
0:59:41 > 0:59:43"Look, we don't want this to happen again."
0:59:43 > 0:59:47Well, I'm not going to show you that video, cos that would be awful.
0:59:47 > 0:59:50But I am going to show you the video of winning gold in London.
0:59:50 > 0:59:52Just talk me through some of the key points.
0:59:52 > 0:59:55I remember getting this feeling, which I know a lot of people get,
0:59:55 > 0:59:56which is the feeling of dread
0:59:56 > 0:59:59and "I would rather be anywhere in the world but here."
0:59:59 > 1:00:02I think it's a really common feeling for people who have trained
1:00:02 > 1:00:05every day just to get there and you don't want to be there.
1:00:05 > 1:00:09And I actually remember seeing one of our good friends
1:00:09 > 1:00:11who hadn't made the team...
1:00:11 > 1:00:14And seeing her out of the corner of my eye and thinking,
1:00:14 > 1:00:16"She would give anything to be here."
1:00:16 > 1:00:19We don't often talk to each other on the start line.
1:00:19 > 1:00:22We're in a kind of... We're in our zone.
1:00:22 > 1:00:25We trust that the other person is getting themselves ready
1:00:25 > 1:00:27- in their own way. - And that they're going to go when...
1:00:27 > 1:00:30- THEY ALL LAUGH - Yeah.- Start rowing!
1:00:30 > 1:00:31- Helen can only really go once I go.- Yeah.
1:00:31 > 1:00:35And I think we do have a fast reaction time.
1:00:35 > 1:00:37Yeah, I do remember looking back at the lights cos
1:00:37 > 1:00:39I look for the red light to go out
1:00:39 > 1:00:41rather than the green light to come on.
1:00:41 > 1:00:44I just kept looking at the green light and was like...
1:00:44 > 1:00:46We had obviously gone and it was still there and I was like,
1:00:46 > 1:00:48"Why am I still looking at the traffic light?
1:00:48 > 1:00:50Do you shout to motivate each other?
1:00:50 > 1:00:53Helen does all the calls and she will speak to me
1:00:53 > 1:00:55during the race, not constantly, but she'll, kind of,
1:00:55 > 1:00:58give feedback to what I need to know about the race or
1:00:58 > 1:01:00the tactics of what the other crews are doing.
1:01:00 > 1:01:01Does she keep it polite?
1:01:01 > 1:01:02Um...
1:01:02 > 1:01:04Nine times out of ten.
1:01:04 > 1:01:05HELEN CHUCKLES
1:01:05 > 1:01:09I'm glad there's not a microphone on me in the boat.
1:01:09 > 1:01:11We might have test that.
1:01:11 > 1:01:14You know it's going to hurt at one stage and that's fine.
1:01:14 > 1:01:17We know, like, in training we've hurt ourselves so many times.
1:01:17 > 1:01:20You row through it and it's something you, kind of,
1:01:20 > 1:01:23look forward to but don't wait for.
1:01:23 > 1:01:25If it doesn't become painful at the time you're expecting,
1:01:25 > 1:01:27then so be it. It doesn't necessarily mean
1:01:27 > 1:01:28you haven't done enough.
1:01:28 > 1:01:31So yeah, coming into the last bit, we obviously had all the crowd,
1:01:31 > 1:01:34it was so phenomenally loud. It was something we had been warned about
1:01:34 > 1:01:37as well is you won't be able to hear yourself think.
1:01:37 > 1:01:39I couldn't hear Helen, despite her sitting a metre and a half away
1:01:39 > 1:01:42- from me.- Yeah. I was shouting. Imagine if you're in a nightclub
1:01:42 > 1:01:45and you shout and you can't hear your own voice. And that's what...
1:01:45 > 1:01:48I was saying to Helen, the calls that we'd run through,
1:01:48 > 1:01:50I couldn't hear myself talking, so I just thought,
1:01:50 > 1:01:52"I know Heather's not going to hear me."
1:01:52 > 1:01:54And we just trusted that we had spoken through the plan
1:01:54 > 1:01:59enough times to know it without needing to hear it.
1:01:59 > 1:02:02And yeah, kind of, the first thing that made us realise
1:02:02 > 1:02:04we'd crossed the line was the roar.
1:02:04 > 1:02:06It changed from what we thought couldn't get any louder
1:02:06 > 1:02:09to just... If there was a roof, it would have been blown off
1:02:09 > 1:02:10when we crossed the line.
1:02:10 > 1:02:13Well, the extra excitement was you were the first gold medal
1:02:13 > 1:02:16- for Great Britain...- Yeah.- Yeah. - ..of the London Olympics.
1:02:16 > 1:02:18I definitely felt there had been something different about it.
1:02:18 > 1:02:21We really wanted it to be a special moment for everybody,
1:02:21 > 1:02:24but the fact that it really was because of that added extra
1:02:24 > 1:02:27of it being the first gold of the games for GB,
1:02:27 > 1:02:28it was really special for us
1:02:28 > 1:02:32to know that it meant something to other people as well.
1:02:32 > 1:02:36Do you get... Can you hear each other in the immediate aftermath?
1:02:36 > 1:02:38- Yeah.- Yeah, yeah, we could.
1:02:38 > 1:02:41It's so awkward doing a celebration in a boat.
1:02:41 > 1:02:43You're in a little narrow boat with one blade each,
1:02:43 > 1:02:45you've got very little balance.
1:02:45 > 1:02:46You can't turn round and hug each other,
1:02:46 > 1:02:49so I obviously lie back and you just have this awkward moment of,
1:02:49 > 1:02:51"What are you doing?"
1:02:51 > 1:02:54But, yeah, it was just really nice that we get at the moment
1:02:54 > 1:02:56where we just talk to each other.
1:02:56 > 1:02:58And what did you say?
1:02:58 > 1:03:00"I'm sorry." Because I knocked her glasses off her head.
1:03:00 > 1:03:03She turned round to hug me and she knocked my sunglasses off.
1:03:03 > 1:03:04She was like, "I'm sorry."
1:03:04 > 1:03:08I was like, "Don't say sorry, we just won the Olympics!"
1:03:08 > 1:03:10I still couldn't, even in the interviews after
1:03:10 > 1:03:13and even in that moment, I still couldn't say, "We've done it.
1:03:13 > 1:03:16"We've got the gold. We're Olympic champions."
1:03:16 > 1:03:18To me we had just won the race.
1:03:18 > 1:03:20It was an important race to win,
1:03:20 > 1:03:23but just calling ourselves Olympic champions,
1:03:23 > 1:03:26when seven minutes earlier we weren't Olympic champions,
1:03:26 > 1:03:28just didn't feel like something we could do.
1:03:28 > 1:03:31- And, like I said, that's what took a long time coming, didn't it?- Yeah.
1:03:31 > 1:03:33I think we very much approached it as a rowing race.
1:03:33 > 1:03:35We were very ready to go and win our rowing race.
1:03:35 > 1:03:38We knew we had every tool to do it.
1:03:38 > 1:03:40We knew we were in the best shape we could be.
1:03:40 > 1:03:42And so we went out and we won our race.
1:03:42 > 1:03:45- We totally convinced ourselves that it was just another race.- Yeah.
1:03:45 > 1:03:48And because we had dumbed it down so much, once we had won...
1:03:48 > 1:03:51..it took us so long to realise it was the Olympic final.
1:03:51 > 1:03:53But even then, didn't you book a late lunch
1:03:53 > 1:03:57- with friends and family?- Yes.- Yeah!
1:03:57 > 1:03:59The day before we said to our mums and dads,
1:03:59 > 1:04:02we'll meet you at five. We'll have a little late lunch in the pub.
1:04:02 > 1:04:04Yeah, they had booked out a little pub in Windsor.
1:04:04 > 1:04:07We were so naive, so naive.
1:04:07 > 1:04:11I mean, it was our first Olympics, first big win at any championships.
1:04:11 > 1:04:14I mean, we were just put in a car and taken to London.
1:04:14 > 1:04:17And then at five, when we should have been in a pub with our parents,
1:04:17 > 1:04:19we were sat beside Gary Lineker on a sofa.
1:04:19 > 1:04:22And we didn't get back to about three in the morning or something...
1:04:22 > 1:04:24- Yeah, gone past midnight. - ..just doing interviews.
1:04:24 > 1:04:27- They celebrated without us. - What were we thinking?
1:04:27 > 1:04:29Why did we think that we could just, kind of...
1:04:29 > 1:04:31But I think that probably just shows
1:04:31 > 1:04:34how we did just think of it as another race.
1:04:34 > 1:04:38The big difference with an Olympics is the medal ceremony,
1:04:38 > 1:04:40and in front of a home crowd,
1:04:40 > 1:04:41did you have any tips from anybody
1:04:41 > 1:04:43on how to handle yourselves on the podium?
1:04:43 > 1:04:46- No.- Not at all.- It's the kind of thing you don't speak about
1:04:46 > 1:04:48because you never want to assume you'll be there.
1:04:48 > 1:04:50And it's the kind of thing once you get there you go,
1:04:50 > 1:04:53- "I wish I'd spoken to someone about this."- Yeah.- But you never would.
1:04:53 > 1:04:56James Cracknell told me that Steve Redgrave said,
1:04:56 > 1:04:58- "Drop the flowers and don't cry." BOTH:- Oh, really?- Yeah.
1:04:58 > 1:05:01So, he dropped the flowers and then he put his arms around,
1:05:01 > 1:05:04you know, the others. But in every photo, Matthew's crying.
1:05:04 > 1:05:06I mean, I don't think it was too...
1:05:06 > 1:05:09I think it was a really nice moment, actually.
1:05:09 > 1:05:11- It was the first time we'd heard the national anthem.- Yeah.
1:05:11 > 1:05:13First time anyone had heard it of the whole games.
1:05:13 > 1:05:16And it was the first time we had heard it ourselves.
1:05:16 > 1:05:18Cos we'd never won a championships before,
1:05:18 > 1:05:19we'd never stood in the middle of the podium
1:05:19 > 1:05:22and sung the national anthem. We'd won World Cups,
1:05:22 > 1:05:24but you don't have the national anthem there. So suddenly, we're
1:05:24 > 1:05:27able to sing the national anthem and yeah, it wasn't that tuneful.
1:05:27 > 1:05:30I remember thinking, "Oh, my God. I really want to sing,
1:05:30 > 1:05:32"but we're such bad singers." I was thinking...
1:05:32 > 1:05:34I remember thinking when the camera panned across us, thinking,
1:05:34 > 1:05:36"I hope that doesn't have a microphone in it."
1:05:36 > 1:05:40I just pictured our voices being blasted out to the whole world.
1:05:40 > 1:05:41Yeah.
1:05:41 > 1:05:43So that's what happened in London.
1:05:43 > 1:05:47You've now got Rio to look forward to. Have either of you been there?
1:05:47 > 1:05:50- Do you know anything about the rowing set up?- Yeah.
1:05:50 > 1:05:54We went on a recce, a three-week training camp two years ago
1:05:54 > 1:05:57to get a, kind of, feel for the place. I think it's going to be a
1:05:57 > 1:05:59stunning venue. It's going to be absolutely beautiful.
1:05:59 > 1:06:02Have you got friends and family coming out with you to Brazil?
1:06:02 > 1:06:04- Yeah.- Yeah. - Will you get to see them?
1:06:04 > 1:06:06- Even though...- This has been a debate, hasn't it?
1:06:06 > 1:06:09Even though we've been to an Olympics, obviously,
1:06:09 > 1:06:12we've never been to an away games, so we just have no concept
1:06:12 > 1:06:14of how often we'll get to see family and friends,
1:06:14 > 1:06:16you know, where we could meet up.
1:06:16 > 1:06:19I mean, Rio is a big, bustling, exciting place, but it's...
1:06:19 > 1:06:22You know, when you think about logistics of meeting family and
1:06:22 > 1:06:25friends outside of the rowing environment, we just don't know.
1:06:25 > 1:06:27We've said to our family and friends, if you see us,
1:06:27 > 1:06:29you'll see us and that'll be a bonus. It's a bonus.
1:06:29 > 1:06:31And do you know where you are in the schedule?
1:06:31 > 1:06:34We're in the first week, but near the end of the first week.
1:06:34 > 1:06:36Oh, well, that's great. So you've got the second week?
1:06:36 > 1:06:38- Will you stay out and go to other events?- Yeah.- Yeah.
1:06:38 > 1:06:40- So that's great.- Party time. THEY CHUCKLE
1:06:40 > 1:06:43Now, has Steve told you about wildlife to look out for in Brazil?
1:06:43 > 1:06:45Um... Not really actually.
1:06:45 > 1:06:47- Is he coming? - He's coming out, yeah, yeah.
1:06:47 > 1:06:49He's on expedition all the way
1:06:49 > 1:06:51through now until we go to Rio.
1:06:51 > 1:06:54- So you just won't see him? - Well, I might see him once,
1:06:54 > 1:06:57literally for one day, before we compete at the Olympics.
1:06:57 > 1:07:00And then you get to see him for a little bit afterwards
1:07:00 > 1:07:02- and then you get married? - And then we get married, yeah.
1:07:02 > 1:07:04- So we don't have time to change our minds.- No. That's good.
1:07:04 > 1:07:07- This is all good.- You'll be so excited to see each other.- You will.
1:07:09 > 1:07:12Do you think, sitting here now,
1:07:12 > 1:07:15being honest about your opposition, being honest about where you are,
1:07:15 > 1:07:19what is your expectation going to Rio?
1:07:19 > 1:07:21I think the expectation is we want to go and defend that title.
1:07:21 > 1:07:24We know we've got the ability to do it,
1:07:24 > 1:07:26but we also know we've got some very strong competition.
1:07:26 > 1:07:30So we're going to train hard and do everything we can in the time
1:07:30 > 1:07:32between now and then to eliminate that chance of being beaten.
1:07:32 > 1:07:35Coming into the games, everybody peaks for the same event.
1:07:35 > 1:07:38Everybody's now peaking once in four years
1:07:38 > 1:07:40and it closes things up, it closes margins up.
1:07:40 > 1:07:43We know that we're going to have to be the best version of ourselves.
1:07:43 > 1:07:46I'm not saying we need to do anything special or different,
1:07:46 > 1:07:49but we need to be the best version that we have in training,
1:07:49 > 1:07:52package that and take that to our start line in Rio.
1:07:52 > 1:07:55You know, there are New Zealand and there's America
1:07:55 > 1:07:58and there are three of us all looking for that top spot
1:07:58 > 1:08:00and we want to be the ones to take it.
1:08:00 > 1:08:03There's no reason we wouldn't be the ones, but it's going to be tough.
1:08:03 > 1:08:06Well, I can't wait to see your race and good luck.
1:08:06 > 1:08:08- Thank you very much. - Thank you, cheers.
1:08:08 > 1:08:10I don't know about you, but I listen to Helen and Heather
1:08:10 > 1:08:13and it just makes me feel really confident,
1:08:13 > 1:08:16not because they're arrogant or egotistical, not even, really,
1:08:16 > 1:08:19because of their results, which obviously are exceptional,
1:08:19 > 1:08:23but because of their combined determination,
1:08:23 > 1:08:26their absolute certainty in the work that they've been doing,
1:08:26 > 1:08:28the training they've been doing,
1:08:28 > 1:08:32the fact that they are not hoping to peak because it's an Olympic games.
1:08:32 > 1:08:34They know they will have done enough to get there.
1:08:34 > 1:08:36And if everything, you know, barring any disaster,
1:08:36 > 1:08:40if everything goes right, that they will be strong enough
1:08:40 > 1:08:42to retain their Olympic title.
1:08:42 > 1:08:44It matters hugely to them.
1:08:44 > 1:08:47And I think they're not just furthering the sport of rowing,
1:08:47 > 1:08:49they're furthering women's sport as a whole,
1:08:49 > 1:08:50in terms of their professional approach.
1:08:50 > 1:08:53But the other lovely thing is they just are a team
1:08:53 > 1:08:54and a friendship and a partnership
1:08:54 > 1:08:56that bring out the best in each other
1:08:56 > 1:08:58and they are better together.