Heather Stanning and Helen Glover Clare Balding Meets


Heather Stanning and Helen Glover

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It's not long now until the Olympic Games,

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once again, take the world by storm,

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so I have been taking the opportunity to catch up

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with some of Britain's leading gold medal hopes.

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And I'm here today at the National Centre of sporting excellence

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at Bisham Abbey to meet a pair who, together,

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combine to be one of the most dominant forces in world sport.

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Helen Glover and Heather Stanning created history when they won

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Team GB's first gold medal in the coxless pairs

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at the 2012 London Games.

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The long-term rowing partners have blitzed their opponents,

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remaining unbeaten since 2011,

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during which time they've set a new world record and collected

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gold medals at the European and World Championships.

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With such fine form, they are red-hot favourites to defend

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their title in Rio and cement their status as Olympic legends.

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I want to find out why their partnership is so effective...

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I think two Heathers in the boat would be

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a very quiet boat and two Helens in the boat would be a lot of

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information a lot of the time and never having time to digest it.

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How Helen's friends reacted when they learnt

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she'd won an Olympic gold.

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I got quite a few messages after the Olympics saying,

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"I didn't even know you rowed.

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"I've just seen you win the Olympics."

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..and discover if they can defend their Olympic title.

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There are New Zealand and there's America

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and there are three of us all aiming for that top spot.

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And, you know, we want to be the ones to take it

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and there's no reason we wouldn't be the ones,

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but it's going to be tough.

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So, are you a strictly professional partnership

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-or are you actually friends as well?

-We're friends as well.

-Yeah.

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I'd say we're almost friends first, in a way, aren't we?

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I think that we do get on really well outside the boat,

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but, ultimately, we know that we're together because of the project

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that we're in.

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-It's got to help.

-Yeah.

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It makes it a lot easier when it's tough, like,

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when the training's tough

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and it's not going well for one reason or another.

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Or you're just finding it difficult individually,

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it's nice to know that you're in a boat with someone you get on

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with really well, you really respect.

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And it just makes it so much easier.

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You know, I'm working hard, I'm going through this for a reason

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and it's with Helen and it's, yeah, it just makes it so much better.

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And switch off time's important as well, so what do you do,

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what do you talk about when you're not training?

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It ranges from anything to do with...

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Rubbish, we just chat rubbish.

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I think if you could hear our conversations we have on

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training camp, it's...

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Last year, you tried to teach me bird noises, didn't you?

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-Yeah.

-That'll be the Steve Backshall influence.

-I know.

-Yeah.

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You're not supposed to tell people this, Heather.

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-But I was so bad at it you gave up.

-Yeah, I know.

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What sort of bird noises?

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-Just, I have an app...

-CLARE LAUGHS

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..which is also a game where you learn bird noises

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-and you've got to guess the bird.

-Chaffinch is good.

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The willow warbler is a personal favourite.

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-How does the willow warbler go?

-I don't know if I can do it.

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It's just like a...du-du-du-du-du-du.

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I think that was one of the only ones I could get,

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-because of the warbling.

-You didn't get any of them.

-OK.

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So, you're clearly trying to educate yourselves.

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Yeah, we're into quite similar things.

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Actually, we often keep an eye on lots of other sports as well.

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You know, when the rugby's on, we'll always kind of

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keep up-to-date with that and especially the other Olympic sports.

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We're always really interested in who's qualified, especially in

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the last few weeks when we've been looking to qualification and

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we've been seeing other teams and their qualification systems.

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And now we can recognise names that were in London with us

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and seeing who out of them have qualified and things like that,

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we find that really interesting.

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Now, be honest about each other, cos, actually,

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it's easier than being honest about yourself sometimes.

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Heather, how would you describe Helen?

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Helen is incredibly competitive but actually very laid-back as well

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and extremely determined.

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She knows what she wants and she'll work incredibly hard to get it.

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-Is she tidy?

-No.

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That is one thing Helen is not.

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And, Helen, how would you describe Heather?

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Tidy.

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Organised. She's...yeah...she's very...

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She's got a quiet determination,

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she knows what she wants and she will kind of

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quietly go out to get it.

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But I think she's also very dependable, but equally,

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you know, a little bit like what Helen said about me,

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all those things aside, she's also very laid-back

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and quite chilled out as well.

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Do you think you bring out the best in each other?

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I think we've both got quite different personalities in training

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to out of it, so, I think, outside of training we're both

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-probably quite similar...

-Yeah.

-..and then as soon as we step onto

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-the training environment, we sort of polarise.

-Because...?

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You're more vocal in what you want, what you feel and I'm a bit

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more quiet about it and I'll just kind of...

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Internally, I know what I want, but I'm not very good

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at expressing it, and so I'll just quietly get on and work hard...

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I'm happy to receive lots of information,

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I'll sit here and be told lots of stuff,

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but I won't necessarily give much away.

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I think two Heathers in the boat would be a very quiet boat

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and those things that need to be said would possibly get said

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a few months later down the line

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and two Helens in the boat would be a lot of information

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a lot of the time and never having time to digest it.

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-So, I think that we bring the best out in each other.

-Yeah.

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Because I learn from Heather that there are times

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where it's good to be quiet and to digest what's going on

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and to really take stock of situations

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and then Heather, I think, gets from me a sense of urgency

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about the here and now and making the best of the day we're in.

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And I think that that bounces off each other really well.

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How did you both get started in rowing,

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was it something you did at school?

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No. I picked it up at university,

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University of Bath. And you were even later than that, weren't you?

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Yeah, so I'd finished university and I started my teacher training

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when my mum called me up and said there was an advert in the paper -

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it was four years or about five years before the London Olympics.

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They were looking for fresh people to go into different sports

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and hopefully win medals.

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And the only criteria was that you needed to be over a certain height.

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-What was the height?

-The height was 5'11".

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And once I turned up, they told me I was only 5'9".

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So I stood on my tiptoes and met Paul Stannard, who was the coach.

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He looked at my background and he thought I'd be suitable for rowing.

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It's an amazing thing, do you ever sort of look at each other and go,

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"We're Olympic champions"?

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-See, we don't...

-No.

-..and I think that's probably because

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we've carried on. I think...

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I always haven't... I haven't had that grounding moment of having

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that total realisation of being an Olympic champion.

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It took me a long, long time after winning in London

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to even say that I won the Olympics.

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-It really took six months or so to kind of have that feeling.

-Yeah.

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You're right, it might not happen until you've retired.

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-I don't think it will.

-I think, yeah.

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There was certainly a period during the games,

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afterwards when we had the medals, like, "This is really exciting."

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And the whole euphoria of the games. But afterwards, you're working to

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do that again, so you don't sit back and go,

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"I'm an Olympic champion, I've done this all before."

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You're like, "What do I need to do to win that Olympic gold?"

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The weird thing is, am I right in thinking, Helen,

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that you didn't tell your friends

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that you were rowing at the Olympics?

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I think for some people...

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I got quite a few messages after the Olympics saying,

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"I didn't even know you rowed.

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"I've just seen you win the Olympics."

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Because I just think it's always good to do things quietly.

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I just think if you can do something quietly, do it quietly.

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And it's always much nicer for people to find out

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of their own accord, I think.

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Quite a surprise that would be.

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Whereas, Heather, you didn't have the luxury of not telling

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a lot of people, because you had to take time out from the army

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-and therefore everybody knew?

-Yeah, pretty much.

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Yeah, they didn't give you that much time after the Olympics

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to rest on your laurels, cos you were sent to Afghanistan?

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I didn't go for about six months and then, yeah,

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I did a six-month tour, came back and got back into a rowing boat.

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Was there a rowing machine at all in Afghanistan? Could you...?

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Yeah, I mean, I was working a full-time job,

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training was very much a second thing.

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So if, at the end of the day, I felt too tired to do it,

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I would just go to bed, rest, get up the next day and start again.

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And, you know, it's one thing being in that situation,

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and you know what is expected of you and you know exactly what's

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around you and you trust the people you're with.

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Being at home and your best friend, basically, the person you've

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won a gold medal with at the Olympics is on tour in Afghanistan.

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How are you keeping in touch and were you concerned?

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Whenever somebody you know goes away to Afghanistan, I think,

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there's obviously going to be a sense of, not worry,

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but just, obviously, hoping, wishing them the best

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and hoping that they're OK.

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Um, but we kept in touch a little bit.

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You gave me a phone call on my birthday and there were e-mails

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and things like that.

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So, I was actually surprised at how easy it was

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to kind of stay in touch.

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But equally, I was definitely very focused on my task of rowing

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while I was staying at home as well. So, it definitely, kind of...

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It wasn't like things were on pause and I was waiting.

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I was definitely making sure things were moving on.

0:48:590:49:01

And it's probably given you good training, given that you're going

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to marry Steve Backshall and he's away wrestling crocodiles,

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and, you know, cosying up to lions.

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You have to get used to some sort of threat to that.

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"Oh, I can deal with this."

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When is the big day?

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It's about three weeks after we finish, so in September, yeah.

0:49:160:49:19

-So, have you done all the planning?

-My mum's done all the planning.

0:49:190:49:21

-Helen's been heavily involved... Not.

-She even chose the dress?

0:49:210:49:25

I'm just going to turn up and see what it's like.

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-Did she taste the cake?

-I have chosen the dress.

0:49:270:49:29

-She chose the dress...

-Yeah.

-..that's all you've done.

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-Got the dress, got your shoes.

-You might be a different shape then.

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I hope I'll be a different shape, I think...in the three weeks...

0:49:350:49:38

I did say to the dress people in the dress shop,

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"Don't worry, "I'll be a little bit smaller by the time..."

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And they were like, "Really?!"

0:49:420:49:44

So, I hope I fit in my dress, basically,

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when the time comes round.

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Have you got a role to play? Yeah, yeah, I'm a bridesmaid.

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What sort of bridesmaids' outfits has she chosen?

0:49:520:49:54

They're nice, I haven't tried it on...

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I really wanted to kind of buy a, like, hideous dress.

0:49:560:49:58

Puffball, exactly, going for the peach...

0:49:580:50:01

-Yeah, exactly.

-No, they're really nice.

0:50:010:50:03

-Nice colour.

-It'll be fantastic. It's a great... Are you excited?

0:50:030:50:06

Yeah, it'll be a lot of fun and I've got loads of the rowing girls

0:50:060:50:09

-coming down to Cornwall for it. So...

-Oh, it's in Cornwall, is it?

0:50:090:50:11

It's just outside a beach where I grew up, loads of family,

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loads of friends and it's going to be a good party, yeah.

0:50:150:50:19

What was the proposal like?

0:50:190:50:21

Oh, it was like the most romantic proposal ever.

0:50:210:50:23

-Was it?

-Yeah, yeah.

0:50:230:50:24

We went, after the World Championships last year,

0:50:240:50:27

we went to Namibia.

0:50:270:50:29

And we were out in a desert sunset

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and he set up his camera on a little tripod

0:50:330:50:35

to take photos of the sunset.

0:50:350:50:37

And as we were stood there in front of it,

0:50:370:50:39

he turned round and got down on one knee.

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He didn't know my ring size because I never wear jewellery.

0:50:430:50:46

And he had, from Cornwall, he'd got a ring carved with a Cornish word,

0:50:460:50:51

and proposed to me then.

0:50:510:50:53

And then we walked around the corner and there was a table set up

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for champagne and stuff. So yeah, it was very romantic.

0:50:560:51:00

-It's lucky you said yes.

-I know.

-Can you imagine?

0:51:000:51:02

That would have been so awkward.

0:51:020:51:04

"Not now, I'm concentrating on the Olympics.

0:51:040:51:06

"Oh, you've got dinner and champagne."

0:51:060:51:08

-Pick a better thing.

-"Oh, a lovely wooden ring(!)"

0:51:080:51:10

THEY LAUGH

0:51:100:51:12

The coxless pair of Helen Glover and Heather Stanning

0:51:120:51:15

created history by winning Team GB's first gold of London 2012.

0:51:150:51:20

As well as a first-ever gold for a GB women's boat at an Olympic Games.

0:51:200:51:25

A further three world titles and a European title during an

0:51:250:51:28

unbeaten run stretching back to 2011

0:51:280:51:31

cement their status as rowing greats.

0:51:310:51:34

They are putting their bodies on the line in pursuit of

0:51:340:51:37

a second consecutive Olympic title and I want to learn about their

0:51:370:51:41

killer training regime.

0:51:410:51:43

Let's talk about training and the hours that you do and what you do.

0:51:430:51:47

What's a typical day?

0:51:470:51:49

A typical day - we probably do three to six hours

0:51:490:51:51

of actual physical training a day.

0:51:510:51:53

And that's six days a week.

0:51:530:51:55

Every week, bar three weeks a year.

0:51:550:51:58

And the training will be anything from

0:51:580:52:00

on the water in a boat together

0:52:000:52:02

or in singles during the winter.

0:52:020:52:04

On the rowing machines in the gym,

0:52:040:52:06

then strength and conditioning training as well in the gym.

0:52:060:52:09

Do you like it? Cos some people do, they love training.

0:52:090:52:11

You know, we're lucky to do it.

0:52:110:52:13

And so there are definitely moments where we're kind of out on

0:52:130:52:15

the water or we're sat on a rowing machine or lifting in the gym,

0:52:150:52:18

and you think, "Wow, I can't believe I'm doing this.

0:52:180:52:22

"I can't believe this is me

0:52:220:52:23

"and I get another opportunity to go to another Olympics.

0:52:230:52:26

"This is just beyond my wildest dreams, really."

0:52:260:52:29

Is there anything about training that you just dread?

0:52:290:52:32

-Yeah.

-THEY LAUGH

0:52:320:52:34

I'll be honest.

0:52:340:52:35

For me, I think the rowing machine, probably for most people the

0:52:350:52:38

rowing machine is something that people don't really look forward to.

0:52:380:52:41

When you get out on the water, even if it's a tough session,

0:52:410:52:43

you feel like, you're outside, you're out on the water.

0:52:430:52:46

I think on the rowing machine,

0:52:460:52:47

it just feels like you're hurting yourself. And going nowhere.

0:52:470:52:50

But they're crucial sessions. I'd never take them out of the

0:52:500:52:53

programme. But you definitely don't look forward to them.

0:52:530:52:55

You need loud music,

0:52:550:52:56

or to put them in a really good place with a really nice view.

0:52:560:52:59

-We've tried everything, Clare.

-Yeah, I'm sure.

0:52:590:53:01

To be fair, you have been doing this.

0:53:010:53:03

-We tried the music.

-Tried watching other rowing videos?

0:53:030:53:07

Yeah. It does work. The views do work. But it still hurts.

0:53:070:53:11

You could watch Beyonce in concert on a massive screen.

0:53:110:53:13

-That is something we haven't tried. Maybe we should.

-Keep up with her.

0:53:130:53:16

That would be good. Fuel is very important for you

0:53:160:53:19

if you're expending that many calories. If you're working as

0:53:190:53:22

hard as you are, you need to be eating a lot, I assume?

0:53:220:53:25

What do you eat? What are your...daily intake of calories?

0:53:250:53:29

-It can be about 4,000 to 5,000 calories, isn't it?

-Yeah.

0:53:290:53:33

4,500, 5,000 calories.

0:53:330:53:35

I think I was up to about 5,500 this winter.

0:53:350:53:37

-Just cos of the extra mileage that we were doing and stuff.

-Yeah.

0:53:370:53:41

We try to be pretty healthy. So you'd have four main meals a day.

0:53:410:53:45

You'd have breakfast, second breakfast, lunch and dinner.

0:53:450:53:48

And that's kind of what you'd normally expect.

0:53:480:53:51

So a lunch would be a big lunch for a normal person,

0:53:510:53:53

but the difference is, I think, what we supplement between those.

0:53:530:53:56

So the second breakfast will be, you know, poached eggs, toast and beans.

0:53:560:54:01

Before bed you might have cereal or a protein shake.

0:54:010:54:04

Something in the afternoon as well.

0:54:040:54:06

Yeah, in the afternoon you'll have toast and...

0:54:060:54:08

Do you sometimes think, "No, I don't want to eat any more"?

0:54:080:54:10

Yeah, definitely.

0:54:100:54:12

I think there are time, especially in the winter when you're

0:54:120:54:14

trying to get that many calories in, it is quite tough to do that.

0:54:140:54:17

But you'll always feel it the next day or you'll get a cold,

0:54:170:54:21

or something will happen to your immune system if you haven't

0:54:210:54:23

-eaten the right amount.

-Oh, really? What? It's that quick an effect?

0:54:230:54:26

-Yeah.

-I think, yeah, you definitely feel run down and you just know

0:54:260:54:30

it's cos you were under-fuelled.

0:54:300:54:32

You're incredibly dominant.

0:54:320:54:34

You've been unbeaten, as we know, since 2011.

0:54:340:54:37

Together you seem unbeatable.

0:54:370:54:39

How do you keep yourselves motivated to know that that may not last?

0:54:390:54:44

And also, where is the room for improvement, if any?

0:54:440:54:48

I definitely think this feeling of dominance and unbeatability

0:54:480:54:51

is not something that we feel ourselves.

0:54:510:54:54

We feel quite vulnerable, I think that fear of failure and that

0:54:540:54:58

healthy paranoia pushes us on quite a lot.

0:54:580:55:00

However, having said that, when we get to the start line,

0:55:000:55:03

and especially the lead-up to the race,

0:55:030:55:05

that vulnerability does disappear.

0:55:050:55:07

I think it's important to maybe feel vulnerable during training

0:55:070:55:10

-and strong during racing.

-Yeah.

-So when we get to the racing,

0:55:100:55:12

we feel like there's no reason somebody should beat us.

0:55:120:55:15

There's no logical explanation for us to lose a race

0:55:150:55:18

if we've been winning all this time and doing the right thing.

0:55:180:55:22

I think that's something that we... We always train like underdogs

0:55:220:55:25

and try to arrive at competitions like champions.

0:55:250:55:30

Yeah, as well, Robin is really good at making sure we

0:55:300:55:33

feel like there's always room for improvement.

0:55:330:55:35

-Is that your coach?

-Yeah. Robin's coached us since 2010.

-Yeah.

0:55:350:55:40

The summer or winter of 2010.

0:55:400:55:42

And he, yeah, he's always finding something for us technically.

0:55:420:55:47

He is probably the world's best technical coach and we're very,

0:55:470:55:50

very lucky to have him.

0:55:500:55:52

He makes us feel like we can always improve.

0:55:520:55:54

But at the same time, yeah,

0:55:540:55:56

that we are doing the right things and we're on the right path.

0:55:560:55:58

He can be very hard on us sometimes, but that's exactly what you need.

0:55:580:56:02

If you want to be better, you need someone to really push you.

0:56:020:56:05

Do you think that rowing and indeed other sports

0:56:050:56:08

need more female coaches?

0:56:080:56:11

And is it something either of you would ever think of doing?

0:56:110:56:14

It would be lovely to see more females involved in sport at

0:56:140:56:18

the high level, but it needs to be the right personality.

0:56:180:56:20

I really hope that it's something which is going to happen.

0:56:200:56:23

I can imagine it being a natural transition because the more

0:56:230:56:26

women are coming into sport,

0:56:260:56:28

and the more women are staying in sport longer, the more likely it is.

0:56:280:56:31

I mean, most of the male coaches are ex-athletes.

0:56:310:56:34

So you imagine that the more females there are in sport,

0:56:340:56:36

the more females will stay on and coach.

0:56:360:56:39

And hopefully, that will just be the answer.

0:56:390:56:42

Also, the better they do the less, they have to think,

0:56:420:56:44

"Well, do I have any credibility here?"

0:56:440:56:46

-Exactly, yeah.

-Yeah, you do. You're a champion, of course you do.

-Yeah.

0:56:460:56:49

-Or an Olympic silver medallist or bronze medallist.

-Yeah.

0:56:490:56:52

It doesn't take a really great sportsman to make

0:56:520:56:55

a really great coach.

0:56:550:56:56

But it does, like you say, give that credibility, which I think is

0:56:560:56:59

really important in the sporting environment.

0:56:590:57:01

Especially for a woman coming in.

0:57:010:57:03

If you want to be the first woman in your sport to be

0:57:030:57:06

a top coach or something, I do think that the performance as an athlete

0:57:060:57:09

is a good springboard towards that.

0:57:090:57:12

When you decide to become a full-time athlete,

0:57:120:57:15

what are the decisions you have to make about your life?

0:57:150:57:18

And if, for example, not socialising is one of those decisions,

0:57:180:57:22

does it feel like a sacrifice? People talk a lot about sacrifice.

0:57:220:57:26

Or does it just feel like, well, that's the decision I've made,

0:57:260:57:29

this is the way I live?

0:57:290:57:30

Initially, it's just a choice you've made and it's what you want to do.

0:57:300:57:34

And there are some times you think, "Ah, I'd really love to be

0:57:340:57:37

"going to this wedding or seeing these people."

0:57:370:57:39

And I think that's probably when some people talk about the

0:57:390:57:41

sacrifices cos there's times when it might be your closest friend

0:57:410:57:45

and you're missing some of the most important things in their life.

0:57:450:57:47

And you're like, I can't be there to support them.

0:57:470:57:50

You're no good as company at that wedding, frankly.

0:57:500:57:52

-No.

-No, that's true.

0:57:520:57:53

All you're doing is thinking, "I shouldn't be here."

0:57:530:57:55

Yeah. You're looking for a seat cos you want to get off your legs.

0:57:550:57:58

You're just eating everything in sight.

0:57:580:58:00

THEY LAUGH Oh, that bad?

0:58:000:58:02

You're not drinking anything.

0:58:020:58:04

And you're asleep by 10.00.

0:58:040:58:06

And you're going, "All right, I need to be in bed by 9.00."

0:58:060:58:09

-"Great, I'm so glad you came(!)"

-Yeah.

0:58:090:58:12

-"See ya!"

-So, yeah. People are probably pleased

0:58:120:58:14

-that we don't make it.

-THEY LAUGH

0:58:140:58:17

Going back to you and what you are together,

0:58:170:58:21

and what you are in the water together,

0:58:210:58:23

the motivation to become better -

0:58:230:58:26

do you find now that you don't want to let each other down?

0:58:260:58:29

That this is part of what drives you, is the other one?

0:58:290:58:33

A rowing race hurts so much. It really does.

0:58:330:58:35

That's the fourth, fifth minute, you're in so much pain.

0:58:350:58:39

And when you know that you're doing it for somebody else,

0:58:390:58:42

not just for yourself, it makes it so much more powerful.

0:58:420:58:45

Because I think you can give yourself excuses,

0:58:450:58:47

-but you can't give that for another person.

-Yeah.

0:58:470:58:49

-You can't back off.

-No, particularly not if they know you as well.

0:58:490:58:53

-BOTH:

-Yeah.

0:58:530:58:54

Does the memory of the pain, does that go pretty quickly?

0:58:540:58:57

If you win a race,

0:58:570:58:58

-you kind of immediately forget how much it hurt halfway.

-Yeah.

0:58:580:59:01

If you've lost that race, not only do you have the pain of losing, but

0:59:010:59:04

you're in agony for the whole race without the adrenaline of winning.

0:59:040:59:08

-Do you remember the last time you lost?

-Yes.

0:59:080:59:11

And do you hold on to that memory of the last time you lost?

0:59:110:59:14

A little bit. A little bit, yeah. Yeah.

0:59:140:59:16

I don't think we'll ever let ourselves forget it

0:59:160:59:19

because in one sense, it was almost the best thing that happened.

0:59:190:59:22

Cos that winter we were so determined about everything we did

0:59:220:59:25

that we knew that come London, we'd be in the best shape possible.

0:59:250:59:29

We'd done absolutely everything. We'd left no rock unturned.

0:59:290:59:32

We'd really pushed ourselves. It wasn't just because we'd lost.

0:59:320:59:36

I think we would have probably done that anyway.

0:59:360:59:38

But we had a memory, we had a video to look back and watch and go,

0:59:380:59:41

"Look, we don't want this to happen again."

0:59:410:59:43

Well, I'm not going to show you that video, cos that would be awful.

0:59:430:59:47

But I am going to show you the video of winning gold in London.

0:59:470:59:50

Just talk me through some of the key points.

0:59:500:59:52

I remember getting this feeling, which I know a lot of people get,

0:59:520:59:55

which is the feeling of dread

0:59:550:59:56

and "I would rather be anywhere in the world but here."

0:59:560:59:59

I think it's a really common feeling for people who have trained

0:59:591:00:02

every day just to get there and you don't want to be there.

1:00:021:00:05

And I actually remember seeing one of our good friends

1:00:051:00:09

who hadn't made the team...

1:00:091:00:11

And seeing her out of the corner of my eye and thinking,

1:00:111:00:14

"She would give anything to be here."

1:00:141:00:16

We don't often talk to each other on the start line.

1:00:161:00:19

We're in a kind of... We're in our zone.

1:00:191:00:22

We trust that the other person is getting themselves ready

1:00:221:00:25

-in their own way.

-And that they're going to go when...

1:00:251:00:27

-THEY ALL LAUGH

-Yeah.

-Start rowing!

1:00:271:00:30

-Helen can only really go once I go.

-Yeah.

1:00:301:00:31

And I think we do have a fast reaction time.

1:00:311:00:35

Yeah, I do remember looking back at the lights cos

1:00:351:00:37

I look for the red light to go out

1:00:371:00:39

rather than the green light to come on.

1:00:391:00:41

I just kept looking at the green light and was like...

1:00:411:00:44

We had obviously gone and it was still there and I was like,

1:00:441:00:46

"Why am I still looking at the traffic light?

1:00:461:00:48

Do you shout to motivate each other?

1:00:481:00:50

Helen does all the calls and she will speak to me

1:00:501:00:53

during the race, not constantly, but she'll, kind of,

1:00:531:00:55

give feedback to what I need to know about the race or

1:00:551:00:58

the tactics of what the other crews are doing.

1:00:581:01:00

Does she keep it polite?

1:01:001:01:01

Um...

1:01:011:01:02

Nine times out of ten.

1:01:021:01:04

HELEN CHUCKLES

1:01:041:01:05

I'm glad there's not a microphone on me in the boat.

1:01:051:01:09

We might have test that.

1:01:091:01:11

You know it's going to hurt at one stage and that's fine.

1:01:111:01:14

We know, like, in training we've hurt ourselves so many times.

1:01:141:01:17

You row through it and it's something you, kind of,

1:01:171:01:20

look forward to but don't wait for.

1:01:201:01:23

If it doesn't become painful at the time you're expecting,

1:01:231:01:25

then so be it. It doesn't necessarily mean

1:01:251:01:27

you haven't done enough.

1:01:271:01:28

So yeah, coming into the last bit, we obviously had all the crowd,

1:01:281:01:31

it was so phenomenally loud. It was something we had been warned about

1:01:311:01:34

as well is you won't be able to hear yourself think.

1:01:341:01:37

I couldn't hear Helen, despite her sitting a metre and a half away

1:01:371:01:39

-from me.

-Yeah. I was shouting. Imagine if you're in a nightclub

1:01:391:01:42

and you shout and you can't hear your own voice. And that's what...

1:01:421:01:45

I was saying to Helen, the calls that we'd run through,

1:01:451:01:48

I couldn't hear myself talking, so I just thought,

1:01:481:01:50

"I know Heather's not going to hear me."

1:01:501:01:52

And we just trusted that we had spoken through the plan

1:01:521:01:54

enough times to know it without needing to hear it.

1:01:541:01:59

And yeah, kind of, the first thing that made us realise

1:01:591:02:02

we'd crossed the line was the roar.

1:02:021:02:04

It changed from what we thought couldn't get any louder

1:02:041:02:06

to just... If there was a roof, it would have been blown off

1:02:061:02:09

when we crossed the line.

1:02:091:02:10

Well, the extra excitement was you were the first gold medal

1:02:101:02:13

-for Great Britain...

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-..of the London Olympics.

1:02:131:02:16

I definitely felt there had been something different about it.

1:02:161:02:18

We really wanted it to be a special moment for everybody,

1:02:181:02:21

but the fact that it really was because of that added extra

1:02:211:02:24

of it being the first gold of the games for GB,

1:02:241:02:27

it was really special for us

1:02:271:02:28

to know that it meant something to other people as well.

1:02:281:02:32

Do you get... Can you hear each other in the immediate aftermath?

1:02:321:02:36

-Yeah.

-Yeah, yeah, we could.

1:02:361:02:38

It's so awkward doing a celebration in a boat.

1:02:381:02:41

You're in a little narrow boat with one blade each,

1:02:411:02:43

you've got very little balance.

1:02:431:02:45

You can't turn round and hug each other,

1:02:451:02:46

so I obviously lie back and you just have this awkward moment of,

1:02:461:02:49

"What are you doing?"

1:02:491:02:51

But, yeah, it was just really nice that we get at the moment

1:02:511:02:54

where we just talk to each other.

1:02:541:02:56

And what did you say?

1:02:561:02:58

"I'm sorry." Because I knocked her glasses off her head.

1:02:581:03:00

She turned round to hug me and she knocked my sunglasses off.

1:03:001:03:03

She was like, "I'm sorry."

1:03:031:03:04

I was like, "Don't say sorry, we just won the Olympics!"

1:03:041:03:08

I still couldn't, even in the interviews after

1:03:081:03:10

and even in that moment, I still couldn't say, "We've done it.

1:03:101:03:13

"We've got the gold. We're Olympic champions."

1:03:131:03:16

To me we had just won the race.

1:03:161:03:18

It was an important race to win,

1:03:181:03:20

but just calling ourselves Olympic champions,

1:03:201:03:23

when seven minutes earlier we weren't Olympic champions,

1:03:231:03:26

just didn't feel like something we could do.

1:03:261:03:28

-And, like I said, that's what took a long time coming, didn't it?

-Yeah.

1:03:281:03:31

I think we very much approached it as a rowing race.

1:03:311:03:33

We were very ready to go and win our rowing race.

1:03:331:03:35

We knew we had every tool to do it.

1:03:351:03:38

We knew we were in the best shape we could be.

1:03:381:03:40

And so we went out and we won our race.

1:03:401:03:42

-We totally convinced ourselves that it was just another race.

-Yeah.

1:03:421:03:45

And because we had dumbed it down so much, once we had won...

1:03:451:03:48

..it took us so long to realise it was the Olympic final.

1:03:481:03:51

But even then, didn't you book a late lunch

1:03:511:03:53

-with friends and family?

-Yes.

-Yeah!

1:03:531:03:57

The day before we said to our mums and dads,

1:03:571:03:59

we'll meet you at five. We'll have a little late lunch in the pub.

1:03:591:04:02

Yeah, they had booked out a little pub in Windsor.

1:04:021:04:04

We were so naive, so naive.

1:04:041:04:07

I mean, it was our first Olympics, first big win at any championships.

1:04:071:04:11

I mean, we were just put in a car and taken to London.

1:04:111:04:14

And then at five, when we should have been in a pub with our parents,

1:04:141:04:17

we were sat beside Gary Lineker on a sofa.

1:04:171:04:19

And we didn't get back to about three in the morning or something...

1:04:191:04:22

-Yeah, gone past midnight.

-..just doing interviews.

1:04:221:04:24

-They celebrated without us.

-What were we thinking?

1:04:241:04:27

Why did we think that we could just, kind of...

1:04:271:04:29

But I think that probably just shows

1:04:291:04:31

how we did just think of it as another race.

1:04:311:04:34

The big difference with an Olympics is the medal ceremony,

1:04:341:04:38

and in front of a home crowd,

1:04:381:04:40

did you have any tips from anybody

1:04:401:04:41

on how to handle yourselves on the podium?

1:04:411:04:43

-No.

-Not at all.

-It's the kind of thing you don't speak about

1:04:431:04:46

because you never want to assume you'll be there.

1:04:461:04:48

And it's the kind of thing once you get there you go,

1:04:481:04:50

-"I wish I'd spoken to someone about this."

-Yeah.

-But you never would.

1:04:501:04:53

James Cracknell told me that Steve Redgrave said,

1:04:531:04:56

-"Drop the flowers and don't cry." BOTH:

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

1:04:561:04:58

So, he dropped the flowers and then he put his arms around,

1:04:581:05:01

you know, the others. But in every photo, Matthew's crying.

1:05:011:05:04

I mean, I don't think it was too...

1:05:041:05:06

I think it was a really nice moment, actually.

1:05:061:05:09

-It was the first time we'd heard the national anthem.

-Yeah.

1:05:091:05:11

First time anyone had heard it of the whole games.

1:05:111:05:13

And it was the first time we had heard it ourselves.

1:05:131:05:16

Cos we'd never won a championships before,

1:05:161:05:18

we'd never stood in the middle of the podium

1:05:181:05:19

and sung the national anthem. We'd won World Cups,

1:05:191:05:22

but you don't have the national anthem there. So suddenly, we're

1:05:221:05:24

able to sing the national anthem and yeah, it wasn't that tuneful.

1:05:241:05:27

I remember thinking, "Oh, my God. I really want to sing,

1:05:271:05:30

"but we're such bad singers." I was thinking...

1:05:301:05:32

I remember thinking when the camera panned across us, thinking,

1:05:321:05:34

"I hope that doesn't have a microphone in it."

1:05:341:05:36

I just pictured our voices being blasted out to the whole world.

1:05:361:05:40

Yeah.

1:05:401:05:41

So that's what happened in London.

1:05:411:05:43

You've now got Rio to look forward to. Have either of you been there?

1:05:431:05:47

-Do you know anything about the rowing set up?

-Yeah.

1:05:471:05:50

We went on a recce, a three-week training camp two years ago

1:05:501:05:54

to get a, kind of, feel for the place. I think it's going to be a

1:05:541:05:57

stunning venue. It's going to be absolutely beautiful.

1:05:571:05:59

Have you got friends and family coming out with you to Brazil?

1:05:591:06:02

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Will you get to see them?

1:06:021:06:04

-Even though...

-This has been a debate, hasn't it?

1:06:041:06:06

Even though we've been to an Olympics, obviously,

1:06:061:06:09

we've never been to an away games, so we just have no concept

1:06:091:06:12

of how often we'll get to see family and friends,

1:06:121:06:14

you know, where we could meet up.

1:06:141:06:16

I mean, Rio is a big, bustling, exciting place, but it's...

1:06:161:06:19

You know, when you think about logistics of meeting family and

1:06:191:06:22

friends outside of the rowing environment, we just don't know.

1:06:221:06:25

We've said to our family and friends, if you see us,

1:06:251:06:27

you'll see us and that'll be a bonus. It's a bonus.

1:06:271:06:29

And do you know where you are in the schedule?

1:06:291:06:31

We're in the first week, but near the end of the first week.

1:06:311:06:34

Oh, well, that's great. So you've got the second week?

1:06:341:06:36

-Will you stay out and go to other events?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

1:06:361:06:38

-So that's great.

-Party time. THEY CHUCKLE

1:06:381:06:40

Now, has Steve told you about wildlife to look out for in Brazil?

1:06:401:06:43

Um... Not really actually.

1:06:431:06:45

-Is he coming?

-He's coming out, yeah, yeah.

1:06:451:06:47

He's on expedition all the way

1:06:471:06:49

through now until we go to Rio.

1:06:491:06:51

-So you just won't see him?

-Well, I might see him once,

1:06:511:06:54

literally for one day, before we compete at the Olympics.

1:06:541:06:57

And then you get to see him for a little bit afterwards

1:06:571:07:00

-and then you get married?

-And then we get married, yeah.

1:07:001:07:02

-So we don't have time to change our minds.

-No. That's good.

1:07:021:07:04

-This is all good.

-You'll be so excited to see each other.

-You will.

1:07:041:07:07

Do you think, sitting here now,

1:07:091:07:12

being honest about your opposition, being honest about where you are,

1:07:121:07:15

what is your expectation going to Rio?

1:07:151:07:19

I think the expectation is we want to go and defend that title.

1:07:191:07:21

We know we've got the ability to do it,

1:07:211:07:24

but we also know we've got some very strong competition.

1:07:241:07:26

So we're going to train hard and do everything we can in the time

1:07:261:07:30

between now and then to eliminate that chance of being beaten.

1:07:301:07:32

Coming into the games, everybody peaks for the same event.

1:07:321:07:35

Everybody's now peaking once in four years

1:07:351:07:38

and it closes things up, it closes margins up.

1:07:381:07:40

We know that we're going to have to be the best version of ourselves.

1:07:401:07:43

I'm not saying we need to do anything special or different,

1:07:431:07:46

but we need to be the best version that we have in training,

1:07:461:07:49

package that and take that to our start line in Rio.

1:07:491:07:52

You know, there are New Zealand and there's America

1:07:521:07:55

and there are three of us all looking for that top spot

1:07:551:07:58

and we want to be the ones to take it.

1:07:581:08:00

There's no reason we wouldn't be the ones, but it's going to be tough.

1:08:001:08:03

Well, I can't wait to see your race and good luck.

1:08:031:08:06

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you, cheers.

1:08:061:08:08

I don't know about you, but I listen to Helen and Heather

1:08:081:08:10

and it just makes me feel really confident,

1:08:101:08:13

not because they're arrogant or egotistical, not even, really,

1:08:131:08:16

because of their results, which obviously are exceptional,

1:08:161:08:19

but because of their combined determination,

1:08:191:08:23

their absolute certainty in the work that they've been doing,

1:08:231:08:26

the training they've been doing,

1:08:261:08:28

the fact that they are not hoping to peak because it's an Olympic games.

1:08:281:08:32

They know they will have done enough to get there.

1:08:321:08:34

And if everything, you know, barring any disaster,

1:08:341:08:36

if everything goes right, that they will be strong enough

1:08:361:08:40

to retain their Olympic title.

1:08:401:08:42

It matters hugely to them.

1:08:421:08:44

And I think they're not just furthering the sport of rowing,

1:08:441:08:47

they're furthering women's sport as a whole,

1:08:471:08:49

in terms of their professional approach.

1:08:491:08:50

But the other lovely thing is they just are a team

1:08:501:08:53

and a friendship and a partnership

1:08:531:08:54

that bring out the best in each other

1:08:541:08:56

and they are better together.

1:08:561:08:58

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