The 2023 World Rowing Championships are underway and today, in the PR1 women's single sculls and PR2 mixed double sculls, the first two boats that qualified for the A-Final also secured a quota for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Listen to their reactions here.
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00:00 First of all, always my expectation is to do the best I can.
00:04 We made a very good preparation and I just want to take it all and leave it on the water.
00:10 I want to cross the finish line knowing that I couldn't do anything else better.
00:15 If that would be enough for the first place or the second or the third, it's not in my control.
00:20 But I'm just happy to see a good competition.
00:23 I am happy to see my competitors getting faster because it's pushing me also.
00:28 And you know, they said in the opening ceremony, the gate to Paris, I crossed the gate!
00:35 It feels very good.
00:39 It's incredibly exciting. We've got two rookies this year on our crew.
00:43 So the first job was to get this boat qualified for Paris next year.
00:46 So to do that today was exceptional and we're really looking forward to the A final on Saturday.
00:50 You know, we've got some new kids, so to give them the experience at a World Championships yesterday,
00:55 we didn't row the way we wanted to. So to come out today and execute our race plan
00:59 and really produce a strong time is incredibly exciting.
01:02 And we'll continue to push forward through to the final this weekend.
01:05 This was amazing. I've just been so focused on my race.
01:08 I didn't pay attention at all for this being a qualifying race in any way,
01:13 just that this was going to take me further closer to the final.
01:16 And I was so focused on the things that we're going to do on water that when I came off,
01:22 I just kind of, you know, these things just go around in your head, like, did I make it?
01:27 What was right? What was wrong? What do I need to do better?
01:30 I felt really fresh. I could see it in the warming up this morning.
01:34 You know, every time we're going into championships, it's this game of getting into shape and finding the speed.
01:41 And I always worry every time, like, do I make it this time?
01:46 And I could see it on the erg when I was warming up this morning that the numbers were really great.
01:51 And that kind of scares you off a little bit more because then you realise, oh gosh, I can run really fast.
01:59 And the first thing I thought when I came over the finish line was I bet the other heat got a world record.
02:06 And then the coach said they didn't and that my time was the fastest.
02:09 And that just made me so unbelievably happy.
02:13 Oh, just incredible. So emotional today doing that with this guy.
02:18 We've worked really hard. Like, a year ago, we weren't even running together.
02:22 I was about to have surgery. This guy was up in Manchester trying to get his single together.
02:27 And to think a year later, we've booked our slot for Paris.
02:30 It's just, it's a really proud day for both of us.
02:32 And I think you can see that on the finish line.
02:34 Like, these things are to be celebrated. It's not every day you qualify for a Paralympic Games.
02:38 So yeah, I just feel really emotional today.
02:41 We felt good from start to finish and it was clean and tidy and we raced our best race, basically.
02:46 Yeah, it was just really solid. Even coming through the middle of the race, I was like,
02:51 "Right, I'm actually feeling in a good position here." And we were still with the pack.
02:55 It was kind of slow off the start, but I think it didn't rock us.
02:59 We were confident enough that we could power through a bit.
03:01 And then once there was 500 to go and we were there, we were probably two of the most stubborn people you'll meet.
03:06 So once we were there, thereabouts, we just went for it.
03:08 Dogs at the end, as usual.
03:10 Thankfully, it was enough.
03:12 (laughing)