Listen to the reaction of the athletes that have qualified their boats for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after the semi-finals A/B of the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
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00:00 I am so proud of us Ellie did an incredible job she called an amazing
00:05 race we trusted ourselves stuck with our plan she kept me on point I couldn't be
00:11 more proud of her and I'm super excited to have qualified this boat for the US
00:14 for the Olympics it's an amazing thing. We've been training hard you know
00:19 working the biceps a lot while on training camp in Banyoles we had a few
00:26 workouts today just biceps specific that coach Casey put into the program for us
00:31 so it was get up in the morning eat a load of protein down to the gym work on
00:36 the biceps come back more protein rest back down the evening more biceps in the
00:41 gym and then dinner with a load of meat and protein and stuff so we think
00:49 you're actually too big for the rowing tops these days. We had to get a specially made extra big size they didn't have it last night for us so they
01:00 prepared that this morning and into the headwind I think what we've done paid
01:05 off so it would be Heidi's first Olympics and so for us to kind of get that
01:09 moment Heidi crossing the line and especially when it's somebody's first
01:13 time I feel like that's super exciting so we'll let ourselves have a little pat on
01:17 the back and then move on to the main job. I just love the guys I have to say
01:21 right now I really really love them it's so great to see this team developed from
01:27 four individuals to really get this team together and now qualify for the
01:32 Olympics and go to Paris next year is more than a dream come true. Just happy
01:38 like really pleased with the race we knew it was gonna be tough and conditions
01:42 like this are always a bit more unpredictable but we just wanted to do
01:46 more ups and really focus on that and as headwindy as that was and as slow as that was
01:51 that was really enjoyable. Devastated I'm finished but sure I'm really happy
01:58 because was the main focus of the World Championship so we have to be
02:09 proud of this qualified boat. Wow that feels really great yeah it's my first
02:15 time to qualify for the Olympics so huge to celebrate. Huge for not just us but the
02:20 whole team like it's a real momentum builder like for next year. We're
02:23 unbelievably proud of each other you know we both come from the same town in
02:27 Ireland you know and there's so many supporters and family at home supporting
02:30 us all the way and I say look we've done it for them you know and over the last
02:33 two months you know we've really made a big move you know for ourselves and
02:36 gladly thankfully we've come away today with a good result and a
02:39 qualification for the Olympics. So good I've never been a qualifying with
02:43 a gasser before and so to have qualified for the Olympics is like just step one I'm
02:47 really happy like you know now we've got a park that move on to step two which is
02:51 you know aim for the medals but I feel so good. Today we have it we take it
02:57 yes he participated in Tokyo but he don't qualify in the 2019 but today we
03:06 did it and all the work for the season it works. Yeah we're really stoked we've
03:13 done a put in a lot of work for from World Cup three and I think that race
03:18 really showed that how much we really value sticking together and staying as a
03:22 team. These days the competition at home is just as strong as internationally so
03:26 first step will be qualifying at home but it's good we got the ticket for the
03:31 team and at least the team can prepare as well as possible for next year
03:35 without doing a return final qualifiers. Been there done that it doesn't make
03:41 life any more fun. Oh just ecstatic yeah we've been working really hard on this
03:47 and I think for me it's um a bit emotional because of what happened last
03:51 Olympic cycle and to be able to have a boat ready to qualify again and actually
03:55 to do it has been a real roller coaster and I'm just thrilled. We knew it was going to be a
04:00 pretty long race in a long slog we're kind of expecting with the
04:04 qualification everyone's gonna be gunning for it no one's giving up and
04:07 letting kind of that A finals slot slip away so yeah we were flying all the way
04:12 down but yeah very very happy to come away with a win in the semi and
04:17 and also qualify the boat for the Olympics. I think the four of us have really
04:20 enjoyed being in the boat together for the past couple months it's been really
04:25 nice just learn and kind of try to find more speed and it's really fantastic and
04:31 you know this may not be the boat of personnel that are racing next year but
04:35 it's good to know that like you know there is gonna be four US girls racing.
04:40 I'm proud of all of us I mean we we've all put in work and it's been you know a
04:46 long summer living out of a suitcase and we're just glad to have gotten the job
04:52 done. Yeah now I'm really happy I tried not to think about it too much
04:57 beforehand because it only gives extra pressure I think and you just have to
05:03 grow as fast as you can and it doesn't matter if you have to qualify get first
05:06 just go and now if the result is first and qualifying that's yeah that's
05:13 amazing with boats. It's awesome news for us we came here for qualification for
05:19 Paris that that was the main goal now we done did it so we are so happy. You
05:28 dream so big for the end of cycle goal but it's really just one step at a time
05:32 advancing out of the heats with the win was great you know Mary and I doing our
05:36 first lightweight race together advancing today is fantastic like I said
05:41 just taking this one step at a time before we get to the really fun part on
05:44 Saturday but it's so fantastic knowing that we're on the right track and that
05:48 Mary and I can just keep building from here. I mean it's everything it's just
05:52 all the hard work paying off and I'm just so excited we had such a good race
05:58 and yeah I don't really know what to say. It's great for our squad like as a whole
06:06 the Australian men's squad like we just want to get as many boats qualified for
06:11 the next year as we can so we can have as many of our mates there representing
06:16 Australia and doing what they love. It's quite quite amazing my aunt went to the
06:22 to the games in the Pair for South Africa as well so really really cool just being
06:27 able to follow in her footsteps. Amazing because I'm so young for... no, no, can't explain.
06:43 I feel really good. We're super excited.
06:47 Cool, you still have a final tour tomorrow but you're going to Paris next year.
06:53 Amazing.
06:55 We've prepared something for him.
06:57 We've been helped by the people from the team.
06:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]