My name is Lea and I row as part of the Solveinian JW2- which will race at the Junior World Championships next week. AllMarkOne asked if I could talk about our training and experiences in the lead up the biggest event of our rowing calendar.
We've been rowing together for 4 years but we started rowing in the pair about 2 years ago. We actually rowed at the Junior Championships last year so this year's main goal was simply to be much faster than last season. We've had many training camps this year, meaning that our weekends have been filled up by driving and training at Lake Bled. We spent quite a lot of time abroad too, mostly in Croatia by the sea. These training camps are fun but also very exhausting and hard, because the only things we do at training camps are sleeping, eating and rowing. Through the rowing season we have had a few big international races where we had to prove ourselves and confirm that we are fast enough for the Junior European and World Championships.
Competing at events such as Worlds is both amazing and terrifying at the same time. You want to do and give your best, you want to be better than the year before, but at the same time, you want to enjoy it and have fun which can be very difficult to combine. Last year we finished 10th so this year we are ready to give even more to the racing and we are hoping for the best result. The competition is tough, but I am looking forward to racing.
The thing I am most excited about is probably the competitive atmosphere that's created amongst rowers and the opening ceremony. I hope we will make it to the A final because that's what we have been working for the whole year, but racing against all the powerful girls in pair certainly will not be easy. I think that the most important people to thank are our coach and our parents. Encouragement and motivation from their side has a big influence in our rowing life so I am really thankful for that.
I really want to make it to the Olympics one day and be the first ever Slovenian female rower who got there. Silently I dream of an Olympic medal, but I know I will have to work extremely hard, so for now that still remains a dream. I definitely want to get a medal next year at the Junior European Championships and aim to medal at the U23 World Championships in a few years!
We wish Lea and Pia the very best of luck with their campaign in Račice next week!
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