I suppose by now, almost three weeks after we raced in Beijing, I have had enough time to reflect on our performance and my experiences at the Olympics.
I won't sugar coat it, I was very disappointed with our racing at the Olympics. Every race we started, within 250m we were already on the back foot and struggling to keep up with the other crews. This was shattering. After having such a great lead up to the Games, it was really hard to comprehend how fast the other crews were going. I wouldn't say we were going any slower than earlier in the year, our problem was that we needed to step up from those performances but we didn't.
We only have ourselves to blame, however, at this stage it is hard to pin point exactly where we went wrong. Most of us are baffled. On the positive side, the girls that I have spoken to about the racing and myself all believe that we have learnt from our experience in Beijing and are keen to try it again in London.
Prior to the Games, many people were commenting on how little experience our crew had at the Olympics. With only one member having competed at Athens, we were a young inexperienced crew trying to take on veterans of the event. Initially, these comments didn't phase us, although, now having competed at the Olympics, experience actually helps. Maybe not your physical contribution to racing, but experience would definitely help your mind cope with the overwhelming distractions that the Olympics offers. Subconsciously, your mind is thinking overtime trying to absorb all the new activities happening around you. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before!
