Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Flash Quotes 7.22.2021

Flash Quotes

Thursday: 7.22.2021

Julian Venonsky (Malvern, Pa./University of California, Berkeley)

Men's Eight

….on the Olympic experience and COVID

"I don't feel short-changed at all. There are a lot of protocols, a lot of rules that we have to follow, but the volunteers, the organizers, the staff have been super professional, super helpful, super nice. I think the atmosphere in the village is great. I don't feel like my experience is being downplayed at all. I'm having a great time."

…on how the training is going

"Awesome. That's the best part of it. This group of guys, having been around the training center for five years now, it's definitely the best – tons of chemistry, tons of fun."

Ben Davison (Inverness, Fla./University of Washington)

Men's Eight

…on getting to Tokyo and the experience so far

"It's been pretty surreal this past week, seeing the infrastructure, seeing everything together, and just being here around all the athletes. It's everything I sort of dreamed it would be."

…on whether not having friends and family in Tokyo is disappointing

"A little bit. I think the first couple of days, I wished that my parents could be here to see it too, because they've been part of the journey – friends and family. But, we're here to row, and that's what's important. They'll be watching."

…on the level of excitement before getting to race on Sunday

"It's incredible. I can't wait to get out there and get going. The guys have been in great spirits, and we're just looking forward to racing. We've been racing each other now for the past two years, so we're looking forward to racing someone else."

Michelle Sechser (Folsom, Calif./University of Tulsa)

Lightweight Women's Double Sculls

…on her parents and how they are following along

"They are huge fans. They've been my biggest supporters all along. They will be attending the NBC party down in Orlando in wave one, which I think is a fantastic event that they are able to put on for Olympic athletes' friends and families. They'll get to watch it on a big screen with other Olympic moms and dads, so they're really looking forward to that event."

…on her favorite part of the Olympics

"My favorite part hasn't started yet. It's an interesting balance. As exciting as it is to see the global community living as a neighborhood of nations, balancing being in awe of that and what Tokyo has been able to provide for us with dying to get on that start line and finally having that light turn green for us after a lot of years of waiting – more than just 18 months."

…on their medal chances

"It's hard to say. That's one thing that the postponement has certainly shaken up for us is that we have not raced all the other countries in the way we normally would in a racing season that would have world cups and a world championships, so it's been two years since we've all raced each other. Knowing that, we've trained as hard and as focused as we could for the past two years. The heat goes off Saturday morning and that's when we'll see how the cards fall and progress from there through the regatta."

…on Tokyo

"What we've seen is absolutely beautiful. The athlete village is just astounding. The bedroom that Molly and I are living in has a huge glass sliding door that faces the Tokyo Bay and bridge, which is lit up beautifully with the skyline. We honestly just lay in our beds and stare out the window and can't believe we get to be here."

Molly Reckford (Short Hills, N.J./Dartmouth College)

Lightweight Women's Double Sculls

…on today's workout

"Now that we're getting to within 48 hours of racing, our job is to be as efficient as possible during practice – get out of the sun, try to stay out of the heat, so we can have all of our energy for the big day."

…on the COVID protocols

"I think they're smart. I'm so glad this Olympics can go on. I'm so thankful we can be here, and I think they are doing everything they can to keep us and the people of Japan safe. Holding an event like this, you can understand everybody needs to be as careful as possible."

Gevvie Stone (Newton, Mass./Princeton University)

Women's Double Sculls

...on how preparations have been going as they get ready for the start of racing and thoughts on tomorrow's heats

"Hawaii was a great start to the final prep, and we've continued to feel more and more comfortable each row at Sea Forest. As a double, we hadn't ever trained on salt water before. That was an adjustment the first day, and now we're rigged for it. The water chop and a bridge during the 2k channel Boston Basin energy, which we love. We have a tough heat tomorrow—as to be expected as this is the Olympics."

...thoughts on the setup overall and her initial Tokyo experience

"Aside from masks and the dining hall plexiglass, the vibe in the Olympic village is similar to past Games. It's still awe inspiring to walk through dining hall full of athletes from all nations and the variety of Olympic sports. There's still a ton of energy from the excitement of being here -- even more special as a marker of the world's making it through the pandemic."

Alie Rusher (West Bend, Wis./Stanford University)

Women's Quadruple Sculls

...on how preparations have been going as they get ready for the start of racing and thoughts on tomorrow's heats

"We are honing in on our race mentality and flow for the boat! As this is my first time representing USA at the senior level, I'm pretty nervous, but also excited because nerves give me laser focus in crunch time. Somewhat randomly the thought going through my head today as we backed in for the practice start was 'cool as a cucumber.' I want to blast off the blocks with confident aggression rather than with reckless abandon!"

...thoughts on the setup overall and her initial Tokyo experience

"It's absolutely amazing. I was worried about the heat, but our rooms are very cool havens and the facilities at the course are fantastic. It's so cool to see the other countries around the village and on the race course. Everyone seems as dialed in and ready to race, regardless of the tough circumstances we've had due to the pandemic."

Ellen Tomek (Flushing, Mich./University of Michigan)

Women's Quadruple Sculls

...on how preparations have been going as they get ready for the start of racing and thoughts on tomorrow's heats

"Preparations have been going well," Tomek said. "We have been having lots of fun as a crew right from day one. I am excited to compare our speed to the other quads. We know everyone is going to be fast and every race is important, but we also know that we aren't going to have to do anything special to be in the mix. We just have to row our race and execute to the best of our abilities, and we should be in the mix with everyone. I personally have been focusing on my main jobs in the boat -- setting a long, consistent, aggressive rhythm and steering a straight course."