Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Flash Quotes 7.24.2021

Flash Quotes

Saturday: 7.24.2021

Clark Dean (Sarasota, Fla./Harvard University)

Men's Four

…on the race

"I think we came well prepared for the heat, for the wind, for the water, and then of knowing the opponent – knowing the fingerprint of each of the other boats, what we had to do to get that top-two spot, which was obviously the goal, and we got it. We were ready for anything. I think that is one thing we are good at – changing speeds, being internal."

Michael Grady (Pittsburgh, Pa./Cornell University)

Men's Four

…on racing as one of the rookies

"It's just fun. You've got to remember that this is just pure racing at its finest. There's not many people here, so it's just like the true nature of racing – six crews across, going against each other. It's a whole lot of fun, and you just have to remember that's why we are here. We want to race."

Austin Hack (Old Lyme, Conn./Stanford University)

Men's Eight

…on the race

"I thought it was a strong piece. We have a pretty young lineup, so I think to run neck-and-neck with the best in the world from the last world championships for almost all that race was a pretty impressive effort. I think we're looking to just sharpen up that last few percent for the next piece."

…on preparations for the rep

"We'll just dial in a few more training sessions. I'm sure Coach Teti will have some words of wisdom and some things to focus on that will make up that small margin we have to go."

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

Men's Eight

…on the race

"This was the first time we've (raced) with other boats around us, (so our plan) was just to race our race, stay internal and see where we are in the field. We don't hold back. We love to race, so we go out there to race. It was a great piece, and we're excited to go out there and do it again on Wednesday."

Conor Harrity (Weston, Mass./Harvard University)

Men's Eight

…on the race

"The last time some of us raced was Linz in 2019, so we were all just really excited to get out there against some very talented crews and see what we were capable of. We're looking forward to doing it again during the rep.

Liam Corrigan (Old Lyme, Conn./Harvard University)

Men's Eight

…on the last-minute schedule change

"That's easy for us. We practice during pretty unpredictable times. Where we row, there's current and wind, so we'll change our practices to adjust to all of that. So a day here, a day there, we can race whenever they tell us to."

Brooke Mooney (Keene Valley, N.Y./University of Washington)

Women's Eight

...on today's race

"It was so much fun to finally race internationally again. It's been two years for myself, and I was so excited to line up on the start line and race with these ladies. I was just thinking about looking at the person in front of me and listening to Katelin's voice and do that all the way down the racecourse."

...on being back on Romania

"It wasn't nerve-wracking at all. We race each other so many times, and you never know where you're going to be off the start line, especially racing crews for the first time in two years. No one knows anyone's speed, and we just trusted ourselves and trusted our rhythm. Once we (find) that rhythm, we just go to work and see what we can do."

Regina Salmons (Methuen, Mass./University of Pennsylvania)

Women's Eight

...on recent lineup changes

"We've just had such a great training group over these past few years and every week we switch lineups during training – switching lineups in pairs, fours, eights. We're kind of like Lincoln Logs. You can stack us any way, and it's a lot of fun."

Charlotte Buck (Nyack, N.Y./Columbia University)

Women's Eight

...on advice from the boat's veterans

"I think the messages they shared with us last night about trusting one another, it meant a lot to be a part of this boat."

Meghan Musnicki (Naples, N.Y./Ithaca College)

Women's Eight

...on advice to her younger teammates

"It's just being in the present moment. We have never lined up in any lineup in two years to race someone side-by-side, and it's a really exciting opportunity. For me, I tell them what I tell myself – be present for every moment, every stroke. It's an incredible opportunity, and we're just grateful to be here, because a year ago, we didn't think this was going to happen."

...on learning from her younger teammates

"They teach you a plethora of things if you just watch them. They're young and fresh and they have a new set of eyes. I've learned technical things, how to be more relaxed. The youthfulness is refreshing. It's an amazing group of women, I'm so incredibly happy to be a part of it."

...on her younger teammates' speed and potential

"It's unstoppable. These women are young and watching these women grow into their feet basically, it's like watching a Saint Bernard puppy learn to walk. They're like, 'Wow, I really am that strong and that powerful.' It's so exciting to witness it and to be a part of it. I was a new athlete years and years ago. It's so fun to watch the new athletes come up and just begin to scratch the surface of their potential."

...on the gold medal streak

"It's not something we think about. I mean, it's there, but there are four women who haven't raced in a world championships (in this boat). Katelin and I are the returning Olympians, so what have we done four times as a group? Nothing. It's what we do as this group, this year, today."

...on looking back to London 2012 and Rio 2016

"They're very different. I have so many different women with me this time, and it's a new venue, it's a new place. Everything is so new and different each time. I can compare London to Rio, Rio to this, but they're all new experiences, and you kind of just try to savor every moment, especially when you're old."

...on what they have to do before the final

"Go back and find more speed. You go out there and take advantage of every stroke, every opportunity to get a little bit better to find a little more speed."

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

Lightweight Women's Double Sculls

…on the race

"It was an awesome race to be in. I think that is one of the reasons that the lightweight boats are so exciting is because you trade bow-balls all the time and you'll get two, three, four boats across the line within two seconds of each other … Being able to trade seats, being able to respond, I think that was one of the most exciting parts of the race for me in the boat was looking across, realizing we were down, calling a move and (then) moving. When the boat responds like that, it's really exciting and really a good sign."