Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Flash Quotes 7.28.2021

Flash Quotes

Wednesday: 7.28.2021

Gevvie Stone (Newton, Mass/Princeton University)

Women's Double Sculls

"We raced hard. It was the Olympic final, and we worked hard in the semi to put ourselves there. The goal was to go out and have a great race in the hopes that that would put us on the podium. We attacked it from the first stroke. We didn't give them a head start today, and I really think we fought every stroke. Lithuania and the Dutch took off with 500 to go, and we tried to go with them."

Kristi Wagner (Weston, Mass./Yale University)

Women's Double Sculls

"U.S. women's rowing is a force, so I think even if you are on the cusp, there's still an expectation that you're going to perform when you get there, and I think that helps. But also before Gevvie and I even started rowing together, we had a conversation where she was like, 'I don't want to go to double trials and just race. I want to go to double trials and win and go to the Olympics and perform.' And I was like, 'Yes, I want that too." I think you either rise to the occasion or you don't, and I knew if I didn't rise to the occasion, she wouldn't be here with me either."

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

Lightweight Women's Double Sculls

"We're feeling good. It was a really challenging race out there. I'd say certainly one of the hardest races I've ever put together in my rowing career, managing not only the speed of the field but some of the most challenging conditions we've ever faced as a crew. It felt good to come away in a qualifying position. We certainly tried to open up a margin in the third 500 that could give us a really commanding position, keep our eyes on the field. Unfortunately, we couldn't quite hold off the charge from the Italians, but we'll see them again tomorrow."

"I think the first step was being really positive about having raced that rep, not that we could've foreseen it, but with the slight delay from weather, being able to get one more race before that delay came in actually really benefitted us. I think the main thing was staying a little more internal, trusting our fitness, our power, and not getting so caught up in the conditions that we forget how hard we're capable of just driving that footplate."

"We talk about the Olympics with such grandeur, and it honestly feels so natural to line up, pull into the stakeboat, to hear the announcer calling my name. I know some people say rowing isn't my whole life or my sport isn't who I am, but I think very much this sport is who I am, and it is so natural and exciting to be in that position where I get to line up...and being able to do this thing that I've been doing for 20 years of my life. It is the most fun and exciting challenge. The pressure is complete homeostasis for me."

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

Lightweight Women's Double Sculls

"We often talk about that races for advancement are a race for life. I think that today, with these conditions, with the speed of the wind, with the speed of the field – the fastest competition we've ever faced, I think we absolutely did feel like that in a lot of ways. I felt so lucky to have Michelle, who is a master of the wind, in front of me. It was absolutely challenging, but in one of the best ways. It was a very exciting challenge."

Andrew Reed (Wayland, Mass./Harvard University)

Men's Four

"I think that we worked really hard. We train hard; we work well together. I think we've made big, big strides coming together as a unit. It was just really fast conditions out there and the caliber of rowing was, we just didn't have it today. I'm really proud of the racing we did to get to this point, and I thought we had a really good process going through it."

Justin Best (Kennett Square, Pa./Drexel University)

Men's Eight

"We were pretty mature about at least our first 500. There's an opening down there...there's this direct crosswind, so at least from two seat, (Ben) Davison and I were talking about just trying to keep a level platform, setting it up so that the guys can do their work. It might have been a rough first 500, but the goal was to qualify, and we kept our heads in the boat, and that's what we ended up doing."

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

Men's Eight

"We don't really focus on (lane assignments). We just focus on the piece and deal with what we can control. We just try to stay internal and row our race, and like Justin said, we're just really excited to be in an Olympic final, to be fighting for medals."

Kendall Chase (Evergreen, Colo./University of California, Berkeley)

Women's Four

"Obviously, we came into this regatta hoping for a medal and that didn't happen, but with that being said, we learned from each race and we got better each race and improved as a group and as individuals. I'm super proud of these women. We executed (today's) race the way we wanted. We did what we could and came away with a win and ended on a high note."

Grace Luczak (Ann Arbor, Mich./Stanford University)

Women's Four

"Taking a moment to step outside of ourselves, being in the women's four event, this is the gender equalizer for having equal numbers of men and women, so it's really an honor to be able to race in this event. I think the field is going to continue to grow and I'm really excited for the future of women's rowing. It's very, very cool being a part of that history, so I'm really proud of that for our boat."

Madeleine Wanamaker (Neenah, Wis./University of Wisconsin)

Women's Four

"I think it's good to walk away from this, especially for those of us who are continuing to row, with just a really fun race. It's just good to be reminded of how cool this is and to have a good time at the Olympics in competition, even if it didn't come together at the beginning of the regatta. I'm just proud of us and happy to walk away with a win."

Claire Collins (McLean, Va./Princeton University)

Women's Four

"It feels nice, no matter what race it is, to have your bowball ahead at the end of the race. But I think most importantly, putting together the best race we've had the whole week is a good feeling."

Cicely Madden (Weston, Mass./Brown University)

Women's Quadruple Sculls

"At this regatta, it was super disappointing, but with each race, all you can do, and all I could do, was focus on the small steps – what can I do to make a difference in the next one. You aren't going to (improve) leaps and bounds, but if (you) can make a change in each race, as a group or as an individual, that's all you can do. On this day, that was the best we could be. I think you can take that away – that you left it on the water."

Meghan O'Leary (Baton Rouge, La./University of Virginia)

Women's Quadruple Sculls

"There are some lessons to be learned from this and that's what I hope that Ellen and I can take away. We didn't accomplish a goal, but maybe we can take the learnings from this and help others ahead of us be able to accomplish their goals."

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

Women's Quadruple Sculls

"I feel like what Meg said about taking what happened here and rather than having it drag us down or be really disappointed, using it as a starting point. (Cicely and I) both learned so much from this experience, and I think that, although it is very painful, it's going to make us tougher, it's going to make us approach training smarter in the long term."