Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Flash Quotes 7.30.2021

Flash Quotes

Friday: 7.30.2021

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

Men's Eight

"From my perspective, especially coming from the start of this quadrennial in 2017, I think this group – it's so young. It has so much potential that I'm excited to see (what happens). We only have three years until the next one, to where we see where this program goes, because I have the utmost confidence in them. I'm just so excited to see guys like Liam, like Justin, just keep progressing and keep improving at the trajectory they are (on). They are the best rowers I've ever had the pleasure of being on a team with."

"I'm proud of what we did. I'm proud of our team and proud of our boat. I'm proud of our coaches, Tim McLaren and Mike Teti, our entire staff. We had a good piece. We're up against five of the fastest boats in the world, and this is the tip-top stage. So, it's disappointing. Obviously, we'd like to medal. You would like to win gold. It stings; it always does. But looking back, we're proud of what we did. We're excited to represent the United States, and we're happy with how we performed."

Katelin Guregian (Detroit, Mich./University of Washington),

Women's Eight

"I am deeply, deeply proud of myself and my teammates and my coaches, and the women that aren't in my boat – that are back home and that are here at this regatta (in other boats). To get here took an inordinate amount of effort and belief in ourselves and each other. And, I have said this to the group. I would do the whole five years over again, even knowing what the result would be. That's how much these women mean to me; that's how much lining up at the Olympics with these eight, strong, independent, incredible women means to me. It's the honor of my lifetime, and I wouldn't give it up for anything."

…on the training experience over the past year and a half

"It made me appreciate so much more -- the team and my teammates. I've always had appreciation for my teammates. I know that I would never want to be an athlete in an individual event. Having to, you know, train by myself. My training is obviously different than everyone else's, but spending time without the team made me appreciate what we have in Princeton so much more than I thought possible. And that's a really special feeling."

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

Women's Eight

…on if anything could have been done differently to change today's outcome

I don't think there's anything that would have changed the effort that we put out there, the drive that we put in, how hard we trained for the last five years. All nine of us put it all out there today, and I'm very proud of that."

"It's the Olympics. We're one of the fastest boats in the world and to be able to compete at the Olympics in the women's eight, or in any event, is an incredible honor. You take into account what the last year was like with the pandemic, and it's just, it's even more of an honor. It speaks volumes for everyone – not just Team USA, but all of the other federation's that are here, what they each went through to get themselves to this point at the pinnacle of their sport. Win or lose, is an incredible feat."

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

Women's Eight

"I remember the day that we got the email saying the Olympics were postponed, and I was doing an erg workout with Grace Luczak. We were about halfway through the workout, and another teammate of mine, who didn't make the Olympics, called me, and I was like, 'Why am I getting a phone call in the middle of this workout. This is weird.' She said she called because the Olympics were postponed, and I looked at Grace, and I said, 'We're going to finish this workout."

Kara Kohler (Clayton, Calif./University of California, Berkeley)

Women's Single Sculls

…on what's she's learned in the nine years between her Olympic experiences.

"I've just learned that you have to take it step-by-step. Your goals aren't going to come in a linear form. From Cal, we always said, 'Don't let the highs get too high or the lows get too low,' so now is a really good opportunity for me to implement that, to not let myself get too down and have perspective. It's been nine years since I made my first Olympic team and then I didn't make Rio, and that was a huge upset, and so the past five years have been all about resiliency and taking it step-by-step and not getting too far ahead of myself."