Olympic rower Jason Day on crossing the victory line
At age 17 Jason Day was the second fastest person on the water in the world. He won the silver medal at the World Junior Rowing Championships in a single scull and, at that moment, fell in love with the sport. In a rowing career that spans 20 years, Day has competed in the Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney Olympics. Jason now resides in Beijing and works for the Olympic Games. He answered questions from students of the British School of Beijing about the roar of the Olympic opening ceremony, how to deal with the pressure, and what it felt like to compete in front of a home audience in Australia.
Max Stiemerling, 11, Argentina
How did it feel when they told you that you would participate in the Olympics?
It was pretty amazing. For me, there is no higher honor than to be in the Olympic games. It was one of the best experiences, and I’ve been fortunate enough to do it a few times.
May Macleod, 11, UK
How did you get interested in rowing?
It was a matter of trying many sports. I found out I was very competitive and good at this particular sport.
Danko Podstavek, 11, Slovenia
Who was your biggest rival?
My biggest rival was Peter Antonie, a man from my hometown in Melbourne. He was the hardest person to beat. I beat him once and from then on he never beat me again. He won an Olympic gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics, and we rowed together in the Atlanta Olympics.
Edmund Mayoral, 11, UK
Do you feel nervous when you compete?
Yes, you always feel nervous. I’m sure you guys have felt that nervousness. You get butterflies in your stomach and feel unsure about yourself. You think: Can I compete? Can I make the distance? But once the race is on, everything is pushed aside. You have a job, and you lose that nervousness.
Harrison Nienaber, 11, Australia
How fast do you go in your boat?
About 6.5 meters per second in a single scull – a single scull can cover 2,000 meters in under seven minutes.
Jimmy Kim, 11, Korea
When did you start learning how to row a boat?
I started when I was 14 with my younger brother. I liked seeing the boats on the water, so I went down to the rowing house. I don’t know what drew me to it, but I started very young.
Jithmi Pathirannehelage, 11, Sri Lanka
Did you have to do a lot of training?
We get up at 5am, then we row for two-and-a-half hours, have breakfast, and row for an hour and a half. Then, we have lunch and we might sleep in the afternoon, and we might have another training session from 4pm until 6pm. It’s very physically tiring.
Edmund Mayoral, 11, UK
What did it feel like to walk out in the opening ceremony?
It’s an amazing experience. I didn’t march in Barcelona or Atlanta because we needed to be in bed very early so that we could compete at our best. But in Sydney I thought, “There’s no way I’m going to miss this.” You hear this dull roar when you walk out – you just hear a stadium full of people cheering, clapping and taking photos.
Tomas Hurtado, 11, Chile
What would you say was your greatest achievement?
In the Sydney Olympics, I rowed with really good friends. Being an Australian, rowing in the Australia Olympics, coming in fourth, and then having all my family and friends there to support me – that was pretty amazing.
Harrison Nienaber, 11, Australia
What’s your favorite part of rowing?
I was rowing in Sydney, and there’s a big bridge and the opera house, and at 5 o’clock in the morning, when there’s no one else around, the water is completely flat. It’s like rowing on a cloud – moments like that make it worthwhile.
Jade Liu, 10, Canada
What did it feel like when you won a gold medal?
Every time you win a race, you feel pretty good and you know you’ve done well when you get to stand on the podium and someone puts the medal around your neck.
Emmanuel Wamanga, 11, Uganda
How many years have you been rowing?
Over 20 years – so over half my lifetime. For my sport, we can row for a very long time. One of my friends who will be competing in the Beijing Olympics, he will be 43 – he will be very old, but he’s still very competitive.
Edmund Mayoral, 11, UK
What are you looking forward to the most in Beijing?
Now that I’ve retired as an athlete, I’m working at the Olympic Games. I’m going to be very busy, but I will make sure I watch sporting events like rowing. No other sporting event compares, and just being a part of it in this city, even if you don’t have tickets, you can still experience it and that’s pretty special.
