South Africa’s famous men’s lightweight four, sponsored by long-standing Flow client Etana Insurance, wowed the world on 2 August 2012 when they unexpectedly scooped rowing gold at the London Olympics.
However, their victory was no fluke. It followed almost a year of intense fitness and rowing training. When South Africa’s “oarsome foursome” hit the water, they had only one goal in mind, achieving the result they’d worked so hard for.
Yet winning a gold medal at the Olympics is not rocket science, it turns out, it’s the product of commitment, trust and hard work.
During an interview with Mzansi’s golden boys at Etana House in Johannesburg, Flowstars Kate Rau and Stuart Dickinson learned that the first step towards success is keeping your eye on the prize.
From dark horses to champions
“The media had us tagged as the underdogs for the race, which is exactly what you want,” says rower Matthew Brittain. “Without any media pressure – unlike the Danes who were the favourites – we could really focus on our race and push to the end.”
From fourth position at the 1 500m mark, Sizwe Lawrence Ndlovu (32), John Smith (22), Brittain (25) and James Thompson (26) dug deep to squeak past Great Britain and become the best in the world.
But let’s “back-paddle” a bit…
Where did their love for rowing begin?
“All of us learned to row at school,” says Ndlovu, who was born in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, and matriculated at Mondeor High School in Johannesburg. Thompson, who was born in the Cape, went to St Andrew’s Prep before moving on to St Andrew’s College in Grahamstown, while Smith and Brittain, both born in Johannesburg, also rowed at school level.
After high school they joined the under-23 camp at Rowing South Africa, where they all won medals… then they started training together for the Olympics.
“We spend almost all day every day together, with one Sunday off every three weeks or so. Other than that we train together, we learn together and we work out together,” says Thompson.
The men, who all study at the University of Pretoria (Tuks), meet most mornings at Hatfield at around 07h00 and drive together to train at Roodeplaat Dam just outside Pretoria.
“It’s a nice narrow dam, which makes for great training,” says Brittain. “We start with core exercises and stretches, row for about two hours, then head back to the High Performance Centre in Pretoria to hit the gym. In the afternoons we spend some time on the ergo machine (a rower’s best friend) or we run, or we do a cardio workout.”
What does it take to win gold?
Each of the rowers has worked hard to get to where he is today.
“We didn’t win by accident,” says Brittain, whose brother Lawrence is also a top-notch rower.
“We trained for the sprint over and over again after realising that this would be our secret weapon. When we took silver in the World Championships in Lucerne, the rest of the world took note,” he adds.
The sprint kicks in when Brittain “makes the call”, a signal to the team that it’s time to up the pace for the final push – sometimes it’s with 400m to go, sometimes with 500m. Ndlovu, who knows just how hard to push the guys, sets the rhythm of the oars, or blades.
“We are committed to each other and we trust each other. When Matthew makes the call, we all up the pace. Our group commitment is what got us the gold,” says Thompson.
Brittain has made the call early only on two occasions. “I called early in the World Cup,” he says. “And also at the Olympics. I could see that the race was really close, so we had to push harder, for longer.”
He made the right call.
The result is history: South Africa’s first gold for rowing.
The diet of champions
Some might wonder what the rowers eat to keep themselves in peak condition.
“Everything!” jokes Smith.
He then shares the intricacies of the Nutella diet – a pre-race “rowing secret” that’s a sure-fire way to shed extra kilos.
“You buy a tub of Nutella and some fat burners,” he says. “Fat burners” is what Smith calls peanut M&Ms. “When you start to feel that burn in your stomach, that hunger, you eat a spoon of Nutella and chase it down with some fat burners.”
The men are sponsored by FutureLife®, a nutrient-rich porridge and cereal that’s proudly South African.
“We have FutureLife® porridge every morning. A bowl a day keeps the silver medal at bay,” he laughs.
On a personal note
I was one of the lucky Flowstars who got to meet the four rowers and it was a more-than-memorable experience. South Africa’s ambassadors are young, committed and focused individuals. They have a sense of humour; they know how to work hard and they love home.
For me, talking to the champions about what it takes to win has inspired me to refocus on her own goals.
When Matthew spoke about training for the sprint, bells started going off in my head. I kept thinking that this is how you get better at things in life. You practise the hard part, the most gruelling part, until you master it. That’s the only way to win.
Fellow Flowstar Stuart Dickinson agrees.
“It was great meeting the guys. Not even two minutes into the interview it felt like we were all mates – they’re that easygoing. It was definitely a cool experience.”
Etana’s commitment
“Etana has been involved in backing and sponsoring rowing in South Africa since 2002, a commitment that stems from our chairman, Paolo Cavalieri’s passion for the sport,” says Gianluca Tucci, of the Etana brand team.
“Paolo sits on the Rowing South Africa board and previously coached Team RowSA, taking competitors through to past Olympic events.
“He sparked a flame that has spread throughout our organisation and we now have 500 passionate Etanan rowing supporters – all of whom experienced a truly magical moment when our foursome won gold.”