Helen Glover Q & A

Congratulations on winning a gold medal at the World Championships, how did it feel compared to winning Coxless Pairs Olympic gold with Heather Stanning?

The World Championship gold is something that I feel has been a long time coming and it’s quite strange to become Olympic Champion before World Champion because there are World Championships every year. Whereas the Olympic gold had huge pressure, excitement and buzz in the UK, the World Championships felt a lot more personal, and I was more determined to win. It shows I can back up my Olympic performance and to become World Champion at the same time as an Olympic Champion is something that I feel really proud of.

What have you been up to since your World Championship win?

We’ve had three weeks off and it’s the only time off we get during the year so I’ve been home to Cornwall and I’ve managed to go away on holiday with a friend. I’ve been chilling and making the most of my time off including some lie ins!

You had a long and obviously successful partnership with Heather Stanning, did things click straight away?

Yes, it was really fortunate in the way we came together, we had the same first coach. Paul Stannard taught me to row, and two years previously, he taught Heather to row so because we had the same first coach, it made our styles quite similar. When we started rowing together we clicked quite nicely with the same technique and understanding as rowing however I was still quite new to it having only rowed for a couple of years, Heather was a lot more experienced than me. I literally sat there and did what I was told, but when I became a bit more experienced I became more vocal in the boat. As soon as we got onto the British team in 2010, it was clear that we were going to be a competitive pair.

How did the two of you complement each other.

Our personalities were quite different so we complimented each other in that sense. I think Heather is a very laid back character, and I’m the opposite as I can be intense, and if I have this clear goal, I throw myself into it. Heather throws herself into it in a different way which is more sort of calm, collective and thoughtful so we also work together well in that way. Whereas I was striving in every session to win the training session, she’d be like OK, what can we get out of this to win the Olympics? Together I would push her on a day to day basis but she would push me to put each day of training into perspective.

You now have a new partner, Polly Swann, how did this pairing come about?

Polly and I started rowing together in 2013, we went on a training camp to Portugal and at the training camp I went in a boat with several different partners and as soon as Polly and I rowed together, I knew that she was the perfect partner. After we’d completed a couple of sessions together we came out on top of the results. We didn’t over think it as there was no pressure on us, we just went fast and it was a great way to start the year. From that point, I knew that if there was a pair that would make this boat go fast, it was going to be this combination.

What are your new targets – did you think you and Polly would be so competitive in 2013?

Definitely to defend the World Championships, the closer it gets to the Olympics, the more important it is to be on form. Post Olympic year and the year after that aren’t the most important ad I understand that the sport fluctuates but actually after gold, the only way is  gold!

What’s a typical week’s training entail?

In a training week we have 2-3 sessions every day. In the winter it’s based on mileage and getting our strength, and in the summer it’s about getting our power levels up. In the winter we’ll start with an hour and forty minute continuous row in the racing boat for about 24km. The second session will be on the rowing machine and we’ll row about 18km, slow and steady, more endurance based than anything. We’ll finish the day with a weight session, which we do about four times a week in the gym to gain strength and body mass. We do six hours a day of physical training, including warming up, cooling down and physio. Our days last from 7.30am till about 5.00pm.

Do you think that GB rowing can be as successful as they have been in Rio?

It’s a big ask, as it was an exceptional performance at the home Olympics, but there’s no reason for it not to be. We are so privileged to have the support that we have and I can definitely see us out performing what we did at Eton Dorney as we have the talent there to move forward as we are and there’s no reason for us not to perform really well in Rio.

What do think makes the British rowers so good?

I think it’s a combination of things. We have a fantastic system built through Sir David Tanner who has created a rowing  system that people come through as well as having a great legacy through Sir Steve Redgrave, James Cracknell, Mathew Pinsent who are such strong role models. Rowers are fantastic in Britain, however it wasn’t until 2012 that a woman won an Olympic gold, so it’s taken quite a while. Being British isn’t a given that we’ll win a medal.

What advice have you for women who would like to take up the sport and even get to grips with the indoor rower?

Give it a go. It’s a really good sport. I only took it up five years ago and I’ve fallen in love with it. It’s great at every level. If you’re taking it up recreationally, you’ll have a great social life. Being in an 8 with 7 other women is great, after a row you can go to the pub. If you’re taking it up for fitness, it’s not going to hurt your joints, so there are lots of benefits. Finally, if you want to take it up at the elite level, we have the pathway for you to succeed as we have a great set up for that.

What do you do away from rowing to relax?

I don’t get a lot of time. When I do get time I go back home to Cornwall twice a year where I like to Kayak and Surf and do all the outdoor activities I used to do when growing up. When I was growing up I used to run and swim so I just try and do as much sport as I can when I’m home.

Olympic gold medallist Helen Glover joined Nissan at the launch of the new Note at Eton Dorney www.nissan.co.uk