to avoid interfering with the remaining podium placings! ‘Relief’ was Belcher’s first emotion after crossing the finish. ‘We played it safe before the start and so were a bit behind, but halfway up the beat we realised we were in a position to do well in the race (sic) so we flipped our gameplan and decided what the hell, let’s go for it!’
The win is also vindication for the pair, who despite being clear favourites at the Rio Olympics five years ago ‘only’ came home with silver. It has been a long journey and it has taken another five years to take just one more step up on the dais and realise that dream together.
So Belcher becomes Australia’s most decorated Olympic sailor with two gold medals, the first with Malcolm Page at London 2012 plus that silver with Ryan at Rio 2016.
Will Ryan is a supremely calm individual and his trademark brilliant smile said a great deal on the way to the final finish line. ‘I think we will just let this one sink in a bit! We are pretty proud of what we put together over the last couple of years. ‘We will take some time to relax and think about it all… and obviously tell each other how good we are!’
The win further cements the astounding reputation of the team’s coach, Victor Kovalenko, whose tally now stands at seven gold, one silver and three bronze medals as Olympic coach. The Ukrainian-born Kovalenko is deeply proud of this pair. ‘Mat and Will are a truly unique combination. They are absolutely incredible sailors, they complement and understand each other. ‘They don’t need to speak too much to understand what the other is thinking. We set a big goal for the three of us after Rio – we were not sure whether to campaign again, but we decided to do one more time together with that single goal to win in Tokyo. And we did it. We reached our goal. Our only goal. I am very proud of them and I am very proud to be their coach.’ Australian Olympic sailing team leader Iain Murray has overseen the entire 2020 campaign and, despite it having been exceptionally complex in terms of delays and logistics, it stands as the second- best result by an Australian sailing team at an Olympics. ‘It has really been a great pleasure to lead this team, not only of expert sailors and coaches but all the support staff. The work that was put into our preparation and planning by the whole team has not only set new standards in how we operate but it has also set new standards for all Olympic sailing teams… Though the jury’s still out on Team GBR!’ the Big Fella adds graciously. These Olympics went ahead despite massive uncertainty, right up until the opening ceremony. To have made it to any Olympics is remarkable, and to overcome all the pressures to appear at the 2020 Games makes it an even greater achievement. Away from the water one of the most public displays of grit in
Tokyo came from an Australian track athlete called Patrick Tearnan, running in the 10,000m.
Tearnan ran the first 23 laps and was up with the leading group with just 800m to go. Still pushing hard to stay in medal contention, his tank suddenly emptied. He slowed and started to stagger, dehydrated and depleted of energy. He then fell onto the track, got back on his feet and collapsed again. Standing up, he willed himself forwards, then collapsed a third time, then got back to his feet and stumbled and swayed his way to cross the line, where he was rapidly put in a wheelchair. It was a distressing scene – particularly for his parents, watching at home in Queensland where his mother was lying on the floor with her eyes closed. Tearnan recovered, and when he was interviewed the following day he quietly said there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to finish that race. ‘When I hit the deck with about 180m to go I thought I really have to pull myself together here just to get across that line. You come to the Olympics and you have got 180m to go. And you don’t walk off the track right there. You have put on the Australian jersey and so you have to finish that race, get across the line and do your country proud.’ Citius, Altius, Fortius, Communiter may be the (new) official motto of the Olympic Games but, like Tearnan, every athlete who competed at the XXXII Olympiad wanted to make their country proud. The Australian Sailing Team certainly did that. Blue Robinson
SEAHORSE 35
With the HIA Integral Backstay Adjuster you have exactly the right tool in your armoury: it’s simultaneously powerful, robust and sensitive. The hydraulicly- generated pressure reaches an unparalleled 440 bar while its output is infinitely variable and adjustable. Its components are CNC-machined and the materials for the HIA Integral Backstay Adjuster are of extremely high quality, offering long service life. Valves and lines are housed inside the main body, a perfect combination of detailed design and performance. The HIA Integral Backstay Adjuster is available in several sizes.
WWW.RECKMANN.COM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120
