Duo ready to deliver
If we don’t win then we’ll be deemed a failure. That’s just the reality. Hamish Bond
ROWING’S pin-up boys Hamish Bond and Eric Murray are embracing their red-hot gold medal favouritism as their Olympic buildup enters its final phase.
The Kiwi pair, who have not lost a race since coming together in the wake of the 2008 Games, are acutely aware that they’re expected to deliver gold in the Olympic regatta starting on July 28 at Eton Dorney. That’s all right by them, with the dynamic duo declaring before flying out of New Zealand on Friday that they’re comfortable being the pair everyone’s chasing heading into the Olympics. ‘‘Everyone is trying to catch us because we’re the benchmarks, and we have been winning and people have tried it on occasions in different races, they’ve tried to see if we’ve got a weakness through parts of the race,’’ said Murray who occupies the bow seat in rowing’s perfect pair. Adds Bond: ‘‘The biggest thing is belief that you can win. It’s pretty hard for them [their rivals] to believe they can win if no one’s [beaten us] over the last three years or whatever. There’s pressure being in this situation, but I think it puts more pressure on the opposition. You’d rather be in our position than wondering whether you do have the speed. We know we’ve got the speed – we just have to turn up. That’s the thing about sport. You can be the best in the world but you’ve still got to turn up and do it on the day.’’
After winning three straight world championships since hitting the water in 2009 and being a perfect seven-from-seven in world cup regattas, Bond and Murray understand anything less than the gold in London will be a bitter disappointment. ‘‘If we don’t win then we’ll be deemed a failure. That’s just the reality,’’ says Bond. Murray: ‘‘The whole thing about going for that gold medal is doing the preparation. If we put in as much preparation as we have in the past – and we’re probably doing more now – if we get beaten on the day, it’s going to be by a crew that’s better than us. Then you’ve got to take that on the chin.’’
The pair along with the bulk of the Kiwi Olympic squad headed for Switzerland where they will launch the last stage of their buildup for London. They will take part in the Lucerne World Cup regatta starting next Friday, and then another in Munich in June. Murray and Bond and single sculler Mahe Drysdale are regarded as the principal gold medal prospects, but the women’s pair, men’s and women’s double scull, men’s lightweight double and women’s single sculler Emma Twigg are all also regarded as medal prospects. It has been tagged the finest Olympic rowing squad to leave these shores.