The Top three of the Game yesterday (Bence Dombvari, Rok Kuk and me)
From now on I will start blogging in English language. For all my German readers join my supporterclub and get newsletters in German. (Für all meine deutsche Leserschaft tretet meiner Gönnervereinigung bei und ihr erhaltet Newsletters in Deutsch 🙂 ) I told me once, that when I get a big medal to start blogging English and fortunately it happened yesterday. I really can say I made a dream true. When I started flatwater racing seriously in 2009, I was looking up so much to all the big guys, who were in finals. And the K1 1000m was allways the „Kings discipline“. So it was like totally dreaming to win a medal in this event. But when I last year raced first the Kajak Single at the U23 Europeans in Zagreb and finished in a strong 7th place I realised, it’s not impossible. Work more hard, more professional, more wise and with luck you can do a medal in Portugal. I exactly did this, spended money in mental training, got massages from my brother Silvan wich is a professional massager. I also bought a new boat, Plastex Olympic Figher which is probably the best boat in that I can sit. All these things together helped to go from place 7 to 3. Sure it also helped that some good guys from last year are at olympics and not in Portugal, but I still did a big improvement. The field was still tough, because a lot of guys from teamboats who didn’t qualify for the games, where paddling the single kayak.
The race was so crazy, there was blowing a strong sidewind and sure lane seven in which I was paddling was in disadvantage to the lanes on the other side. The big favourite Bence Dombvary from Hungary was paddling next to me, so I always knew where the big action is. In all the race, I lost not more than one and a half boat to him. In the last 200m I was able to make a good finnish and tried to catch him. I felt, that I’m in front of a lot of guys, but did not know, if it is good enough for a medal or not. When I crossed the finish lane, I was a half boat behind Bence and I saw that my training partner Rok Kuk was second. I was quite sure, that I got the third place, but it was so close with the strong Polish Rafal Rosolski, that I did not cheer so much, because you look quite idiotic if you jubilate and then don’t get a medal. Rok saw that I was third and after he told me I started to realise what is going up. Even when there where maybe unfair conditions the best three guys where on the podium. We three had all not the best lanes, but made the race anyway. It feels so amazing to be on a podium. To walk there, here the sound, look at the full stands and feel the glory. I dreamed one year of exactly this moment, but when it happens, still all is different to your imaginations. To be with Rok up there feels quite good, we were training together the last two weeks and I saw that we both are in a speedy shape. I know him since I started flatwater and we were training together an uncountable amount of kilometers. He already has a very successfull carreer in the double kayak with Lovro Leban, who was too old for this U23. So he has some more routine than me in getting international medals. In the end there where 32 hundreds of a second between us.
This medal is not really comparable with the medals I won in Downriver Team Events as a Junior. It means so much more, if you work that hard for the success like I did the last years. Everybody who knows how bloody hard I train, knows about what I’m speaking. I want to come to an end now and thank to everybody who supported me, who coached me, who trained with me and who ever believed in me. Special thanks to Christophe Nicolet, without him I maybe would never changed to this sport. Also to coach Ingolf who had two fosterlings on the same podium. But finally the biggest thanks goes to my beautifull family. They mean very much to me and help me so much in what I do. It’s hard to describe in words, how thankfull I am, and it meaned a lot to me that they where see me racing here. This was my last year U23, so now all the medals are more difficult to get. I give everything I have for some more moments like this. And to all the kids outthere put off the playstation and go train, it’s much cooler to do it in real 🙂
1 Bence DOMBVÁRI HUG
2 Rok KUK 00:03:41.979 SLO
3 Wyss FABIO 00:03:42.301 SUI
Just enjoying it
