INSPO Fitness Journal November 2017

HANGING TOUGH:
Olivia Loe
Olivia Loe might be the
perfect example of persistence
beats resistance. After years
as a reserve for Rowing New
Zealand’s Elite team, her first
year in the big time proved to
be a winning one.
BY CALEB SHEPHERD
After constantly being overlooked for
selection by national sporting bodies,
most athletes find themselves looking
for a spot in the workplace instead. But sometimes
a bit of patience and a lot of hard work
eventually pays off.
Olivia Loe is the ultimate example of this.
Having come close to tasting victory at under
23 level multiple times over the years (picking
up a bronze in 2012 with the women’s quadruple
sculls and silver with the women’s four
in 2014), since then she’s found herself just on
the outside of the selection list as a reserve in
2015 and 2016.
However the 25-year-old’s breakthrough
season has proved that hard work pays off,
teaming up with Brooke Donoghue (21) in the
women’s double sculls.
The young pairing had an unbeaten
season, winning World Cup gold medals in
Poznan and Lucerne, along with a Henley
Royal Regatta win. At the World Rowing
Championships in Florida, Olivia finally realised
her dream of becoming a World Cham-
pion, winning in a time of 6:45.080, 1.5s ahead
of nearest competitors USA (both athletes 34
years old). Olivia and Brooke forged ahead
in the middle thousand to dominate the field
and set a marker for the next Olympic cycle.
Olivia is a not your average athlete. Heading
into the World Championships as both
a favourite and rookie would be enough to
frighten most athletes, but for her it was all
part of the experience.
“To be honest I didn’t realise I could be
so nervous, but I find nerves comforting. It
means that I actually believe I can do it.”
Focusing on the process and enjoying
the moment were critical to overcoming the
pressure.
“We never focused on winning. It obviously
was always the end goal but it was more
about the processes.”
She felt the recipe for victory was simple
and that she just needed to trust in her training.
“I knew the rhythm, the plan, the plan b.
We had our jobs to do and we just did them.”
Being repeatedly overlooked for selection
a was brutal at the time, but turned out to be
“I think I’m a little
stubborn. When
someone tells me no,
or that I’m not good
enough, it winds me
up. I have to prove
them wrong. It can
make life challenging
but ultimately
rewarding.”
just the fire she needed to propel her to the
next level.
“I think I’m a little stubborn. When someone
tells me no, or that I’m not good enough,
it winds me up. I have to prove them wrong.
It can make life challenging but ultimately
rewarding.”
This stubbornness was all part of battle-hardening
and ultimately made her a
stronger athlete, but the road of a reserve is by
no means easy.
“I guess when I think back to my time as a
reserve it was a bit of a rollercoaster ride emotionally.
It made me question myself a lot.
“But every time I didn’t make it, I realised
just how much I wanted it. I think what I took
from those years was that it wasn’t going to be
handed to me, and if I was actually going to
make it I had to give them a no excuses to not
pick me.”
Her goals in the sport are simply “to be the
best,” which means taking Olympic Gold in
Tokyo, but she realises that’s easier said than
done.
“I used to think that once you started
winning, it would somehow become easier,
but it doesn’t.
“You have to keep pushing the standards
and your limits because you can guarantee
that your competition is doing the same.”
It’s this type of attitude that real champions
talk about so often and one that will be
critical if Olivia is to achieve her lofty goals.
Photos by Steve McArthur, Rowing Celebration
20 INSPO – FITNESS JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2017