ACOG - News - IBM

(23 July 1996; Day 4)

Rowing's LAUMANN Sees the Positive Side of Things

Canada's Silken LAUMANN should have won her preliminary race on Sunday. A repechage was something a four-time Olympian and bronze medalist should not have to experience. But repechages are something the Canadian single sculler has become accustomed to, a habit LAUMANN doesn't believe is always bad.

"I have had to row the reps at most of the world championships and Barcelona," said LAUMANN. "I tried to look at it as an opportunity rather than having to race another race."

LAUMANN believes the positive side to the repechages is the chance to try new things and see what works and what doesn't. And LAUMANN's race worked for her on Tuesday, leading from start to finish. Depite the strong headwinds at Lake Lanier, LAUMANN was ready for the conditions.

"On Sunday I came out really aggressive and got tired," admits LAUMANN. "Today I concentrated on handling the water and tried to be a little cleaner with the blades and a little less aggressive."

Although she had a positive outlook after her disappointing loss to Trine HANSEN of Denmark, LAUMANN admits she was nervous coming into the repechage. "You do have that side of your brain that is irrational and you keep thinking 'What if I make a mistake and something goes wrong?'" said LAUMANN. "But I didn't push the panic button and I kept my focus."

The former world champion (1991) currently holds the world's best time in the single sculls, a time of 7:17.09 she established at Lucerne in 1994. Despite a career-threatening leg injury just six weeks before Barcelona, LAUMANN wrote her own profile of courage in 1992, earning the bronze medal.

But the 1996 Olympic Games is a new era for LAUMANN. And as for the semifinals on Thursday, LAUMANN is not thinking about the previous races. Her plan is easy - just qualify.

"You don't think about placing," said LAUMANN. "You just give it your all. There is no sense in saving anything. Every race is a clean slate and just because someone beat you in the preliminary, it does not mean they will beat you again."

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Lynne Bragg.


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More tickets were sold to the competitions of the 1996 Games than to any other Olympic Games or sports event in history. The 8.6 million ticket sales figures topped sales to the Los Angeles and Barcelona Games combined.