Towey’s first row since Athens
© Juan Pablo Berlinger
“Unfinished business.” These two words often ring forth when athletes describe what is behind their motivation to continue down the hard road to the ultimate sporting event, the Olympic Games.
Unfinished business is taking Ireland’s Gearoid Towey 4,500 kilometres further. Towey will compete in the transatlantic rowing race in November of this year which will have him rowing from the Canary Islands to Barbados powered by oars alone.
“If we’d done the business in Athens I’d have called it a day,” Towey told the Times Online. But business remained unfinished after what can only be described as a comedy of errors at Athens that saw the Irish Olympic rowing medal hopes slip away.
Towey’s quest for Athens gold was well on track when he teamed up with two-time World Champion in the lightweight single, Sam Lynch and after barely a season together they finished with bronze at the 2003 World Championships.
Knowing the toughness of the event the duo traded in their university studies for full-time training. Leading up to Athens Towey and Lynch were clocking up to 220 kilometres per week in rowing as well as a substantial level of cross-training in the form of running, weights and erging.
But the stars were not aligned for the Irish at Athens. A damaged rigger during a training row had to be remedied. This was followed by a trip to the emergency room for stitches to a cut finger. Then a faulty weigh-in meant that valuable refueling time was lost. The list of problems did not bode well for the duo. They finished a disappointing tenth.
This was 27 year old Towey’s second Olympic Games in an international career that began in 1994 as a junior. Since then Towey has not taken a break from the sport and along the way has collected a World Championship title in the lightweight pair as well as World Champion medals in the lightweight double, and quad.
Towey competed in the lightweight four at Sydney and finishing eleventh inspired him to continue on to Athens. After the disappointment of Athens Towey set about organising an adventure so complex that there was no time left to think.
Towey began by helping out the Irish Cancer Society with a fundraiser “rowathlon” which included nine hours of rowing, running and cycling. He then joined a group of Irish athletes for the Red Bull Giants of Rio Race. This multisport event held in Rio, Brazil, had teams competing in swimming, mountainbiking, hang gliding and running. Towey held the running leg – 20 kilometres of sand running along the famous Ipanema and Copacabana beaches.
Gearoid Towey and Sam Lynch in Athens
© Dominik Keller
“It was really tough running in the sand for that long ? but it was a great experience.” says Towey who ran alongside top class runners and triathletes from Athens in the event.
Towey kept the rowing theme alive when he left Rio for Chile visiting the German Rowing Club in Valparaiso. In his first row since Athens, Towey joined the junior team for their training session. Towey was impressed. “The kids there have lots of talent and the people behind the scenes have tremendous ambition and vision.”
After stopping in Australia to spend time with rowing friends, Towey visited New Zealand for some backpacking and a meeting with transatlantic rowing guru Rob Hamill. “He gave me some great advice on rowing the Atlantic,” says Towey who bought a boat and has now entered the November race.
Towey has already set the wheels in motion for the race. “It takes a lot of time to gather the sponsorship and do the training,” says Towey who has not yet decided whether to do the race solo or as part of a double.
The unfinished business will not end for Towey after he reaches the shores of Barbados with more than six weeks of continuous rowing behind him. Towey’s ultimate goal is still the elusive Olympic medal.
Both Towey and Lynch plan to compete at the Beijing Olympics. Towey will return to the short 2,000 metre rowing variety in time for the 2006 World Championships while Lynch is building up to row as a heavyweight.
