Exclusive! Interview with World Record holder Henrik Stephansen

Stephansen talked exclusively to World Rowing from Avis, Portugal where he is on a six-week training camp.  He describes what was going through his head during the 2,000m piece and why he likes the Danish Indoor Rowing Championships.

World Rowing: This is a big deal in the rowing world, what was the interest like in Denmark?
Henrik Stephansen: Yes, there was a lot of interest with the number of people who came to see the indoor championships. It’s also 125 years of the Danish Rowing Federation so it was an extra special championship.

WR: Did you tell people that you were planning on breaking the World Record?
HS: No, I kept it quite quiet.

WR: Have you been doing specific pieces on the rowing machine to prepare you for the 2km erg race? If so what kind of pieces?
HS: I’ve done some: some 1,500m, 1,000m, 500m pieces – just the typical programme for the week before an indoor rowing competition. The programme I always do is that two days before I do 5x500m with 4 minutes rest.

WR: Did you taper for the indoor championships?
HS: Yes, I did train especially for the championships. I didn’t train much on Friday (the day before). I just did a warm-up and a 250m, a start, and then down to pace and then a cool-down and stretching.

WR: What is your stand-out memory of how you felt during the piece?
HS: I was feeling quite good beforehand. Usually when I race (on the erg) it feels a bit easier than I think it will. But this time around at the 1,000m it felt a little harder there.

WR: What was the hardest part during the race?
HS: The hardest part was going into the last 500m. I had the tired feeling from lactic acid. I really was hurting. But when I got to 200m (to go) I knew it was just a short distance so it was easier to go on.

WR: Do you remember if you could hear the crowd?
HS: I could hear the crowd, mostly at the end. There were a lot of people shouting, it was great for motivation. That is the fantastic thing about the Danish Indoor Rowing Championships, it’s like there’s a gigantic shout from the crowd.

WR: Will you be going to CRASH B’s (World Indoor Rowing Championships) later this month?
HS: No, I’m training here (Portugal) for six weeks to get ready for the Olympic Qualification Regatta. I’m going to try for the open single.

WR: What was your race strategy going into the piece?
HS: I was aiming to row 1:28 (split) for the first 500m, then 1:30 pace and I calculated that I would hit the first 500m in 1:28, but I was at 1:29 so I was a bit slow. But it turned out to be a good economy with my energy. I can’t remember the rest of the 500m splits. I did a little sprint at the end. At least it felt like a sprint, but I was only a couple of seconds faster. My stroke rate was a bit lower than usual. I think I was down at 36 (strokes per minute) through the middle. At the start I was probably about 45 and the same at the finish.

Here are the actual splits (from http://ergometertider.dk):
500m   1:29
1000m 1:29.8
1500m 1:29.3
2000m 1:29.3

WR: What were you doing 30 min before the start?
HS: I was just warming up on the erg, doing easy strokes and then a few hard strokes – just normal.

WR: What were you doing 30 min after the piece?
HS: About five seconds after my piece, national TV was poking a microphone into my face. I turned the other way trying to get a breath, then I talked to them. I then had to speak to the crowd and do a couple of brief interviews.

WR: How did you feel physically at the end?
HS: That was really hard. It was hard physically and mentally. I rowed as fast as possible for me that day.

Link to video of the World Record piece, here.