Tone Wieten (NED)

Rising Star – August 2016

At 22 years of age, and standing 202cm tall, Dutch rower Tone Wieten just raced at his first Olympic Games. In 2015, Wieten joined the Dutch senior men’s eight and that year won his first ever World Championship medal – bronze. This season has been just as rewarding, with two World Cup gold medals and then capping it off with an Olympic bronze in Rio.

Read on about this rising star in the world of rowing.

Being selected to race in the men’s eight at the Olympic Games is… a dream come true.

What I most enjoyed in Rio is… the atmosphere from all the sports together.

When I think of my Olympic bronze medal, I feel… very happy because we won a medal, but also a bit disappointed because we were so close to silver.

Racing in the eight this season… has been amazing. We won Varese, Lucerne (World Cups) and the Henley Royal Regatta and to top it off a bronze medal at the Olympics.

What I like most about the men’s eight is… that it is possible to make eight men do exactly the same thing at the right time to make a boat flow.

The atmosphere in our crew is… amazing. We work hard, we train hard, and we love it!

The qualities I most appreciate in my teammates… every one of them is in it for a 110 per cent.

A favourite saying of my coach is… whoosh.

Before I race, I always… warm up.

My favourite training session is… sprint training and weights.

On the erg my best score so far is… 5:48.

What motivates me most is… that I want to be the very best like no one ever was.

Three items you will always find in my fridge are… chicken, cola and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

If I was an animal, I would be a… lion because I am a king.

My non-rowing friends are… very proud of me for what I have achieved.

Outside of rowing, I am going to study… Nursing School next year. The plan is to become a paramedic.

My biggest strength is… my dedication.

In 50 years’ time, I imagine the sport of rowing to be… much bigger than it is now.