February 2021 : Ward Lemmelijn

Rower of the Month – February 2021

A talent for indoor rowing has led Belgian Ward Lemmelijn to take the rowing world by storm.  He’s proven to be a natural on the erg, winning the European Indoor Rowing Championships and three under-23 world titles. Ward Lemmelijn tells us how he plans to put that talent to good use on the water.

World Rowing: Why did you decide to try rowing and why do you still do it?

Ward Lemmelijn: I ended up in rowing rather by accident. I played soccer at a high level, but because of my studies and the bankruptcy of my soccer club, I tried other sports like running, fitness, cycling… When it turned out that I had a certain talent for endurance sports, I came into contact with rowing through my school rowing team. I immediately broke all the (indoor rowing) records and two weeks later I became Belgian indoor rowing champion. That’s when I thought, I had to do something with this talent!

WR: You were relatively old when you started. What are the pros and cons of starting rowing as a young adult, rather than a teen or a child?
WL: Yes, that’s right, I’m 23 now and only started rowing around my 20th birthday.  The disadvantage of getting into a sport so late is the technical side. It’s a big disadvantage to learn the technique in a shorter time and compete against guys who already started rowing at age ten. The advantage is that everything is new to me, I’m still testing my limits, and this makes it interesting.

WR: How do your soccer/football skills help with your rowing?
WL: I played football at a high level for more than ten years. In doing so, you learn from an early age what it is like to train daily and to perform under pressure every weekend. These two things helped me tremendously in rowing.

WR: What is the secret to your success on the indoor rower?
WL: I think that it’s a strong physiology, a good mentality and a very big will to become the best. This combined with the right way of training and a good planning towards the competitions is the recipe for good performances.

WR: What is your favourite rowing moment?
WL: My favourite rowing moments are my three World under-23 titles for indoor rowing. The first one was something special: staying in Los Angeles for a week with friends and becoming world champion at the end of the week (at the 2019 World Rowing Indoor Championships), it couldn’t be more beautiful.

WR: How was your 2020 and how did the pandemic change things?
WL: The negative side of the crisis is that all the training camps and races were cancelled. The positive side of the crisis for myself is that I finally had the time to search and find a good skiff and a good technical coach. That way I could finally start rowing on the water daily and work on my technique.

WR: What do you want to achieve this year?
WL: This year I want to convert my potential on the ergometer into the skiff and perform in it at national and international competitions. I have been working intensively on my technique for six months now and I am curious what level I will reach on the water.

WR: What do you do when you are not rowing?
WL: When I’m not rowing, I’m probably studying, eating or sleeping. In addition to rowing, I am a physical education student.

WR: What do you do for fun or to relax?
WL: To relax I like to spend time with my girlfriend or friends. I don’t watch much TV, but when I do it’s sports documentaries or sports games, no matter which sport.

WR: Which sportsperson do you most admire?
WL: I admire very many sports personalities, hard to pick one. If I must choose, I have the greatest admiration for athletes who are also sports personalities. Then you automatically end up with athletes like Michael Phelps, Michael Jordan, Sven Nys, Tom Boonen … They are ambassadors for their sport and lift it to a higher level.