This interview with Canada’s Olympic kayaking icon Adam van Koeverden has lessons for us all. After missing the “A” final in the K1 1000 metre event, he prepared for the “B” final. In his immediate post-race interview he said that he went into the race with only one goal in mind – to enjoy every moment of it. He took his GPS timing device off of his boat prior to the race and did the warm-up shirtless so he could enjoy soaking up some Rio rays. (Don’t worry moms, I’m sure he slathered on plenty of sunscreen beforehand.) These action raised some eyebrows of his long-time fellow competitors, but van Koeverden just laughed it off.
He went into the race looking very relaxed and paddled beautifully. As the commentator noted, he was one with his boat. His stroke was perfect, making the whole thing look ridiculously easy as Olympians tend to do. Interestingly, after the race he said he had no pain. No pain? After over three and a half minutes of strenuous full body all-out effort the lactic acid build-up would be unbearable for most of us mere mortals. Paddlers and rowers will tell you that winning a race is as much about pain tolerance as it is about endurance. Yet in this particular race van Koeverden was pain-free. His conscious decision to just live in the moment and enjoy paddling for the pure love of the sport had a miraculous effect on his pain experience. Isn’t the human body fascinating in its resilience?
Oh, and just as an aside, van Koeverden clocked a time of 3:31:872, just a half a second behind the gold medal winner. His time would have won him a silver medal in the “A” final. He produced an incredible performance when he just let his love of the sport shine through.
In a pre-Olympic interview van Koeverden questioned who he would be when he retired from competitive kayaking given that it is such a part of his identity. Well, we know who you are Adam. You are a Canadian icon, a hero, a role model for our children, and a remarkable person, regardless of whether or not you are paddling.
http://olympics.cbc.ca/video/vod/scott-russell-sits-with-adam-van-koeverden-reflects-his-career.html