AFP, Tokyo :
British rower Helen Glover launched her bid for a third Olympic gold on Saturday, saying “everything” she does on the water is for her three children born since she triumphed at Rio 2016.
The two-time gold medallist finished third in her women’s pairs heat with Polly Swann, clocking seven minutes 23.98 seconds behind Australia and the Russian Olympic Committee, at the Sea Forest Waterway.
But Glover, who only returned to the team this year after starting a family, expects more ahead of Tuesday’s semi-final.
“It wasn’t our perfect row but I guess there’s value in learning in the early rounds,” said the 35-year-old, who won pairs gold in 2012 and 2016 with Heather Stanning. “We’re open to what’s going to come next.”
She said seeing videos of her children was a welcome distraction from training.
“We’re so focused out here that we don’t have a lot of time and every time I see videos of them it’s a nice grounding, a break that takes you away from the Olympic Village,” she said.
“It’s Logan’s birthday today, he’s three, so there’s so much more important things going on than just racing a heat out here in Tokyo. There’s my little boy at home. We’ll celebrate when I get back.”
Glover returned to the team this year after getting married to British TV presenter Steve Backshall and having three children since the last Olympics, with the goal of being the first mother to compete for the British rowing team.
