The Olympic Games in Paris have only just ended and the next generation is already training for the Games in 2028. Two juniors from the Assen rowing club are among the top in the Netherlands and see themselves winning a gold medal in a few years.
Sailing through the Havenkanaal in Assen, they can already see their future in front of them. 17-year-old Emma van Doren is eager to emulate her mother, Eeke van Nes. In 2000, Van Nes won two silver medals at the Sydney Olympics. Floris van Beek is 13 and determined: “I want to be at the Olympics later and win gold.”
A week ago Emma was still in the stands in Paris, but today she is already busy training again. “It was so cool to see all those rowers in real life. At the ceremony you see that they are just normal people.” In total the Olympic rowers won eight medals, a great achievement according to Floris. “I was really jumping on the bench and cheering, it was very exciting.”
After the matches, Floris watches the images on television a few more times. “I just analyze a bit, I like that. I can’t necessarily learn a lot from it, because it’s mainly about the preparations.” Emma agrees. “Of course you can learn something from the technique, but there’s so much more to it. A diet plan and training, for example.”
Emma is already delving a bit into the eating habits of her idols. “Karolien Florijn, for example, eats 70 bananas a week,” she laughs. For Emma, that’s too much of a good thing. “I stick to a maximum of two a day.”
“Rowing is not the most popular sport among young people,” says Linn Binnerts of the Asser Roeiclub. However, the club notices that the sport is getting more attention because of the Olympic Games. “We did see some extra registrations coming in last week, which is really nice.”
The rowing club can always use extra youth, which is why they are organizing an extra open day on August 31. “Who will be the new Karolien? That’s our campaign,” jokes Binnerts. On the last Saturday of August, they organize various activities that introduce the youth to rowing.
For Emma and Floris, rowing at the Olympic Games is the highest they can achieve. At the age of 13, Floris is already 1.92 meters tall, which he can benefit from. “Being tall is a big advantage,” he says with a smile on his face. He hopes to be at the Games in about twelve years. “I think eight years is a bit too early, so I hope for twelve.”
Emma has only been rowing for one year, and despite the fact that she is already rowing at the top of the Dutch rankings, she takes it easy. “Of course the Olympic Games are a goal, but I take everything step by step. Otherwise there is too much pressure for me.”
