There are many athletes that I admire, among them include my sister, Mairi Buchan. Without her I would not be the athlete that I am today; she showed me what determination is and how hard work can pay off. Without her I would not have traveled to America to play basketball and therefore never have found the sport of rowing.
Another athlete I admire has also showed me what it means to be determined, but more than that, he has showed me that outside of training and with all the intensity of being a full time athlete, there can still be plenty of fun.
His name is Alan Sinclair and he has just come back from the Olympics in Rio competing in the men's pair. He has been my housemate since October, and in the past nine months I have been able to see how an Olympian preps throughout the whole year for the biggest race of any rower's life; both in training and outside. He has a knack for switching off when he comes back from training, or so it seems to an onlooker. Whether it be heading out to an all you can eat sushi with us (his house mates) or resting on the couch having an anchovy and avocado pizza... Yum!I never saw him stress about the pressure he was under the whole year, even if under the relaxed exterior he was a complete wreck! No matter how his day had went he would always be up for a chat with me and my other housemates to see how our days went. This is something I really appreciated sometimes! No matter what, I would always get a thoughtful answer to my questions; whether it be about rowing or something completely random. I hope to be able to emulate his successes oneday andmaybe even get to row in the same boat as him.
Thanks Alan and I wish you all the luck with your future whatever it may hold!
