November 16, 2024 • 17 mins
Finn Butcher stunned sports fans across the country with his gold medal-winning athletic performance.
Following his victory in the Kayak Cross event at the 2024 Paris Games, Butcher's looking back at the 'unforgettable' experience 100 days on.
He joined Piney to discuss further.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from Newstalk zb.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Undoubted highlights of the Paris Olympic Games this year was
Finn Butcher winning gold in the inaugural Olympic kayak cross event.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
There it is they plunge in whereas Butcher positioned himself.
He's made a strong start. Butcher, he's in first. He's
in the gold medal position as they make their way
down the course and he's got a two boat length lead.
Superb start for Butcher. He hits around gate number one
and powers his way down the whitewater rapids. He completes
(00:45):
the eskimo role and heads for the first upstream gates.
Finn Butcher is still in the gold medal position as
he makes his way down the course through gate number three.
It's the Britz behind him, Joseph Clark. Finn Butcher with
about a boat length advantage. Now as the Britz Clark
(01:05):
makes roads. He's around gate five. He has to go
across the grain. Here Butcher through gate six. Two gates
to go through seven, the all important upstream gates for
Finn Butcher just has to navigate it safely and the
gold medal is his. Finn Butcher is an Olympic champion.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Can you believe it?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Carve his name into New Zealand's sport history. The Butcher
delivers the goods in Paris.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Tremendous, tremendous commentary from Nick Beuley that brings it all back.
Finn Butcher is with us now, just over one hundred
days since that happened, Finn, since you stood on top
of that podium with the gold medal around Jeannette, what
stands out the most when when you think back one
hundred days or.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
So, Yeah, oh man, quite a lot, to be honest, Like,
it was such an enjoyable time in my life, and yeah,
something I'll never forget. But look, I think we really
went to the game with you know, obviously wanting to
perform well and stand on the box, but also to
(02:26):
enjoy the whole thing because because you know, I've spoken
to a lot of people who have been to the
game before and maybe not let themselves enjoy it because
I've put so much pressure on themselves and then potentially
not even not performed well.
Speaker 6 (02:38):
Because of that.
Speaker 5 (02:39):
So I think probably actually just what stands out as
the way that I myself but also Aaron, my coach,
We let ourselves enjoy the moment and gave ourselves little
time to where we can just pause and look up
into the crowd and be like, holy, you know, look
at that's pretty cool to be to be here and
(03:01):
to be there with each other and kind of go
full circle together. And yeah, obviously, you know, standing on
the podium and hearing the national wentth and getting played
was probably something that, yeah, I'll never forget, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Do you think perhaps, in hindsight, the fact you were
in a slightly more relaxed state, as you've just outlined,
might have been one of the reasons for your success.
Speaker 5 (03:27):
Yeah, I mean I think though, Look, because it was
my first games, I spoke to a lot of Peoplehoo
had been before and you know, been around, and a
lot of my support team has gone through multiple Olympic cycles,
so you know, having all those people to sort of
guide me and and you know, like educate me and
(03:49):
let me know that it is a pretty crazy event.
But you know, we just wanted to focus on the
things that we could control. And you know, you can
kind of approach things two different ways. You can let
them sort of overwhelm you and stress you out. If
something goes wrong, you know, like the bus breaks down
or it's gone the wrong side of Paris, which happens,
(04:12):
you know, you can get stressed out and let it
overwhelm you or just you know, take it in your stride.
And I think it probably It's probably my nature anyway,
So it was just, yeah, trying to almost let myself
be who I am. And yeah, I mean it could
have gone either way, but I think it definitely contributed
(04:34):
to being in a good head space when I was,
you know, on those days, sliding off the ramp and
going for it. So yeah, I think I think it
was a pretty pretty crucial aspect and yeah, definitely something
I'm pretty proud of.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
So the Kayak Cross was the second of your events.
You had the kayak single first of all, did it
help to have that events before the Kayak Cross?
Speaker 6 (04:57):
Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
So, like we had basically six days of Canus Stalem
and then four days of Kayak Cross. So in the
first three days of Canuslalem was the Woman's Kayak and
the men See one, which are neither.
Speaker 6 (05:13):
Of my events.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
So we had three days before I even started racing.
Speaker 6 (05:17):
So we could kind.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
Of go to the venue and pick and choose, you know,
the moments where I wanted to go and watch and
really kind of get used to the atmosphere. So then
when I actually started the canuslalem, it wasn't you know,
just hitting me in the face and overwhelming. So that
(05:39):
definitely helped for the slalom, and I think, yeah, so
by the time I got to the slalom, it was
already you know, three days of competition. I'd watched a
fear of it and kind of been around the venue
when it was full of spectators and everything.
Speaker 6 (05:50):
So by the time where I started the slalom, I.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
Was already pretty used to it and in a good
relaxed headspace. And then yeah, like finishing that actually pretty
disappointed because I got a fifty three compenuity from me
I think a gate, So didn't really finish where I
wanted to be. But you know, I'd already had a
good hit out. I knew I was in good physical
(06:15):
shape and yeah, like I said, like I say, I
was in a pretty good heads bace. So going into
the cross, I sort of knew that, you know, if
I if I can paddle to the way that I
know I can, then we'll be in for a good shout.
And like if anyone watched the kite cross, you sort
of you know, anything can happen, So we could just
(06:37):
basically focus on the start and then just rep into
that and then play it out lies the rest of
the way down the course. So yeah, I mean it
obviously turned out pretty well, which is cool.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Indeed it did so in the kite cross time trial,
then round one, quarter final, semi final, and the final.
At what point during all of that did you think
how much chance here?
Speaker 6 (07:04):
I mean, I knew going in that I'd be a
chance for sure.
Speaker 5 (07:09):
I've had good, good results previously, previously this year, but
also in the past few years, so you know, I
knew that I'll be I'll be a chance.
Speaker 6 (07:18):
And then you know, I had a pretty.
Speaker 5 (07:20):
Solid time trial, and then round one I actually got
kind of stitched up and ended up in one of
the hardest first rounds because of one of the top
guys top seeds, actually stuffed up the time trial, so
then got seated really low for round one and ended
up in my heat. So I had only a heat
of three, but the other two were really.
Speaker 6 (07:40):
Top top quality peddlers. So yeah, I mean I was
kind of like, oh God, here we go, try by fire.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
But yeah, managed to get a really good round in
there and kind of just started rolling from there. Yeah,
like you say, we had we had four das, so
it was time trial and then the next day was
round one and basically that's that one heat and you're
done for the day, and then the next day heat
and then you're done for the day, and then the
(08:08):
finals day was three rounds. So caught it to his
finals and yeah, I mean we were just taking each
heat as it comes because you can't look past it. Really,
everyone in that race was. It was a threat, and
you know, if you're out in front or if you're behind,
you know they're all trying to take you out at
(08:29):
some point. So really just trying to trying to be
in that in that moment. And yeah, pretty much. I
think going into the finals day, I was on a
I don't know if I was on a good side
of the draw. I think both sides are pretty pretty hard.
But yeah, I knew that I was feeling really good
(08:51):
and I had to start pretty dialed, which was which
went a long way to the winning the race.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
It talk to me about when you're at the top
of the course about to be dumped into the water
with the other paddlers, do you did you have a
process or what is the last sort of thoughts before
that happens.
Speaker 6 (09:08):
Yeah, I guess I can.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
I can probably go through from from from ten minutes before.
Speaker 6 (09:14):
You've got to be us going through the prestart.
Speaker 5 (09:18):
So we've got a big tint at the top with
pre start and you collect your colored bourb and choose
your lane and then wait for the previous heat to
go and then go up the ramp.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
And actually it.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
Was pretty cool. So Kelly Bailey, who's from Wanaka, she
was judging there and she was actually the pre starter
and so I've got of grown up, you know, with
with her and in the community and Central Targe, and
she's been judging a lot of races and been around
the show and organizing a lot. So it was quite
(09:52):
cool to just have, you know, she was very professional
and her role at the games, but you know, every
round I was coming up and just sort of just
giving her a we hid nod and we're just just
acknowledge each other.
Speaker 6 (10:03):
So that was kind of the first part.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
And then you're through the pre start and just have
a chat with my coach and make sure I knew
what lanes to peck, and just almost a little yarn
like nothing, nothing too serious, and we just give each
other a little first pump and so a few words
and and then yeah, I choose to choose the lane.
Wait for a bit, and then we go up the
(10:26):
ramp and they start playing. Once you get in, they
start playing sort of heartbeat, like the heart beat sound,
and it's sort of like sitting up on the ramp,
you know, quite high above the water, you know, four
or five meters above the water and just steering out
to this massive crowd with the heart beat sound going.
So that's pretty you know, you're sort of like, just
drop me off now, we just send us yeah, so
(10:52):
you know, and then when when the the process starts,
so they they sort of go in position, and then
after that you're not not allowed to move. So so
I just wanted to be leaning back as far as
I could and then basically listen for the start beep
and react as fast as I could throw myself forward
and then almost let my all my practice take over
(11:15):
and just trying to land as good as I could
and get a good few strokes and just basically all
I wanted to do was was that was as much
intense as possible, because you know, that's.
Speaker 6 (11:28):
The first part of the race and it's basically.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
The only part you can control is how fast you
react to the ramp and how you can slide down it,
and then anything else is.
Speaker 6 (11:38):
Like I said before, you just play it how it lies.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
So yeah, pretty much just really focused on the start,
waiting for that beep and then just breap into it
as hard as I could.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Well, I think about the final, I think probably the
British peddler Joe Clark probably the favorite. I guess if
you were going to, you know, list out who was
the gold medal favorite. But man, that final, man, you
just gummed it from the start. Were never you know,
no one even challenged you. Was that like almost a
perfect race for you? The final?
Speaker 5 (12:09):
Yeah, I mean, I guess any any race that he
wins the perfect race, but in this crazy, crazy.
Speaker 6 (12:17):
Sport, it is.
Speaker 5 (12:18):
But I mean, when I look back, I actually I
actually let go of my pedal when I landed off
the ramp, wow, which I didn't even realize when I
was in the race. But when I look back and
watched the slow mo. Yeah, my second strokes, I landed
on the right stroke and then my left stroke went
in the water and came up underneath the guys beside
me his boat, and so my hand came off and
(12:40):
then I did a right stroke and then grabbed it again.
So I think that was just like the zone I
was in and how much intent that I really I
wanted to head it with I did. I just was
zoned into two just going and yeah, I mean the
two beside me, Joe, who was probably the favorite, and
(13:01):
then the German guy no Way just clash pedals a
little bit, and then that gave me a bit of
water and I could just build a lead from there,
and from there I could back my like my technique
and my fitness as well. So you know, we've done
almost ten days of racing until that day.
Speaker 6 (13:21):
But I knew that I was in.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
Really good shape and I've got a good, good fatness
space behind me. So yeah, basically going to the finish,
I knew that if I could just hold enough of
a gap in front of Joe and get around that
last up stream before him, it would be It'll be
all mine. But yeah, if I think about it. It's
quite funny because you know, going into the last up stream,
(13:43):
I know I'm leading the Olympic Games, and if I
execute that, then I'll be the Olympic Champion. And it's
sort of like all of those things are just trying
to pull yourself out of the moment, and and you know,
I'm really proud of the way that I could really
focus and stay in the moment and actually execute that
(14:03):
and then afterwards let myself realize, because yes, it's pretty
easy to lose track of focus and just you know,
for a split second, and then things can go wrong
pretty fast.
Speaker 6 (14:16):
So yeah, I'll say it was a perfect race.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
How much How much did your life change after Paris?
Speaker 6 (14:24):
Yeah, pretty significantly.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
I saw you everywhere, man, you're an All Blacks test,
You're everywhere people recognizing you. It must have been quite
different when you got home.
Speaker 6 (14:34):
Was it.
Speaker 5 (14:35):
Yeah, Yeah, it was pretty different. Yeah, we're pretty unknown
in general, and then yeah, sort of having people recognize
them down the street and the coffee shop or you know,
getting invited into the all Blacks changing rooms, and it
was pretty wild. So yeah, it's been It's been awesome
to be fair, you know, like I'm just super lucky
(14:58):
to have found a passion in my life that I
can you know, I was able to do on the
big stage. And you know, like the coolest thing is
when people come up to you and just say, look, oh,
we loved watching you. It was an awesome sport and
you know, we're really really proud of you, and you know,
you people say, you know that I gave a lot
(15:21):
of joy to a lot of Kiwis, and man, that
that means a lot for sure.
Speaker 6 (15:26):
So yeah, it's been it's been busy.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
I'm back into training now, so yeah, we're back on
track to going in for another four years.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
That's good to hear. How many people do you, Reckon,
have seen or touched your gold medal? Hundreds?
Speaker 5 (15:43):
Yeah, yeah, hundreds, hundreds, that's for sure. I mean I
went when I came back straight out to the Olympics,
I went back down south to Alexandria and went into
my old schools and then a few of the other
schools in town and yeah, you know, all of those
little kids having a having a hold of it and
having a look and just man, it's something that I
(16:04):
probably didn't realize would be as cool as it is,
just seeing you know, kids eyes light up and just
and seeing their their dreams, you know, just tacking away
in their head. It's pretty amazing. So man, to be
able to bring that thing back back home to Centure
Targo and show those kids that you know, someone in
(16:27):
there and their position from their school, you know, can
can dream big and go and do whatever they want.
Speaker 6 (16:34):
So yeah, it was pretty cool.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
But definitely a few people have touched it and howld
it and put it on, but I'm.
Speaker 6 (16:41):
Pretty proud of it. So to be able to share
it with people is really special.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
So you should be So you should be fun and
one of the undoubted highlights of the year for sure.
You gave us all a lot of a lot of
pleasures in those few days in August, my friend, and
you've you've earned every plot that you've got. Thanks for
joining us today, mate, all the beast for the next
Olympic cycle roll on Los Angeles, twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 6 (17:03):
I guess, yeah, yeah, thank you very much.
Speaker 5 (17:05):
Yeah, yeah, I'm sort of I'm happy now to be
back into routine and yeah, looking forward to next four
years of trying to get better and yeah, keep pushing. Thanks,
So yeah, thank you very much for having me.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
No thank you for joining us. Finn really appreciate it. Finn,
Butcher there Geez just totally unaffected by it. Or isn't
he just the same bloke who headed off to Paris,
but now with a gold medal and much more to come.
What a pleasure to catch up with Finn to reflect
on one of the great moments of our sporting year,
his gold medal and the kayak cross at the Paris
Olympic Games.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk zed B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from Newstalk zb.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Undoubted highlights of the Paris Olympic Games this year was
Finn Butcher winning gold in the inaugural Olympic kayak cross event.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
There it is they plunge in whereas Butcher positioned himself.
He's made a strong start. Butcher, he's in first. He's
in the gold medal position as they make their way
down the course and he's got a two boat length lead.
Superb start for Butcher. He hits around gate number one
and powers his way down the whitewater rapids. He completes
(00:45):
the eskimo role and heads for the first upstream gates.
Finn Butcher is still in the gold medal position as
he makes his way down the course through gate number three.
It's the Britz behind him, Joseph Clark. Finn Butcher with
about a boat length advantage. Now as the Britz Clark
(01:05):
makes roads. He's around gate five. He has to go
across the grain. Here Butcher through gate six. Two gates
to go through seven, the all important upstream gates for
Finn Butcher just has to navigate it safely and the
gold medal is his. Finn Butcher is an Olympic champion.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Can you believe it?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Carve his name into New Zealand's sport history. The Butcher
delivers the goods in Paris.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Tremendous, tremendous commentary from Nick Beuley that brings it all back.
Finn Butcher is with us now, just over one hundred
days since that happened, Finn, since you stood on top
of that podium with the gold medal around Jeannette, what
stands out the most when when you think back one
hundred days or.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
So, Yeah, oh man, quite a lot, to be honest, Like,
it was such an enjoyable time in my life, and yeah,
something I'll never forget. But look, I think we really
went to the game with you know, obviously wanting to
perform well and stand on the box, but also to
(02:26):
enjoy the whole thing because because you know, I've spoken
to a lot of people who have been to the
game before and maybe not let themselves enjoy it because
I've put so much pressure on themselves and then potentially
not even not performed well.
Speaker 6 (02:38):
Because of that.
Speaker 5 (02:39):
So I think probably actually just what stands out as
the way that I myself but also Aaron, my coach,
We let ourselves enjoy the moment and gave ourselves little
time to where we can just pause and look up
into the crowd and be like, holy, you know, look
at that's pretty cool to be to be here and
(03:01):
to be there with each other and kind of go
full circle together. And yeah, obviously, you know, standing on
the podium and hearing the national wentth and getting played
was probably something that, yeah, I'll never forget, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Do you think perhaps, in hindsight, the fact you were
in a slightly more relaxed state, as you've just outlined,
might have been one of the reasons for your success.
Speaker 5 (03:27):
Yeah, I mean I think though, Look, because it was
my first games, I spoke to a lot of Peoplehoo
had been before and you know, been around, and a
lot of my support team has gone through multiple Olympic cycles,
so you know, having all those people to sort of
guide me and and you know, like educate me and
(03:49):
let me know that it is a pretty crazy event.
But you know, we just wanted to focus on the
things that we could control. And you know, you can
kind of approach things two different ways. You can let
them sort of overwhelm you and stress you out. If
something goes wrong, you know, like the bus breaks down
or it's gone the wrong side of Paris, which happens,
(04:12):
you know, you can get stressed out and let it
overwhelm you or just you know, take it in your stride.
And I think it probably It's probably my nature anyway,
So it was just, yeah, trying to almost let myself
be who I am. And yeah, I mean it could
have gone either way, but I think it definitely contributed
(04:34):
to being in a good head space when I was,
you know, on those days, sliding off the ramp and
going for it. So yeah, I think I think it
was a pretty pretty crucial aspect and yeah, definitely something
I'm pretty proud of.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
So the Kayak Cross was the second of your events.
You had the kayak single first of all, did it
help to have that events before the Kayak Cross?
Speaker 6 (04:57):
Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
So, like we had basically six days of Canus Stalem
and then four days of Kayak Cross. So in the
first three days of Canuslalem was the Woman's Kayak and
the men See one, which are neither.
Speaker 6 (05:13):
Of my events.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
So we had three days before I even started racing.
Speaker 6 (05:17):
So we could kind.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
Of go to the venue and pick and choose, you know,
the moments where I wanted to go and watch and
really kind of get used to the atmosphere. So then
when I actually started the canuslalem, it wasn't you know,
just hitting me in the face and overwhelming. So that
(05:39):
definitely helped for the slalom, and I think, yeah, so
by the time I got to the slalom, it was
already you know, three days of competition. I'd watched a
fear of it and kind of been around the venue
when it was full of spectators and everything.
Speaker 6 (05:50):
So by the time where I started the slalom, I.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
Was already pretty used to it and in a good
relaxed headspace. And then yeah, like finishing that actually pretty
disappointed because I got a fifty three compenuity from me
I think a gate, So didn't really finish where I
wanted to be. But you know, I'd already had a
good hit out. I knew I was in good physical
(06:15):
shape and yeah, like I said, like I say, I
was in a pretty good heads bace. So going into
the cross, I sort of knew that, you know, if
I if I can paddle to the way that I
know I can, then we'll be in for a good shout.
And like if anyone watched the kite cross, you sort
of you know, anything can happen, So we could just
(06:37):
basically focus on the start and then just rep into
that and then play it out lies the rest of
the way down the course. So yeah, I mean it
obviously turned out pretty well, which is cool.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Indeed it did so in the kite cross time trial,
then round one, quarter final, semi final, and the final.
At what point during all of that did you think
how much chance here?
Speaker 6 (07:04):
I mean, I knew going in that I'd be a
chance for sure.
Speaker 5 (07:09):
I've had good, good results previously, previously this year, but
also in the past few years, so you know, I
knew that I'll be I'll be a chance.
Speaker 6 (07:18):
And then you know, I had a pretty.
Speaker 5 (07:20):
Solid time trial, and then round one I actually got
kind of stitched up and ended up in one of
the hardest first rounds because of one of the top
guys top seeds, actually stuffed up the time trial, so
then got seated really low for round one and ended
up in my heat. So I had only a heat
of three, but the other two were really.
Speaker 6 (07:40):
Top top quality peddlers. So yeah, I mean I was
kind of like, oh God, here we go, try by fire.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
But yeah, managed to get a really good round in
there and kind of just started rolling from there. Yeah,
like you say, we had we had four das, so
it was time trial and then the next day was
round one and basically that's that one heat and you're
done for the day, and then the next day heat
and then you're done for the day, and then the
(08:08):
finals day was three rounds. So caught it to his
finals and yeah, I mean we were just taking each
heat as it comes because you can't look past it. Really,
everyone in that race was. It was a threat, and
you know, if you're out in front or if you're behind,
you know they're all trying to take you out at
(08:29):
some point. So really just trying to trying to be
in that in that moment. And yeah, pretty much. I
think going into the finals day, I was on a
I don't know if I was on a good side
of the draw. I think both sides are pretty pretty hard.
But yeah, I knew that I was feeling really good
(08:51):
and I had to start pretty dialed, which was which
went a long way to the winning the race.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
It talk to me about when you're at the top
of the course about to be dumped into the water
with the other paddlers, do you did you have a
process or what is the last sort of thoughts before
that happens.
Speaker 6 (09:08):
Yeah, I guess I can.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
I can probably go through from from from ten minutes before.
Speaker 6 (09:14):
You've got to be us going through the prestart.
Speaker 5 (09:18):
So we've got a big tint at the top with
pre start and you collect your colored bourb and choose
your lane and then wait for the previous heat to
go and then go up the ramp.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
And actually it.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
Was pretty cool. So Kelly Bailey, who's from Wanaka, she
was judging there and she was actually the pre starter
and so I've got of grown up, you know, with
with her and in the community and Central Targe, and
she's been judging a lot of races and been around
the show and organizing a lot. So it was quite
(09:52):
cool to just have, you know, she was very professional
and her role at the games, but you know, every
round I was coming up and just sort of just
giving her a we hid nod and we're just just
acknowledge each other.
Speaker 6 (10:03):
So that was kind of the first part.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
And then you're through the pre start and just have
a chat with my coach and make sure I knew
what lanes to peck, and just almost a little yarn
like nothing, nothing too serious, and we just give each
other a little first pump and so a few words
and and then yeah, I choose to choose the lane.
Wait for a bit, and then we go up the
(10:26):
ramp and they start playing. Once you get in, they
start playing sort of heartbeat, like the heart beat sound,
and it's sort of like sitting up on the ramp,
you know, quite high above the water, you know, four
or five meters above the water and just steering out
to this massive crowd with the heart beat sound going.
So that's pretty you know, you're sort of like, just
drop me off now, we just send us yeah, so
(10:52):
you know, and then when when the the process starts,
so they they sort of go in position, and then
after that you're not not allowed to move. So so
I just wanted to be leaning back as far as
I could and then basically listen for the start beep
and react as fast as I could throw myself forward
and then almost let my all my practice take over
(11:15):
and just trying to land as good as I could
and get a good few strokes and just basically all
I wanted to do was was that was as much
intense as possible, because you know, that's.
Speaker 6 (11:28):
The first part of the race and it's basically.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
The only part you can control is how fast you
react to the ramp and how you can slide down it,
and then anything else is.
Speaker 6 (11:38):
Like I said before, you just play it how it lies.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
So yeah, pretty much just really focused on the start,
waiting for that beep and then just breap into it
as hard as I could.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Well, I think about the final, I think probably the
British peddler Joe Clark probably the favorite. I guess if
you were going to, you know, list out who was
the gold medal favorite. But man, that final, man, you
just gummed it from the start. Were never you know,
no one even challenged you. Was that like almost a
perfect race for you? The final?
Speaker 5 (12:09):
Yeah, I mean, I guess any any race that he
wins the perfect race, but in this crazy, crazy.
Speaker 6 (12:17):
Sport, it is.
Speaker 5 (12:18):
But I mean, when I look back, I actually I
actually let go of my pedal when I landed off
the ramp, wow, which I didn't even realize when I
was in the race. But when I look back and
watched the slow mo. Yeah, my second strokes, I landed
on the right stroke and then my left stroke went
in the water and came up underneath the guys beside
me his boat, and so my hand came off and
(12:40):
then I did a right stroke and then grabbed it again.
So I think that was just like the zone I
was in and how much intent that I really I
wanted to head it with I did. I just was
zoned into two just going and yeah, I mean the
two beside me, Joe, who was probably the favorite, and
(13:01):
then the German guy no Way just clash pedals a
little bit, and then that gave me a bit of
water and I could just build a lead from there,
and from there I could back my like my technique
and my fitness as well. So you know, we've done
almost ten days of racing until that day.
Speaker 6 (13:21):
But I knew that I was in.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
Really good shape and I've got a good, good fatness
space behind me. So yeah, basically going to the finish,
I knew that if I could just hold enough of
a gap in front of Joe and get around that
last up stream before him, it would be It'll be
all mine. But yeah, if I think about it. It's
quite funny because you know, going into the last up stream,
(13:43):
I know I'm leading the Olympic Games, and if I
execute that, then I'll be the Olympic Champion. And it's
sort of like all of those things are just trying
to pull yourself out of the moment, and and you know,
I'm really proud of the way that I could really
focus and stay in the moment and actually execute that
(14:03):
and then afterwards let myself realize, because yes, it's pretty
easy to lose track of focus and just you know,
for a split second, and then things can go wrong
pretty fast.
Speaker 6 (14:16):
So yeah, I'll say it was a perfect race.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
How much How much did your life change after Paris?
Speaker 6 (14:24):
Yeah, pretty significantly.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
I saw you everywhere, man, you're an All Blacks test,
You're everywhere people recognizing you. It must have been quite
different when you got home.
Speaker 6 (14:34):
Was it.
Speaker 5 (14:35):
Yeah, Yeah, it was pretty different. Yeah, we're pretty unknown
in general, and then yeah, sort of having people recognize
them down the street and the coffee shop or you know,
getting invited into the all Blacks changing rooms, and it
was pretty wild. So yeah, it's been It's been awesome
to be fair, you know, like I'm just super lucky
(14:58):
to have found a passion in my life that I
can you know, I was able to do on the
big stage. And you know, like the coolest thing is
when people come up to you and just say, look, oh,
we loved watching you. It was an awesome sport and
you know, we're really really proud of you, and you know,
you people say, you know that I gave a lot
(15:21):
of joy to a lot of Kiwis, and man, that
that means a lot for sure.
Speaker 6 (15:26):
So yeah, it's been it's been busy.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
I'm back into training now, so yeah, we're back on
track to going in for another four years.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
That's good to hear. How many people do you, Reckon,
have seen or touched your gold medal? Hundreds?
Speaker 5 (15:43):
Yeah, yeah, hundreds, hundreds, that's for sure. I mean I
went when I came back straight out to the Olympics,
I went back down south to Alexandria and went into
my old schools and then a few of the other
schools in town and yeah, you know, all of those
little kids having a having a hold of it and
having a look and just man, it's something that I
(16:04):
probably didn't realize would be as cool as it is,
just seeing you know, kids eyes light up and just
and seeing their their dreams, you know, just tacking away
in their head. It's pretty amazing. So man, to be
able to bring that thing back back home to Centure
Targo and show those kids that you know, someone in
(16:27):
there and their position from their school, you know, can
can dream big and go and do whatever they want.
Speaker 6 (16:34):
So yeah, it was pretty cool.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
But definitely a few people have touched it and howld
it and put it on, but I'm.
Speaker 6 (16:41):
Pretty proud of it. So to be able to share
it with people is really special.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
So you should be So you should be fun and
one of the undoubted highlights of the year for sure.
You gave us all a lot of a lot of
pleasures in those few days in August, my friend, and
you've you've earned every plot that you've got. Thanks for
joining us today, mate, all the beast for the next
Olympic cycle roll on Los Angeles, twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 6 (17:03):
I guess, yeah, yeah, thank you very much.
Speaker 5 (17:05):
Yeah, yeah, I'm sort of I'm happy now to be
back into routine and yeah, looking forward to next four
years of trying to get better and yeah, keep pushing. Thanks,
So yeah, thank you very much for having me.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
No thank you for joining us. Finn really appreciate it. Finn,
Butcher there Geez just totally unaffected by it. Or isn't
he just the same bloke who headed off to Paris,
but now with a gold medal and much more to come.
What a pleasure to catch up with Finn to reflect
on one of the great moments of our sporting year,
his gold medal and the kayak cross at the Paris
Olympic Games.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk zed B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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