Brooke Francis: Olympic rower on their gold medal win, balancing motherhood and an Olympic career

New Zealand's had its best day yet at the Paris Olympics with our rowers taking home three medals. 

The women's coxless four winning bronze, the men's coxless four winning silver, and, in the double sculls, Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors taking home the gold. 

Francis told Mike Hosking she's only taken her gold medal off once to shower, describing it as a good-looking medal emblazoned with a picture of the Eiffel Tower. 

Our newest gold medallists are also hoping to blaze a trail for other mothers to follow. 

Both women have been balancing motherhood and rowing since having children in 2022. 

Francis says they both believed in themselves, and they want other mothers to pursue great careers while also being great mothers. 

New Zealand has now won five medals at the Games: one bronze, two silver, and two gold. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So the highlight of a very good night for rowing
was the gold, of course, and the women's doubles. Men's
forgot silver, women's forgot bronze. Brook Francis is with us
from Paris. Morning, good morning, this is particularly good morning.
It is a particularly good morning. Are you wearing your medal?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
I am. I think I've only taken off once a shower.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
As far as far as medals go. Is it a
good looking one?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, this one's particularly good looking. It's got a we
pieces Eiffel Tower in the middle, and yeah, the French
do a pretty good job of everything.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
I'd say fantastic. Now take us through the race. Did
you need to make it that exciting?

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah, we've got some fierce competitors in the women's double
this whole olymp haad. The Romanians have actually been, you know,
leading the charts, and there's been some big battles going
on in the woman's double field. Our coach had said
to us before we got on the water that where
we're going to need to be brave today, and it's
what we tried to do through every five hundred and

(00:59):
to hear it was going to be tight to the
line and as we came into the finish, I made
a call and the call was Joe, which meant we
needed to wind like Joe and Nathan from the from
the London Olympics, and we managed to come out on
the right side of the finish line.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Because I was going to ask, you are how cognizant
of what's happening in the race when you're that pressured.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, you definitely see a lot out of your peripheral vision,
but then it comes back to doing what you can
in your boat. And I knew Lucy was laying down
the watts and that's what I needed to do behind
her to keep our boat accelerating.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Did you have anything left at the end?

Speaker 2 (01:38):
No, that was that was us spent. And I think
that's a credit to the Romanians that we were up
against our crew that you know, leave leave no phone unturned.
And the day before they had come from fourth place
to win in the last two hundred and fifty meters
of their race, so we knew they've got extra years
and we were just trying to make sure our bow

(01:59):
got out in front and then we covered that.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
It's brilliant. You're not unfamiliar, of course, with World Championships.
With the middle and Tokyo. Where does this today sit
for you?

Speaker 2 (02:12):
It's extremely special, but again still probably hasn't quite sunkin.
And I think it's been a rollercoaster over two years,
coming back from Tokyo, having a year off and then
deciding to start a family and continue my athletic career.
There's been so many highs and lows that you know,
no one would ever see. But that's been something that

(02:32):
I've been able to share with Lucy this whole time,
and we've had that belief in ourself that this is
something that we can do, and we yeah, we want
other mothers to know that hopefully they can pursue amazing
careers alongside being great mothers.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, I'm looking at funnily enough, I'm looking at a
photo of you and your daughter and your husband. Does
your daughter get it?

Speaker 2 (02:55):
No, But she's been excited to hold my middle and
she knows it's a circle, and she knows it's gold.
And she did a great job of cheering and the
crowd today I got to watch her on the middle ceremony,
lifting both her arms up and giving us a huge,
big chair. But I think she was just probably happy
to see marm because it's been ten days, you know,
away from seeing her.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yeah exactly. Speaking of family, the Spoor family will be
fairly happy. Is Lucy beside herself?

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yeah, And Lucy's words and Phoebe's words, their mum's been
she's turned into a puddle with all the tears. Basically,
it's been a phenomenal a day for the sports family.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
Yeah exactly, And and a phenomenal day for Rowing New Zealand.
What does it say about our ability to keep producing champions?

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, I think we're, you know, hopefully creating a really
good legacy. Our day started off with Tom and Emma
qualifying in the semi finals to get through the A finals.
And we're all a family and we know that if're.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
Going well, we're all going well.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
And I think that's something that gave our means a
woman's for a lot of confidence in hopefully with the
lightweight double tomorrow and the men's woman's singles on Saturday,
they're going to feel a lot of confidence and through
their races.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
Yeah, well, let's hope. So enjoy the night, Brook. I
appreciate you time very much. Book Francis out of Paris
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