August 7, 2024 • 11 mins
Canoe Racing New Zealand CEO Graham Oberlin-Brown joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to discuss the drama that unfolded on the water with the C2-500 team.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the sports Talk podcast with Duncie Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
How we're join now on news Talk zeb B by
Grahamer Oberlin Brown. Here is the CEO of canoe racing
in Zia in zeb as we look at the vexed
situation around the C two five hundred, who unfortunately did
not cover themselves in glory. The race is being described
as Fastal Graham talk to us about that race and
(00:36):
about how it came about, about the reaction to what
happened with the two canoes. Would be great to have
your opinion on this one. I'm welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yeah, good morning, Darty. Yes, as you would have saying. So,
the men's K four at last year's World Championship needed
to make the A final to qualify for the Olympics.
They completed the sixth fastest time in that regatta, but
we're in the fastest semi final, which didn't qualify them
(01:06):
for the year's Olympics. So the way that the qualification
system works is that you can use K or kayak
boat quota spots interchangeably with C boat quota spots, and
so the discipline of canoeing also comes under canoe racing
New Zealand, as does kayaking, and so we set about
(01:29):
a way to qualify. You know, what we felt was
a crew that was very, very capable of competing in
the final at the Olympics. C two boating is not
an easy discipline to pick up. The boat doesn't have
a rudder, you're in an upright kneeling position and it's
a very narrow hull. And so the boys have worked
(01:51):
very hard over the last three to seven months as
a squad, all of them trying to come up to
speed with sea boating. It was a steep learning trajectory
and as you've seen, there's still a bit of time
to be made up in terms of getting them to
be competitive in a sea boat part class distinctly, however,
(02:11):
the boys have have performed very well, as you would
have seen in the K four quarterfinal yesterday where they
play second behind the current world champions Australia and set
the sixth fastest K four qualifying time for this Olympics.
So yeah, that's effectively how we've got to the position
(02:32):
where we are today.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
So the K four, when we talk about qualifying, we're
qualifying paddlers, not necessarily boats. Of the K four didn't
manage to get through under its regular steam, how does
it come through this time around? It's a wee bit.
I'm slightly confused about Grahame.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, So if we'd qualified the K four, then the
boys could have raced in just the K four or
the K four plus K two's and C two's or
K ones. So you can use your quota spots in
that manner, but you must compete in the event that
you qualify the boat, as well as being able to
(03:12):
enter an additional events. So what we have done is
we've qualified the C two boat and the K two boat,
which means that we must compete in those events, even
though our crew that's meeting the performance standard is actually
the K four boat. So by putting the K two
and the C two together, we end up with a
(03:34):
world class K four.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
So you can enter the K four even though you
didn't qualify that boat a few months back.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Correct, correct, Because we've got four quota spots in total
for the boys, we can add the C two and
the K two quota spots together and race the K four.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yeah, a cunning plan means to an end. I suppose
who picked up on that one because it is essentially
a loophole, wasn't it, Graham.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Yeah, So my understanding was that at the last Olympics
there was a Canadian in kayaker who was unable to
qualify through the World Championships, subsequently qualified in the kayak
discipline and won an Olympic bronze medal and the canoe discipline.
So it's not it's not a new it's not a
(04:24):
new ruling. It has been used before and so yeah,
I guess. But within the team that was that was
recognized and you know, we want to provide our world
class athletes with Olympic opportunities, and so this was a
means for the boys to try and achieve the very
(04:45):
best Olympic result that they can in the K four,
But a prerequisite to that was that they did need
to learn this new different discipline.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Be comfortable with sending a team regardless of the outcome.
We know what you want to achieve and plainly you
did it. So it was a success. But how comfortable
are you about sending a pir are out there a
boat knowing they were going to get roundly thrashed on
the Olympic stage.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Yeah, obviously it has been a seap learning curve to
learn this discipline for the boys. So when we selected
this crew, we didn't know how steep how quickly we
could achieve a world class standard in sea voting. There's
not a wealth of coaching deeps in sea boating in
New Zealand, so we've had to be incredibly resourceful with
(05:33):
getting coaching expertise to try and develop the discipline to
get the boys up to speed. So we feel like
we've done everything we can and the boys have done
everything they can and actually has added a lot to
their team culture that the whole squad has. The whole
squad of boys have learned to do sea voting to
(05:54):
enable this opportunity. But the boys have been all noting
that the K four was their best chance of Olympic success.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Were joined UBI, CEO of Knarrasikin, said Graham Oberlin Brown.
But you knew that when they entered they weren't going
to cover themselves in glory, and you and the athletes
were quite happy with that that they would be I
suppose the outstanding team in that because they were going
to finish so far behind the eight bril You knew
(06:25):
that was going to occur and you're okay with that.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
So we have been tracking their times and training obviously,
and we have seen their progression. In Olympic sports, it's
not unusual to have a priority and non priority event.
We see it within the swimmers where they into additional
events to help them prepare for their main event. We've
also seen a mountain biking where the mountain bike quota
(06:50):
spots previously were able to be used for track cycling
and road cycling quota spots. So yeah, as I say,
we feel like we've put everything we can into and
the boys have put everything they can into trying to
prepare to be in the best shape that they can
be for both the C two and the K four.
(07:13):
But there is still some gap obviously between us and
the remainder of the field in the In the C two's.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Got to be asked with Clancy and Brown. I don't
think they obviously they're not up to speed with how
it works, but they probably didn't give it one hundred
percent as far as horsepowers concerned, because they had to
keep some in the tank for the K four.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (07:35):
To be honest, they're not actually too far off what
we've been seeing in training, so the boys have been
doing multiple time trials. I would expect that if we
were to download their heart rate files, they wouldn't be
too far off. I wouldn't. I don't believe there is
a huge amount of conserving going on there, but they
are they are aware that the K four is their
(07:57):
priority event. And you know, had they they have been
in the same position in both the C two and
being in the K four, then then that's not kind
of that's that's not a good outcome. But the boys
have demonstrated yesterday that actually when they when they do
put a good race together in the K four, they
(08:19):
can they can set the sixth pastest time, which is
which has been outstanding. But yeah, the actual kind of
output that we've seen, one of the things we're see
boating is the ability to be balanced and keep the
boat straight and put power into the blade at the
same time. So there are some technical intricacies there that
(08:40):
are probably holding back some of that boat speed well
ability to exert themselves, if that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I were you bracing for the reaction, did you have
any idea about what the kickback would be after that
display that you've thought through this and thought, you know,
people probably won't be entirely happy. They'll bring up concept
that you representing New Zealand that's under the flag. It's
an embarrassment, so on and so forth. We embrace for
this gram.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
I mean, I think it has somewhat been reported in
previous months, back to back to May, that this was
the pathway that we were going down, and we've been
one hundred percent focused on ensuring that the athletes and
the boats and crews were the best prepared that they
could be for this event. Now that we're here, even
(09:31):
a couple of weeks out, we're not going to say, oh,
look this is where we're at. Sorry, guys, you can't
commit it anymore, because the trajectory of the learning of
the speed curve is you know, still still still has
some some optunity there. So once we made the decision
(09:54):
to go down this pathway, it's we've been focused on
delivering as much support as we can around both the
sea boating and the k Hope voting crews.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
So this is all planned, was all prepared for you.
You've accepted it, the steps that you've made, and there's
there's no qualms about the decision. You went from canoe
racing n Z and I'm presuming from the NZC either.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Great. Yeah, we feel like we've put everything that we
can into this process to have to be the best
prepared that we can be for this Olympics. And I think,
you know, particularly the boys result in the K four
has has added some some justation of us us following
(10:38):
this pathway to ensure that they can achieve the best
Olympic result that they possibly can quait.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Thompson, he qualified the K one one thousand, didn't he
didn't end up getting the NOD because you went down
this route instead. You're happy with that, and how's quaid?
Speaker 3 (10:56):
So in our selection policy it states that we will
take the larger quote, the boat that qualifies the larger
quota spots. So that was ultimately, uh, you know, sort
of written within within the policy, which which which which
which was opera operational lies at the point which we've
qualified both two spots and one spots. Ideally we would
(11:19):
have taken all of the spots. But the way that
the UH in generation rules work means that if we
qualify a K two and a K one, we must
select one of those two votes. Uh. And within our
policy it states that we must take the larger the
vote that takes the larger quota spots for New Zealand,
(11:44):
providing the greatest number of opportunities for New Zealand athletes.
So yeah, unfortunately, that's just how it how it is.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
For more from sports talk, listen live to news talks
that'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the sports Talk podcast with Duncie Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
How we're join now on news Talk zeb B by
Grahamer Oberlin Brown. Here is the CEO of canoe racing
in Zia in zeb as we look at the vexed
situation around the C two five hundred, who unfortunately did
not cover themselves in glory. The race is being described
as Fastal Graham talk to us about that race and
(00:36):
about how it came about, about the reaction to what
happened with the two canoes. Would be great to have
your opinion on this one. I'm welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yeah, good morning, Darty. Yes, as you would have saying. So,
the men's K four at last year's World Championship needed
to make the A final to qualify for the Olympics.
They completed the sixth fastest time in that regatta, but
we're in the fastest semi final, which didn't qualify them
(01:06):
for the year's Olympics. So the way that the qualification
system works is that you can use K or kayak
boat quota spots interchangeably with C boat quota spots, and
so the discipline of canoeing also comes under canoe racing
New Zealand, as does kayaking, and so we set about
(01:29):
a way to qualify. You know, what we felt was
a crew that was very, very capable of competing in
the final at the Olympics. C two boating is not
an easy discipline to pick up. The boat doesn't have
a rudder, you're in an upright kneeling position and it's
a very narrow hull. And so the boys have worked
(01:51):
very hard over the last three to seven months as
a squad, all of them trying to come up to
speed with sea boating. It was a steep learning trajectory
and as you've seen, there's still a bit of time
to be made up in terms of getting them to
be competitive in a sea boat part class distinctly, however,
(02:11):
the boys have have performed very well, as you would
have seen in the K four quarterfinal yesterday where they
play second behind the current world champions Australia and set
the sixth fastest K four qualifying time for this Olympics.
So yeah, that's effectively how we've got to the position
(02:32):
where we are today.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
So the K four, when we talk about qualifying, we're
qualifying paddlers, not necessarily boats. Of the K four didn't
manage to get through under its regular steam, how does
it come through this time around? It's a wee bit.
I'm slightly confused about Grahame.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, So if we'd qualified the K four, then the
boys could have raced in just the K four or
the K four plus K two's and C two's or
K ones. So you can use your quota spots in
that manner, but you must compete in the event that
you qualify the boat, as well as being able to
(03:12):
enter an additional events. So what we have done is
we've qualified the C two boat and the K two boat,
which means that we must compete in those events, even
though our crew that's meeting the performance standard is actually
the K four boat. So by putting the K two
and the C two together, we end up with a
(03:34):
world class K four.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
So you can enter the K four even though you
didn't qualify that boat a few months back.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Correct, correct, Because we've got four quota spots in total
for the boys, we can add the C two and
the K two quota spots together and race the K four.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yeah, a cunning plan means to an end. I suppose
who picked up on that one because it is essentially
a loophole, wasn't it, Graham.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Yeah, So my understanding was that at the last Olympics
there was a Canadian in kayaker who was unable to
qualify through the World Championships, subsequently qualified in the kayak
discipline and won an Olympic bronze medal and the canoe discipline.
So it's not it's not a new it's not a
(04:24):
new ruling. It has been used before and so yeah,
I guess. But within the team that was that was
recognized and you know, we want to provide our world
class athletes with Olympic opportunities, and so this was a
means for the boys to try and achieve the very
(04:45):
best Olympic result that they can in the K four,
But a prerequisite to that was that they did need
to learn this new different discipline.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Be comfortable with sending a team regardless of the outcome.
We know what you want to achieve and plainly you
did it. So it was a success. But how comfortable
are you about sending a pir are out there a
boat knowing they were going to get roundly thrashed on
the Olympic stage.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Yeah, obviously it has been a seap learning curve to
learn this discipline for the boys. So when we selected
this crew, we didn't know how steep how quickly we
could achieve a world class standard in sea voting. There's
not a wealth of coaching deeps in sea boating in
New Zealand, so we've had to be incredibly resourceful with
(05:33):
getting coaching expertise to try and develop the discipline to
get the boys up to speed. So we feel like
we've done everything we can and the boys have done
everything they can and actually has added a lot to
their team culture that the whole squad has. The whole
squad of boys have learned to do sea voting to
(05:54):
enable this opportunity. But the boys have been all noting
that the K four was their best chance of Olympic success.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Were joined UBI, CEO of Knarrasikin, said Graham Oberlin Brown.
But you knew that when they entered they weren't going
to cover themselves in glory, and you and the athletes
were quite happy with that that they would be I
suppose the outstanding team in that because they were going
to finish so far behind the eight bril You knew
(06:25):
that was going to occur and you're okay with that.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
So we have been tracking their times and training obviously,
and we have seen their progression. In Olympic sports, it's
not unusual to have a priority and non priority event.
We see it within the swimmers where they into additional
events to help them prepare for their main event. We've
also seen a mountain biking where the mountain bike quota
(06:50):
spots previously were able to be used for track cycling
and road cycling quota spots. So yeah, as I say,
we feel like we've put everything we can into and
the boys have put everything they can into trying to
prepare to be in the best shape that they can
be for both the C two and the K four.
(07:13):
But there is still some gap obviously between us and
the remainder of the field in the In the C two's.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Got to be asked with Clancy and Brown. I don't
think they obviously they're not up to speed with how
it works, but they probably didn't give it one hundred
percent as far as horsepowers concerned, because they had to
keep some in the tank for the K four.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (07:35):
To be honest, they're not actually too far off what
we've been seeing in training, so the boys have been
doing multiple time trials. I would expect that if we
were to download their heart rate files, they wouldn't be
too far off. I wouldn't. I don't believe there is
a huge amount of conserving going on there, but they
are they are aware that the K four is their
(07:57):
priority event. And you know, had they they have been
in the same position in both the C two and
being in the K four, then then that's not kind
of that's that's not a good outcome. But the boys
have demonstrated yesterday that actually when they when they do
put a good race together in the K four, they
(08:19):
can they can set the sixth pastest time, which is
which has been outstanding. But yeah, the actual kind of
output that we've seen, one of the things we're see
boating is the ability to be balanced and keep the
boat straight and put power into the blade at the
same time. So there are some technical intricacies there that
(08:40):
are probably holding back some of that boat speed well
ability to exert themselves, if that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I were you bracing for the reaction, did you have
any idea about what the kickback would be after that
display that you've thought through this and thought, you know,
people probably won't be entirely happy. They'll bring up concept
that you representing New Zealand that's under the flag. It's
an embarrassment, so on and so forth. We embrace for
this gram.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
I mean, I think it has somewhat been reported in
previous months, back to back to May, that this was
the pathway that we were going down, and we've been
one hundred percent focused on ensuring that the athletes and
the boats and crews were the best prepared that they
could be for this event. Now that we're here, even
(09:31):
a couple of weeks out, we're not going to say, oh,
look this is where we're at. Sorry, guys, you can't
commit it anymore, because the trajectory of the learning of
the speed curve is you know, still still still has
some some optunity there. So once we made the decision
(09:54):
to go down this pathway, it's we've been focused on
delivering as much support as we can around both the
sea boating and the k Hope voting crews.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
So this is all planned, was all prepared for you.
You've accepted it, the steps that you've made, and there's
there's no qualms about the decision. You went from canoe
racing n Z and I'm presuming from the NZC either.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Great. Yeah, we feel like we've put everything that we
can into this process to have to be the best
prepared that we can be for this Olympics. And I think,
you know, particularly the boys result in the K four
has has added some some justation of us us following
(10:38):
this pathway to ensure that they can achieve the best
Olympic result that they possibly can quait.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Thompson, he qualified the K one one thousand, didn't he
didn't end up getting the NOD because you went down
this route instead. You're happy with that, and how's quaid?
Speaker 3 (10:56):
So in our selection policy it states that we will
take the larger quote, the boat that qualifies the larger
quota spots. So that was ultimately, uh, you know, sort
of written within within the policy, which which which which
which was opera operational lies at the point which we've
qualified both two spots and one spots. Ideally we would
(11:19):
have taken all of the spots. But the way that
the UH in generation rules work means that if we
qualify a K two and a K one, we must
select one of those two votes. Uh. And within our
policy it states that we must take the larger the
vote that takes the larger quota spots for New Zealand,
(11:44):
providing the greatest number of opportunities for New Zealand athletes.
So yeah, unfortunately, that's just how it how it is.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
For more from sports talk, listen live to news talks
that'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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