Alicia Hoskin: Olympic Gold Medal Kayaker on her wins in the Women's K2 and K4 races

Kayaker Alicia Hoskin has revealed how she's embraced the pressure after winning two gold medals at the Paris Olympics. 

The 24-year-old —competing at her second Olympics— has triumphed in the K4 and K2 boats. 

Hoskin joined Dame Lisa Carrington in the K2 after the latter won gold with Caitlin Regal in Tokyo. 

The dual gold medallist avoided letting the big stage consume her, and joined D’Arcy Waldegrave to reflect on her experiences on the global stage. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Wildegrave from News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
How we joined now on the All Sport Breakfast by
double gold medalist Elisha Hoskin. Sounds good, doesn't Alisha two
gold medals? How about that for your wildest dreams being realized?

Speaker 3 (00:23):
Man, I don't think it will sink in for probably
a good couple of days. But yeah, super awesome, super
proud of the team with epic day at the office.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
You say of the team yourself and Lisa, but the
entire team, because everybody is responsible for what happens out there.
It's not just an individual yet totally.

Speaker 4 (00:45):
I mean as a team.

Speaker 3 (00:46):
Even with the K four girls, Olivia and Tara were
committed to doing the whole week together this week, so
we had them down there running our warm up. We
had the coaches obviously putting in a heap of work.
We've got the physios, We've got a huge team behind
the team. So yeah, it's definitely not I mean like
Lisa and I are out there peddling the boat together,
but yeah, there's a massive team that it takes to

(01:08):
pull a performance like that.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
When did it hit you last night? That suddenly you'd
pulled away from the cream of the world's women's kayakers
because you suddenly blinked and you were a boat length
their head. When did it hate you that you had that?

Speaker 4 (01:23):
I mean, it didn't actually hit me.

Speaker 3 (01:25):
The last one hundred meters of our race was super washy,
so the water was really bouncy.

Speaker 4 (01:30):
So I was so focused.

Speaker 3 (01:32):
My eyes were just locked in on the back of
Lisa's head, and I was keeping in time and our
bodies were hurting. So it wasn't actually until we crossed
the finish line that I realized we'd done it, but
then also just realized we've done it by that much.
So yeah, I was so focused during the race, I
didn't actually realize that we had clear water.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Have you gone back and watched the tape a couple
of times?

Speaker 3 (01:55):
Yeah, I was actually sitting in the antidoping area ready to.

Speaker 4 (02:00):
Do my my tests there.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
So I was just in the waiting room watching the race.
So what a place to celebrate just getting my blood
taken doing urine sample. No better way to celebrate.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
It's very key way of your elisia. Just what I
want to hear. Tell us about the conditions, because when
you looked at it as you were getting ready to race,
it did look quite upsetting. Is that make a very
different race view? What kind of adjustments do you have
to make yourself and Lisa in order to make the
best out of pretty rough conditions?

Speaker 3 (02:34):
Yeah, I mean there are some things that stay the same,
so our strategy doesn't change for the race, but it
just becomes even more important. The technical alignment that we
have in the boat, so the way to paddle so
efficiently so that you have energy in that last one
hundred meters when it is really bouncy. I mean, it
would have been so easy to be full of lactate

(02:54):
and just fall on out. So yeah, we had to
play the game pretty well, use our technique, use our
strategy so that we could get through the line pretty clean.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Is that a case of just following what Lisa does?
She essentially control the cadence, the horsepower, the rhythm and
all that, and you just follow her lead or more
of a team ef it? How is that oprate, Alisha?

Speaker 4 (03:16):
It's definitely a bit of both.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
I mean, everything we've planned and prepared for and trained for,
so I know exactly what's happening at.

Speaker 4 (03:23):
Every point in the race.

Speaker 3 (03:25):
I know what stroke great we're going to hit, I
know the power I need to do, and I know
sort of yeah, what happens at all the different checkpoints
throughout the race. So it is something that we plan
and prepare for and train for. But then there's the
nuance of the race, and I'm constantly reading Lisa's body
language in front of me to make sure that we're
on our targets. We're sort of reading the conditions, mimicking

(03:49):
her technique and everything. So there is a bit of
art to it, but a lot of it we have
planned and prepared for.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
So it's definitely a team effort because Lisa can't do
a great deal. It's not like you can turn around
and ask you a question. She's got a trust that
you're going to fall in and that your plans are
going to drop into place. Well, I'm fascinated, Alisha, asking
the ability to change actually during the race and how
that operates. That's got to be a very fine line.
You mentioned the lactic acid build up and something you've

(04:17):
got to deal with there. This is very experiential for you, isn't.
You've got to know what you're doing, have experienced it
before to know how to apply it. I mean I'm
not close.

Speaker 4 (04:26):
Yeah, totally.

Speaker 3 (04:27):
I mean that's also where a bit of the art
comes in, and that's why our relationship is so important
off the water. So we've built a huge amount of
trust together and we have a really special relationship, So
then that transfers onto the water where we can carry
that trust into the race. We can pick up each
other's body language, we know the pressure that we're under,

(04:48):
we know how to meet that pressure together, and then
we know how to execute a race that we've done
multiple times in training in different racing scenarios. So yeah,
it takes a lot of preparation. It takes a lot
of work on and off the water.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
So yeah, thatll was Gordon at the end of that
Coach Walker.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
Yeah, I mean all our coaches and support stuff are
pretty stoked. I mean, what a special campaign we've had
so far. But you know, everyone is very aware that
we have another event coming up tomorrow, so we're keeping
our feet on the ground, keeping in the work, the
preparation help the girls get through tomorrow as well.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Well, did it explain the post match and yeah, you're excited,
Yes you are happy, but it was like, oh, we
didn't expect to make me do it by that much,
and you know, we've got other things to do. It
struck me as particularly calm, and that I suppose is
something that you have to carry right the way through
the entire regator.

Speaker 4 (05:43):
Yeah, totally.

Speaker 3 (05:44):
I mean the Olympics is such a special event, but
it does come with a lot of noise, a lot
of things that a lot of athletes aren't used to.
The crowds are massive, the media commitments after every race
is huge, so it took a lot of preparation to
also know the race, but also know how to navigate the.

Speaker 4 (06:02):
Whole week of the Olympics.

Speaker 3 (06:03):
So we've done a lot of work on how to
stay grounded, stay calm through all the events, knowing that
we've got to spread our energy really well.

Speaker 4 (06:12):
We've got to yeah, finish the week strong together.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
The pressure on yourself being with the goat in the boat,
not wanting to let her down because she's got quite
a handy record, Alicia, did you feel any of that
at all?

Speaker 3 (06:25):
I mean, it's not lost on me the accolades that
Lisa has and the things that she's done in our sport,
but also she is just a really great friend and
she's told me multiple times that she trusts me, and
that gives me a lot of confidence in the boat.
And she's really helped me grow and challenge myself and learn.
So I think that's what's helped it be a really

(06:47):
special relationship because off the water, she's super grounded, humble
and helps me just develop into the best version of myself.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
And one last thing, Alicia Hoskin, and thanks so much
for joining us. When the two key we square off
in the final. I don't know about tension, but it's
going to be absolutely palpable in the camp, isn't it?
As both Amy and Lisa have a crack.

Speaker 4 (07:11):
Yeah, totally.

Speaker 3 (07:12):
I mean, what an awesome thing for our country to
have two of the most dominant women on the world stage.
I mean, that's such a privilege for us to witness
that and be a part of it and support them.
So yeah, I'm really excited.

Speaker 2 (07:25):
You absolutely made our evenings and mornings. I woke up
with a huge smile on my face after what I saw,
and I think I speak for the whole country. Alisia Hoskin.
Congratulations to gold medals. What a rip snorter. Now you
go carry on supporting and we'll end this regatta on
an absolute high note. Thanks so much for your.

Speaker 4 (07:44):
Time, kil thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1 (07:47):
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