Rio Review | Bird Reveals the Mental Wrestle of Preparing for Olympic Competition

Competing at a second Olympics was paradoxically a new experience for sprint kayaker Steve Bird in Rio.

Having made his Olympic debut in London back in 2012, Bird was a specialist in the K2 200m craft with partner and fellow West Aussie Jesse Phillips. When Australia missed out on a K2 200 quota place for Rio at the 2015 World Championships in Italy, Bird reassessed and instead launched a successful path to Brazil in the individual K1 200m boat.

What followed was a mentally sapping, but ultimately rewarding experience in South America, with new challenges and some familiar faces mixed in.

The South African born West Aussie, features in this week’s Rio Review for Inside WAIS.

What emotions did your Rio selection evoke?

The stakes were high and I managed to produce my best under the pressure so I felt extremely proud that my body and mind could endure the selection process.

How did you finalise your preparations for the Olympics?

I based myself in Europe for the three months leading in to Rio. This was mainly to have training partners. I raced in two World Cups which served as important rehearsals for Rio. I spent two months in London, training with the Great Britain sprint squad before departing for Rio two weeks prior to the start of competition.

What were your impressions of the Rio Athlete Village?

The kayak team stayed in a hotel near the competition lake. I stayed the night in the village for the closing ceremony. I didn’t experience much village life but my short stay there was filled with energy! There is something really special about staying under the same roof as people who have strived the way that you have.

Did you have a highlight of the Village?

I enjoyed the common areas where athletes could mingle and get to know each other.

Who was your Olympic roomie?

I shared a room with my good mate Dan Bowker. It was great! We’ve been friends for a long time so it was comforting to share with someone that I was familiar with. Especially when things got tense with competition.

Describe the pre-race experience?

I went through a plethora of feelings before racing. Confident, doubtful, elated, intimidated, tense, relaxed, inspired, anxious and obsessive over routine and process.

There was a sense of wanting all of it to be over, followed by thoughts of wanting the experience to last forever. All these feelings seem to have a shelf life. They can last for hours or a couple of minutes.

In the end, when you get on to race, a sense of silence and peace resumes, the voices in your head abate and all those feelings dissolve as you realise that nothing more can be done.

How did you feel once you’d finished?

Relieved! There is an intense degree of obedience that needs to be exercised at the Olympics. Whether it be; what food you put in your mouth or the amount of sleep you need. High performance always lurks in the back of your mind. Knowing that it was all finished and I could just let go was satisfying.

How did your Rio experiences differ from those you had at the London Olympics?

In London we stayed in a satellite village which was situated closer to the course. While it wasn’t the main village, it was still difficult to go out and do your usual day to day things, like pop in to a cafe or go and see your parents.

Rio was very different like that. We stayed in the suburb of Ipanema. We had the freedom to trawl the streets, visiting popular cafes and being amongst the residents of Rio. This allowed for a sense of normality in what often feels like a very abnormal environment. I think this helped my performance.

Did you experience Rio?

My racing was right at the end of the Olympic program, therefore I wasn’t able to do any big day trips to any of the major sites.

I didn’t watch any other live sport as the venues were spread out and would have meant committing a whole day to it.

For a week after the games, I visited an island just off Rio, called Ile Grande. It was beautiful and the perfect place to unwind. I also stayed a couple of nights in the suburb of Santa Theresa which a popular cultural precinct in Rio.

Would you ever venture back?

Absolutely. Considering I hardly scratched the surface, I would like to go back and experience more of the Brazilian culture.

What is your favourite memory form your time in Rio?

Sharing my elation of making the final with my coach, paddling partner and good friend Jesse Phillips.