He might be longing to fly under the radar all the way to Rio 2016, but with that not being an option Will Satch insists nothing will stand in his way as he bids for Olympic gold.
Satch’s first full season in the GB Rowing Team ranks arrived in 2012 and ended with him and his new-looking pairing with George Nash winning a bronze medal in the pair at the London Olympics.
Few expected Satch and Nash to trouble the podium places at the Olympic Games but the same can’t be said for the former now as he has seamlessly moved over the men’s eight.
Satch has now formed a team that has won World Championship gold in each of the last three years, as well as a European bronze and silver in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
And while Satch knows he will now have a target on his back should he make it to Rio following the Olympic trials taking place at the national training centre in Caversham next week, the 26-year-old admits the end goal is still the same – a gold medal.
“The trials are important but we’re tested every day so for me this is a first Olympiad cycle that I’ve done,” he said.
“I was the underdog before, I went to London but I came in very last minute. It’s a different platform for me now, we’re on the pedestal and we’ve got people biting our toes, whereas before I was the underdog coming up. I actually preferred being in that situation.
“It’s a different kind of pressure, we’ve got a very strong squad. We did in London, but as I was younger I didn’t feel the pressure of the public, and what all the other nations expect.
“Primarily at the end of the day it’s the same thing, you’re trying to go fast in the boat and not a lot can change that.
“There’s a lot of variables, the conditions and everything else, but realistically when you’re on the lake you’ve got to go fast as you can and you’re given your own lane. You make your own luck in the heat and the semi.”
“It would be awesome to get to Rio, having said that if it’s not a gold I don’t think I’ll be that happy.
“Everything in the last four years has led to this, becoming world champion in 2013 was an awesome feat.
“We almost felt quite lucky in 2014, it wasn’t my best year but we really made something of it and I had my most successful year last year. If we can get it right this year it would mean the world to me.”
After a hectic 2015, Satch spent the winter months in hard training to ensure his body was ready for the rigours of an Olympic year.
And with the Olympic trials fast approaching, he insists he is not about to slow down any time soon.
“Things have been going well as of late,” added Satch, who rows for Leander Club. “We’ve been on a camp to South Africa, which is nice because it changes everything up a bit, the dynamics of training.
“We’ve primarily been on bikes and machines, so getting out on the road and not being out on the water makes a nice change.
“Coming back, there has been a lot of rubbish weather, but we’ve done a lot of hard yards and I’m quite pleased with the process at the moment. I’m trying to follow it and be committed to it, hopefully we’ll get the end result.” Sportsbeat 2016