Video: Interview With Athlete Dara Alizadeh
Dara Alizadeh – in an interview with football captain Eva Frazzoni — said he is looking forward to an Olympic Games with “fans in the stands” after competing in an empty venue at the Tokyo Games three years ago, noting that the best part is that his family will be able to watch him compete on the biggest stage in the world.
Alizadeh made his Olympic debut in the Japanese capital, finishing eighteenth in the men’s single sculls, at a Games held without spectators because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 30-year-old said the empty stands led to a pressure-free environment and is bracing himself for a completely different environment at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, where the rowing events will be held in Paris.
“The biggest change will be having spectators,” Alizadeh told Eva Frazzoni, the Bermuda women’s football team captain, who interviewed him on behalf of Bernews as part of the ‘Best Interview The Best’ series.
“That was the weird thing about Tokyo. It was deadly silent – nobody was there. It was quite a unique situation.
“In one way, it made it quite a relaxed environment. It turned into a small get-together of the world’s best rowers.
“The weirdest thing was during the medal races when someone would win gold, and you’d hear them going crazy in the boat and a ripple of scattered claps around the empty stadium.
“Typically, at the Olympics, stands situated along the final 500 metres are pretty much full.
“I’ve heard rowers say they couldn’t hear themselves think it was so loud!
“That will be something new for me and will take some adjustment.”
Alizadeh said it was tough for his family to be denied the opportunity to watch him race in Tokyo and is thrilled about them joining him in Paris.
“Only through their support in multiple dimensions does any of this happen,” Alizadeh said.
“Rowing is not a lucrative endeavour. If anything, it’s an expensive and time-consuming sport to compete in.
“My family has been so supportive which means the world to me.
“What’s nice, especially for this Olympics, is that they will get to come because they didn’t get to travel to Tokyo.
“It’s funny, my parents were like, ‘Dara has been rowing for 11 years or so, and we’ve been to every diddly lake in the Northeast of the US, every river across the world, and the one we can’t go to is the biggest one!’
“There’s no way to demonstrate my appreciation to them.”
The former Cambridge University rower, who won the prestigious Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race in 2018 and 2019, said he is determined to soak up the special atmosphere at the Olympics and cherish every moment.
“The one thing I know I can expect in Paris is the unexpected,” added Alizedeh, who will become the first Bermudian rower to compete in two Olympics.
“I know I won’t be able to have the best race of my life every day.
“I’ll need to keep cool if a race doesn’t go as expected.
“You must enjoy the moment, too, because it’s special. It’s cool if you do well, but if you don’t remember it, that kind of sucks.”
The text above only represents a small fraction of his comments, please watch the video interview in full to find out more.
Bernews will be providing comprehensive coverage of Bermuda’s athletes in the coming weeks, thanks to our sponsors Butterfield & Vallis, Auto Solutions, Clarien Bank and One Communications, and this video is part of our ‘Best interview the Best’ video series, which will be highlighting all of the athletes set to take part in the Olympics and Paralympics.
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