Dara Alizadeh Proud Of Olympic Journey
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Dara Alizadeh has reflected on his rowing journey, from a 13-year-old who began competing for fun to becoming a two-times Olympian.
Alizadeh closed the curtain on his Olympic campaign in Paris today [August 2], finishing fourth in the men’s single sculls E final at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium to place 28th overall.
The 30-year-old, supported by a large contingent of family and friends in Paris, said he will cherish his experiences of representing Bermuda at the 2020 Tokyo Games and the Paris Games.
“A 13-year-old Dara was not thinking about this,” Alizadeh told Bernews. “I was never like, ‘I want to go to the Olympics.’
“Everyone here seems to have that story of watching the Athens Games [in 2004] or Beijing Games [in 2008]. That was never the case for me.
“I always thought, ‘If I can just get to this point or that point, it will be alright.’ The goalposts just kept moving. I blink, and here I am [at the Olympics].
“I don’t think I’m going to experience that again – I think that’s it.”
Bermuda rower Dara Alizadeh featured on the big screen ahead of his race
The former Cambridge University rower, who won the prestigious Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race in 2018 and 2019, stepped away from the sport after the Tokyo Games, content with everything he had achieved.
Attending the Henley Royal Regatta in Oxfordshire, England, in 2022, however, led him to question whether he had retired prematurely.
It was a playful remark from his uncle, Alizadeh revealed, that really motivated him to return to the biggest stage.
“It was attending the Henley Regatta that made me think, ‘Maybe I want a bit more of this.’ However, it’s a lot of training,’ he said.
“I went on vacation soon after with my uncle, and he said, ‘You should try and [qualify for the Olympics] again.’
“I was like, ‘Yeah, everyone keeps saying that.’ “He replied, ‘Well, you’re getting kind of chubby, so you should probably start training again.’
“That’s what did it! I’m not kidding – I started training again right away.”
Alizadeh, who finished eighteenth at the Tokyo Games, said he left every ounce of energy out on the water in his final display in Paris.
“I started well and got to the position I wanted, the rhythm I wanted,” he added. “I tried to learn the lessons from the previous races.
“Credit to those guys – they were a little better today. I executed the race plan. I’m really happy with it.”
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.
- View the ‘Best Interview The Best’ series here
- View profiles of all ten athletes representing Bermuda here
- View our dedicated website Bermuda2024.com here
- View all our articles on the Bermuda 2024 Games here on Bernews
- View our ongoing live text/photo/video updates here
