from rowing, so Bond went into the single.
He found it a refreshing change after three years
in the four. “I felt that I was in my best shape this
year because of that early season training in the
single. At every training session there was Mahe
;Drysdale] and other guys all trying to beat each
other. So every row was a challenge.”
Bond also did a lot more cycling, competed in
some races, and made headlines when he beat
a number of New Zealand Olympic team riders.
But he always considered rowing as his first sport.
“I’m wary of cycling. I’ve already had one accident
which caused a separated shoulder. You can see
it in my right shoulder when I row.”
So Bond looked to his rowing future.
“I approached Eric about a month after the Olympics
and said, ‘we’ve gone well in the past in the pair’.
I thought it was a viable option. He committed to
it for a year. The pair was my first choice. We had a
history together so we didn’t have to get to know
each other. It was pretty seamless,” says Bond.
things to happen, good or bad. That suits me. It
works well with Eric behind me. He’s very good at
sensing what’s going on.”
The partnership is purely professional. “Eric’s
married, he’s older than me, so we’re at a di;erent
stage in our lives,” says Bond. “We don’t hang out
unless we’re required to. But we get on fine. We
have to; we room together when we’re overseas
and have for the last three years.”
The two are fiercely competitive. Bond sees it as a
good thing in their training. “When we’re on the ergs
we can see what the other’s doing and you always
want to be one up. It’s the same with the whole
squad, like everyone’s trying to be up with Mahe.”
Bond also admits that
Murray is
Bond hates to lose to Murray in any on-the-water
competitions. The two are from opposite ends
of the country so the North Island/South Island
rivalry is also there. “I’ve had the rub on him the last
couple of years in the pair,” says Bond. “I’ve beaten
him with the Southern crew.”
Racing an unbeaten season, did Bond and Murray
have a strategy if they were not in the lead? “Yes,
we visualise all scenarios,” says Murray. “It comes
down to confidence that you can do the right
things in any situation.” ■ M.S.B.
>
Hamish Bond (l) and Eric Murray
launch themselves o; the dock
for a training session.
pretty quick in a single and on a good day can
be close to Drysdale, although Bond says he’s a
bit slower and will have to work on his top speed.
“We had a natural connection in the pair,” says Murray.
“It went well right from the start and Richard ;Tonks]
was coaching us then. When Richard coaches you,
you know you’ve got something special.”
The switch from four to pair for Bond was uneventful
in terms of training. “There’s no hierarchy in the
crew as far as input is concerned. The race takes
a bit longer so there are more opportunities for
