Waddell adds raw power to Team New Zealand

By JULIE ASH

After his gold medal-winning performance at the Sydney Olympics, Rob Waddell decided it was time for a change.

So the single-sculls rower tried out for a position as a grinder at Team New Zealand.

"I had sailed a bit in dinghies years ago, but basically you could say I had never really sailed before," he says.

"Obviously there were some positions available after the last cup so I approached [Team NZ trainer] David Slyfield and talked to him about it."

Slyfield, who had worked with Waddell before, helped him to increase his upper-body strength.

"I put in some solid hours at the gym,' Waddell says. "In rowing the effort is mostly in your legs, whereas grinding is mostly in your arms."

Waddell's effort in the gym paid off and he was offered a position in the team.

"It was such a thrill to have been named in the team. I have really enjoyed it and I am just so pleased to be here."

He says one of the main differences between the two sports is the amount of time spent training.

"In rowing, although you would train two or three times a day, you would have breaks in between. Here you start at 6.30am and work all day until 7 or 8 at night.

"But with the America's Cup just around the corner, we are doing everything we can to ensure we give ourselves the best possible chance of defending it."

Waddell is unsure whether his future lies in sailing or rowing.

"I haven't even thought about it, to be honest. The America's Cup means as much to me as the Olympics and I just want to focus on that at the moment."

Rob Waddell - grinder

Age:28

Place of birth: Te Kuiti

Career highlights:

2000: Olympic gold medal in the single sculls

Other: two times world rowing champion, three times New Zealand sportsman of the year, three times world indoor rowing champion.

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