Olympic preview: SA’s Brittain brothers keeping it in the family

There has been a Brittain on the podium at the last two Olympic Games. And if all goes according to plan, the famed SA rowing family will complete the hat-trick in Tokyo.

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Matt Brittain kicked things off with gold as part of rowing’s “oarsome foursome” at the London Olympics in 2012. His brother, Lawrence, then made a remarkable recovery from cancer to claim silver in Rio four years later as part of the men’s pair with Shaun Keeling.

Lawrence is now gunning to add to that haul, this time as part of the men’s four along with another London gold medallist, John Smith, as well as Sandro Torrento and Kyle Schoonbee.

For Matt, watching his younger brother in action is far more nerve-wracking than being in the boat himself. Unlike in Rio where he cheered from the stands, this time Matt will be watching on TV from his home in Singapore.

“I get much, much more nervous watching as a spectator rather than racing,” he explained. “When you’re racing, it’s almost a routine and there’s some comfort in putting your hands on the boat and going through those motions that you’ve done every single day for four years, whereas when you’re a spectator you’re sitting in the stands and you’re absolutely helpless. When you’re watching it, everything is out of your control, it’s all up to them.

“I don’t think I’ve been more nervous than when Lawrence raced in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Certainly, I was more nervous there than when I raced my own Olympics in 2012.”

'SOUTH AFRICA'S CHANCES ARE AS STRONG AS ANYONE'S'

The men’s four booked their spot in Tokyo in impressive fashion, winning all their races at the final qualification event in Lucerne, Switzerland a couple of months ago.

Asked what the chances are of a Brittain reaching the podium for a third straight Games, Matt reckoned: “It’s too difficult to say. I think Lawrence and the crew are in fantastic form.

“In terms of who I think could win a medal, I think South Africa’s chances are as strong as anyone’s. We’re going in ranked second, our guys are in fantastic shape, and I think we’re uniquely positioned as South Africans – used to dealing with things not going our way – to handle the Covid situation.

“That said, there are plenty of crews that haven’t raced for several years and they could be faster or slower, they could be anywhere. So I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a lot of upsets.

“I think there’s also going to be a lot of mental pressure at this particular Olympics so let’s see what happens.”

The Brittain brothers have been chatting in the lead-up to the Games, with the rowers being the first of the South African teams to head over to Tokyo for a training camp.

“They are doing very well. They’re just wrapping up their final few training sessions before the racing begins. They are 100 per cent internally focussed on the factors under their control – arriving on the start line in the best possible physical and mental shape.

“The most important thing now is managing the unique stresses of the Olympics so that they preserve their mental energy for the important stuff, the racing. They seem to be doing well on this front by getting into a solid daily routine and keeping their attention on executing the basics.”

Whether that all adds up to a medal on 28 July remains to be seen, but big brother will certainly be watching.

Meanwhile, the other SA crew gunning for glory in Tokyo under the watchful eye of World Rowing’s Coach of the Year in 2016, Roger Barrow, are the men’s pair of Jake Green and Luc Daffarn.

Both crews get their competition under way on 24 July.