Kritik und Lob » HL star, its all part of unwinding.You see h

In the space of 30 short minutes, Team GB stormed to two gold medals in the womens pair and mens four at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. It was a breath-taking performance from the two crews, built on power and sheer bloody-mindedness but also emotion, family, trust and fear.First up in the double gold run were Helen Glover and Heather Stanning who stormed home in the womens pair. It was their 39th consecutive win and it secured their place in history: they are the first female British rowers to retain their Olympic crown after their triumph at London 2012.But their focus speaking moments after their race was not on their personal journeys to Olympic gold, their place in history but instead, it was on the role their coach Robin Williams played in getting them to gold after he was diagnosed and then recovered from cancer a little over two and a half years ago.He [Williams] was quite chatty before the race, quite nervous and he was using a lot of words, Glover said. He is so passionate, he has done everything from todays chat to when he was dangerously ill and having to take time off work.He was still there for us to being away from his family for months on end, its just all him, we couldnt have done it without him.Stanning added: Without Robin wed be nobodies, hes the best coach in the world.Williams, 59, was diagnosed with bladder cancer in December 2013 and a month on he was undergoing life-saving surgery. By May 2014 he was given the all-clear but in those dark, life-threatening days of December and January, his message to the duo was succinct: carry on, email me your times.I needed to get paid so I had to get better quickly, Williams said. It was an incentive. I was in hospital and I was walking around the ward - 20 ft, 30 ft, 50 ft at a time when they were saying a few steps is enough.Thats how it starts off and I now go running and biking. Rowing in itself is a journey but that makes it a bit bigger.Now standing alongside Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas minutes after Glover and Stanning had won gold, his face told the story of the emotional journey he had been through as he reflected on the key role the womens pair played in his recovery.They were a big, big part of my fight back, Williams said. I felt there was a lot to achieve still with them. I didnt lack drive to get better but it was an extra incentive.They were fantastic that year and now that I think we have got to Rio 2016 and won I feel we have completely written the last chapter of the book with the best ending possible for all of us.Whatever happens next we can hold this moment as a nugget in our memories and be proud and thrilled forever.As he spoke, the national anthem was being played as the mens fours picked up their gold; there was a wonderful synergy between the two triumphs. Their victory here in Brazil stretches the run for the mens fours to five straight golds from Sydney 2000 to now.Their individual motivation was divided between their friends and familys roles in getting them to the top of the podium but also the fear of failure, with the weight of history sitting heavy on their shoulders.George Nash, who won bronze in 2012, woke up in a cold sweat. This morning I thought I was definitely going to cock this up, he said. This feels like a gamble thats not going to go my way.Everythings just felt a little bit off and this morning I thought if the Aussies are on, and were not, were going to get turned over. That put the fear of God into me. And when we crossed the line thought wow, it has gone our way.The same went for Alex Gregory, who missed the births of two of his three children to pursue his charge to double Olympic gold following on from his 2012 success in the fours. Today I was looking at the guys on the launches on the lake, thinking: You dont know what I am feeling now. Youre just sat there bobbing around on the lake. I wish I could swap with you.I did feel pressure of history. I didnt want to let this record go. I didnt want to have to look [Sir Steve] Redgrave or [Sir Matthew] Pinsent in the eye. I didnt want to have to listen to the commentary of Garry Herbert [gold-medal winning cox from 1992] and James Cracknell.Their voices were going through my mind during the warm up: Oh my goodness, the British arent going to do it. You have to snap out of it as soon as those thoughts creep in. But it was always there. It was definitely there and it was a worry.Theyre horrible feelings. I dont enjoy those feelings; its not why I do sport. Its not for that adrenaline rush before the start; its a numb, horrible, painful feeling.But then came the relief. His family back home in Oxfordshire would have been fresh in his thoughts with Jesse -- he was on a rowing machine in South Africa when he was being born --Daisy, who arrived when he was competing in the world championships in South Korea, Jasper and his partner Emily watching on.Gregorys teammate Moe Sbihi also had family at the forefront of his mind and his voice cracked with emotion as he spoke. My main aim is to make my parents proud, he said. And thats it. I was picked to do this sport and Im really lucky but its just to make them proud.Then there was the yearly commitment of fasting through Ramadan while continuing his training. I relish it, Sbihi said. When I have to make up my fast in the winter its tough training but I get through it.I push myself to the limits with these boys but Im doing it without food and drink. I really like it -- its an unrivalled feeling. It challenges me and makes me mentally stronger.The approaches varied. Sbihi embraced the motivation of making his parents proud while Constantine Louloudis, who is said to be the pace setter in the group, tried to block out external factors, wary of being overloaded.Theres no lack of motivation, Louloudis said. In the run into the final I was trying to put things out rather than recall things as if you try and recall every bit of motivation, youre going to overload your mind with it. So Im not even thinking about my family here, my friends watching it, our coach -- Im not thinking about that. Now I can reflect on that with the gold but I had to focus on this.Moe, who makes our calls, said in the warm up: six minutes of pain for a lifetime of joy and make sure its not the other way round. And thats kind of it.And then as they crossed the finishing line, the fear disappeared to be replaced by relief and ecstasy.For Glover, Stanning, Louloudis, Gregory, Nash and Sbihi -- they have gone through the range of emotions to be here but as their loved ones, coaches and friends watched on from the stands, there was a moment of wonderful, serene calmness matched with sheer joy. The dark days, the self-doubt and sacrifices for all involved were momentarily forgotten and replaced by sheer fulfilment.You put yourself on the line and you feel the worlds closing in on you sometimes because youre going hell for leather and it just wont go away, Louloudis said. But you know if you weather that storm, youre going to have a lifetime of satisfaction. Swell Traveler Sale . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Swell Black Bottle . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. http://www.swellbottlesclearance.com/swell-bottle-wood-collection.html . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Swell Drink Bottles Liberty . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Swell Water Bottle Sale 17 Oz . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- As Sidney Crosby prepares to carry the Stanley Cup through his Nova Scotia hometown, he said the championship tour is in many ways sweeter the second time around.The Pittsburgh Penguins captain is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this week overseeing his annual hockey camp and will bring the Cup to the city for a parade on Saturday, ending at the same rink where he honed his skills as a boy.During a break Wednesday from working with excited kids at the Cole Harbour rink, Crosby reflected on a season that had its ups and downs -- and a championship ring that was all the brighter as a result.This time I appreciate it a little bit more, Crosby said. Ill make sure I spend every second I possibly can with it (the Stanley Cup).After the previous 2009 victory tour through this hockey-crazy suburb, Crosby said he naively imagined winning seasons might be an annual affair.Not so much.He struggled through a concussion, time away from the game, and the Penguins endured a seven-year hiatus from hoisting hockeys greatest prize, until they raised it for the fourth time in franchise history on June 12 after beating the San Jose Sharks 3-1 in Game 6.As team captain, Crosby is permitted to have the trophy an extra day, meaning it will have a proud place at his home on the outskirts of the city. He said he intends to have friends over for a look, including several whose careers are over and may never have another opportunity to be so near it.The best part is being able to share it with people, he said.The Penguins evolved into a different team after a midseason coaching change, picking up speed, scoring more and improving puck possession when Mike Sullivan replaced Mike Johnston in mid-December.Crosby called it the two-team season during Wednesdays news conference.The captains performance also picked up under Sullivan, along with forward Phil Kessel, who became a key postseason force on the third ooffensive line.dddddddddddd. The Penguins went 33-16-5 after Sullivan took over.Everybody was talking about ... do we need to change this, do we need to change that? Theres always those questions, and winning kind of answers all of those, said Crosby, when asked about the season.The Conn Smythe winner was out on the ice most afternoons this week, joking with the young players and offering shooting tips.Crosbys hockey camp is in its second year and is drawing children from Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and northern Europe, say organizers. Theres a lottery for the 160 girls and boys allowed in, drawn from 5,000 applicants.Parents attending say many of the children, aged 8 to 12, have a Crosby story to tell from their workouts.For the NHL star, its all part of unwinding.You see how excited the kids are. ... There are kids from all over here. Thats neat, he said.Crosby said hes starting back on training after a short break, and is already reflecting on his role as a captain of Team Canada in this falls World Cup in Toronto.The tournament will leave little room for error and winning will depend on which squad adapts the most quickly, he said.The team is similar to the Team Canada that won gold at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.The biggest thing in Russia is we got better as the tournament went along. A short-term event like that, its very important. Well have to see. Well have to find our identity pretty quickly, he said.Its one-game scenarios so you need to execute pretty well.Meanwhile, the veteran is soaking up his hometown celebration, conscious this time around that in professional sports, you dont know what the future holds.Its a tough road ... You understand its tough to get there, and you take in as much as you can when you do win it, he said. ' ' '