Rio 2016: Luke Patience and Chris 'Twiggy' Grube
by Mark Jardine 26 Jul 2016 15:15 BST
26 July 2016
Chris Grube and Luke Patience © British Sailing Team
We spoke the British Sailing Team's Men's 470 representatives, Luke Patience and Chris 'Twiggy' Grube in the run-up to Rio 2016 about the change forced on the team and how they're going to savour the Olympics in Brazil.
Mark Jardine: Luke, this is your second Olympic Games. What does it feel like going through this cycle as opposed to when you were approaching your first Olympic Games at London 2012?
Luke Patience: It is different because the build up to London, because you were in the venue all the time and in the country, you saw the stages of the hype. It's almost as if it was a longer drawn out process, whereas this feels like a shorter period because we're obviously living in the UK and live out of the venue, so you just get snapshots of it as you go out and do your business.
But no less special, it's just a different atmosphere and a different challenge. A home Games is entirely unique for everyone involved, from kid, to athlete, to everyone else around the scene, whereas at an away Games, you're going into battle and then leaving again.
It's quite nice having the two contrasting Games and I'm pleased to experience them both, well, will go on to experience one of them.
Mark: Of course, it's been a disrupted campaign for you, and Chris, you've had to step in for Elliot Willis (who was diagnosed with bowel cancer), and we're all thinking about him a lot. How has it been transitioning and having Chris on the boat and then that taking place in your campaign?
Chris Grube: I think the circumstances with Elliot and our program are almost two separate things. We're really disappointed, of course, that this happened to Elliot, but for us it's an opportunity to take forward and try and achieve in Rio. Obviously we need to be working well as a team together and I believe that we're working hard and we can pull a result out of the bag at the end.
Mark: As you said, working as a team is so key in the 470. How are things going on that front and how are you gelling as it has been quite a quick process?
Luke: It's going well. We've known each other for many years now, and we've had 8 months to try and get ready for the Games. I could probably write a book now on team work. It's been probably the main element that we've had to fast track the most and get right straight away. There's not a huge amount of time for error and rediscovery, we pretty much have to get it right straight away, and that's the thing we talk about the most, and it's probably the thing that is our biggest threat, because when the pressure comes on, cracks appear, and usually they appear first in team work and communication because you all ultimately have a breaking point at different levels, and lose yourself at different levels.
So, a real skill of ours in a month's time will be to be aware that that's happened, regroup ourselves and crack on, and solve the next issue and do the next right thing, which happens to everyone, however polished your team is, but for us, it's a big deal. It's something we look at a lot, but I think we're doing alright. We're at the front of the fleet, and we're there - it's in touching distance.
Mark: Luke, at your first Olympics you could soak up the atmosphere of London 2012 which was incredible. But Rio, which is renowned as a party city, what are you looking forward to most?
Luke: The city's vibrant, it's colorful, it's iconic - it will be such an awesome Olympics. They often call the Olympics the greatest show on earth, and if there's anyone that's up for the task, it's the Brazilians, so I feel like it will be so vibrant, colorful and musical - like the carnival is every February, and they'll put that into Olympic form, and I just think it will be such a picturesque Games.
Chris: It's a beautiful place to sail, isn't it? The scenery is fantastic and I agree with Luke, I think when it comes down to it, they will put on a good show.
Mark: Chris, this being your first Olympics, will that be in any way a distraction for you? Or are you just going to be straight in, focusing on the sailing, and then think about the Olympic atmosphere after that?
Chris: I think I'm just going to treat it like any other event. Of course, there's going to be a lot going on in the background media-wise, but I think if you can go down to the boat every day and be in that mindset that you're competing now, you're in an event, and treat it like that, then I think it will just be business as usual.
Luke: It's funny, isn't it? I think if Twiggy and I, if we totally embrace the fact that it's the Games, and accept that it is just a boat race like he said - except for the surroundings - if we embrace it and just want it more, you see people change their behaviors and you start to question their body language in the boat park, and go, 'you're a bit different here', and it makes me think 'I think you're beaten already before you've even launched', not always, but sometimes.
We're going to go and hopefully embrace that whole circus and we really want it from where we come - and we've got nothing to lose. We're the two freest sailors on the start line in the Men's 470 fleet; the freest hearts of anyone. We've got no history which heavies our shoulders – history heavies you, experience heavies you - we've got none of that, and that's a wonderful, wonderful thing.
Mark: There are some incredibly strong competitors in the Men's 470 class, the Australians being one of your major competitors. Who would you regard as the competitors who are the most likely to give you a battle for the gold medal?
Luke: The calibre of our fleet is so strong. When you look into the America's Cup and other top events, a lot of people come originally from the 470s, Finns and Stars. I reckon we could pick six or seven competitors that could win, and a whole host more that could medal, so it's full-on. I reckon the biggest threats are the Aussies, as you said - they can't not be – and the Croatians have been showing some serious form lately.
Chris: You'd say more so than the Aussies lately, wouldn't you?
Luke: I think they've won more lately haven't they?
Chris: Yes, it's been a good year for them so far.
Luke: Probably the Americans are the last of those three. If any three of them are on their best form then that's a hard challenge!
Chris: We were having this conversation the other day; the top ten of this Games is going to be an A* fleet, I think.
Mark: Lastly, what's your program for the final couple of weeks in the build-up?
Luke: Busy, busy bees. We've been working our derrieres since teaming up, but we're really starting to taper that and prioritise rest time. We are doing another trip to Rio before the Games to start to replicate race days. We'll start to prioritise just the two or three races that we'll do in a day, and nothing more. So it's still busy in terms of us being out there, but instead of experimenting and testing, the days will become shorter and more about mindset and execution. Whereas up until now we've been using every day, every hour available making the boat go faster.
Chris: I think this event's going to be so up and down and I think it's going to be quite high scoring in terms of Olympic Games. I think those teams that can keep it together and race well as a team are going to be the ones that come out on top; the ones that can bounce back from a big number are going to be the ones that are going to achieve.
Mark: Everybody in the UK will be cheering for you at the Games, so best of luck in Rio.
Luke & Chris: Thank you very much. Cheers!