SARASOTA – Part one U.S. Rowing Olympic Trials are history. Two Sarasota athletes are one step closer to claiming the title of Olympian and they did it, right here on the Suncoast at Benderson Park.
“This is such a dream come true, I am trying to really just focus on the next step which is Lucerne,” said Michelle Sechser.
After a year of uncertainty, the team of Sechser & Molly Reckfor are one step closer to joining the U.S. Olympic Roster. A feat the two of them didn’t think possible due to the pandemic but having each other as partners kept the fire alive.
“Once the gravity of what postponement for an entire year felt like and even then is it even going to happen next year was really hard,” said Reckfor.
In the finals Sechser & Reckfor continued their dominant performance this week, winning the final by more than eight seconds.
But it took taking some time apart for the pair to reevaluate and be reminded of what the end goal is and that’s entering Tokyo U.S. Rowing Olympians.
“That whole time knowing my partner was there training hard on her own waiting for me was the saving grace of it all,” said Reckfor.
After a bobble during their starting sequence off the line, Sechser and Reckford worked their way back from fourth position to take the lead.
“And I think at the end of it, having a teammate through those struggles, through all these question marks it just made it staying day to day really made a big impact,” said Reckford.
And though there are times when the two don’t see eye to eye – Sechser & Reckfor always have each other’s best interest.
“At the end of the day we both know that it’s coming from a place of – I want her to be as fast as possible, she wants me to be as fast as possible, and we want us to be as fast as possible,” said Sechser.
But their fight for an Olympic spot isn’t over just yet. The pair will need to race at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in lucerne, Switzerland, to earn their spots on the Olympic roster.
