Tokyo Paralympics 2021: Legendary rower Erik Horrie picks up third silver medal in singles sculls

‘I’ve got three kids and now there’s a silver each.’ At least there will be harmony in the Horrie household. But with the rowing legend planning to be in Paris, who would get a fourth?

Erik Horrie, pictured in Rio in 2017.

Aussie rower Erik Horrie has already turned his attention to the 2024 Paris Paralympics after winning a third straight silver medal in singles sculls in Tokyo.

Already 41, the five-time world champ is still chasing an elusive Paralympic gold medal after three successive silvers and says he’s not ready to give up just yet.

“At this stage yes,” he said when asked if he will keep going to Paris.

“I’m not as young as I used to be, but I’m still enjoying being in the boat. It’s that Aussie spirit of just never giving up.”

Horrie was bitterly disappointed after winning the silver medals in London and Rio when he went in as the favourite but there were no regrets after his latest, gutsy silver at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo.

Erik Horrie. Picture: Paralympics Australia

Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi was far too strong for all his opponents, including Horrie, leading all the way to win by more than 12 seconds to defend the title he won in 2016.

The race for silver was much tighter with Horrie, who has represented Australia in wheelchair tennis and para-rowing since becoming a paraplegic following a car accident in 2001.

He had to dig deep to get himself into second spot after being in third position through the first 1500m of the 2000m race.

His refusal to throw in the towel, which he said has bordered on being harmful and almost cost him his marriage, helped him win the silver this time.

“It‘s not too bad. I guess my kids won’t be arguing who gets what medal. I’ve got the three kids and now there’s a silver each,” he said.

“This one means a little bit more to me because it‘s my son’s (Luigi) ninth birthday today. He was born when I was in London at my first Paralympics so this one certainly means a lot.

“There‘s positives and negatives of Covid. Last year was the first time I’d ever been home for his birthday. It was actually a lot harder to go away this year knowing that I was going to miss his birthday, when I’d been home for my two other kids’ birthdays.

“I hope this medal will show him what the sacrifice is all for, and hopefully shows the kids never to give up, believe in yourself.”

He was trailing Spain’s Javier Munoz, who was rowing in the lane next to him, but could hear that he was starting to struggle over the last 500m so decided to pounce.

“It was just a case of believing in myself and never giving up,” Horrie said.

“It sounds weird but you can sometimes hear the other athletes breathe and I could hear the guy from Spain really starting to suck in the big ones and it was getting louder and louder.

“They gave me the confidence to keep going because I knew that my strength would be in the last 250m sprint to the line and that’s how it turned out.”

QUEST FOR GOLD ALMOST COST LEGENDARY ROWER HIS FAMILY

Erik Horrie’s commitment to his sport is the stuff of legends.

A self-confessed fitness freak who thrives on pushing himself to the absolute limit, he’s rightly been lauded as one of the best para athletes of all time.

After representing Australia in wheelchair basketball, he turned his attention to rowing – and has won five world championship titles in single sculls.

His dedication to his craft knows no bounds but it’s what he hasn’t won that has been eating away at him – and almost cost him the most important thing in his life.

Horrie won silver medals at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics but was so fixated on gold that he never properly allowed himself to appreciate his success.

So he drove himself even harder, but to a point where it became harmful, both to him and those closest to him.

“All I was focusing on was winning gold so I couldn’t see how that was affecting everyone around me,” Horrie said.

“One day I went to training and when I came home, the family wasn‘t there. The wife and the kids had left due to the fact that I just became this athlete that was only thinking about that medal and the race.

“I was taking everything for granted when I really needed some balance in my life so that‘s when I decided to get some help.”

Erik Horrie, pictured at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Austria. Picture: Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Horrie had always avoided psychologists, believing that asking for help was a sign of weakness, but not this time.

It was only when he finally opened up about his problems that he realised how wrong he was and also much he was struggling with mental health.

“It‘s amazing what talking to someone does because if you shut the door behind you and try to fix your problems all by yourself they just get deeper and deeper,” he said.

“Dealing with sports psych’s has not only made me a better athlete, but it’s definitely made me a better person and a better dad.”

The combination of his own mental health battles and the pandemic have drastically changed Horrie’s perspective about how to measure success.

Paralympic rower Erik Horrie is welcomed by his family at Sydney International Airport after arriving home from the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Picture: AAP/Dean Lewins

He has patched things up with his family and come to understand that the colour of the medals he wins isn’t what defines him, though that’s not to say he has given up on gold.

He trained even harder during lockdown – breaking a dozen indoor rowing world records along the way – and is through to Monday’s singles sculls final with a great shot at winning – but he’s just not going to beat himself up if it doesn’t happen this time.

“I’ve found my love of the sport again. If anything, it’s made me a bit more hungry,” he said.

“Every time I put on the Australian uniform, it means everything to me and I always seem to find that extra speed and it‘s that never give up attitude from down under.

Paralympian Erik Horrie. Picture: AAP/Angelo Velardo

“One of the biggest things I‘ve learnt is that as long as I give it my all and I get beaten, then there’s nothing more I can do.

“Sitting there looking at myself, questioning what I did wrong isn‘t going to change the situation.

“There’s many world champs that have never won an Olympic gold or a Paralympic gold. I’ve got to be proud of what I’ve done so far. I’m always hard on myself, but there’s a point to being hard on yourself and then just being ridiculous and I’d gone into that ridiculous stage.”

Originally published as Tokyo Paralympics 2021: Legendary rower Erik Horrie picks up third silver medal in singles sculls