KEY POINTS:
The lanky figure strolling the wind-lashed embankment of Lake Karapiro in jeans, polo shirt and sandals with Oslo his golden retriever pup is unmistakable.
It's one way Mahe Drysdale is soaking up the pressure of the biggest sporting challenge of his life.
Before Rob Waddell's win at the
national championships, Drysdale was happy to chat to all who approached, often under the false pretence to pat the dog, but always with a question or two about his progress or a simple vote of support.
Weather permitting this morning the three-time world champion faces the more daunting task of beating Sydney Olympic champion Waddell, a man many are tentatively calling New Zealand's greatest athlete since Peter Snell, in the best of three trial series to earn the single sculling spot at Beijing.
The first trial could go as early as 7am. The next races (if two are needed) are likely to be held by tomorrow afternoon, given the loser will then be required to trial in other boats over the course of the week. The Olympic team is named on Friday.
If Drysdale's suffering any anxiety it's not conspicuous, but clearly this is his sole life focus at present.
"I'm pretty used to it," he says, "obviously this being a trial I've had to prepare as if it's a world champs. Most of the pressure still comes from yourself because you want to perform to your utmost."
For Waddell it's still about the dream of the unknown, much as it was with America's Cup sailing and his brief foray into Waikato rugby.
Waddell's returning to secure a second gold medal is far from foreign territory. You only need look at the likes of Britain's Sir Steven Redgrave who took five gold medals at consecutive Olympics over 16 years.
"In my mind I'd hoped I'd get back to a good level and you don't want to talk it up publicly until you reach that. I'm now aiming for the ultimate. I was fairly low key through the beginning of the season because I hadn't rowed for seven years and had to drop 20kg," Waddell said.
Rowing New Zealand high performance manager Andrew Matheson admits the process has been tough on both athletes, given such high-profile cases are rare.
They're seasoned campaigners and have handled it well. From a sporting perspective it's been sensational in drawing profile but the flipside is the pressure. Outside of your core sports you could never dream of this much exposure.
However it's been disappointing more hasn't been done by Rowing New Zealand to reflect this image boost. Little has been done to encourage attendance, albeit Lake Karapiro and its surrounds are open to public access. It begs the question could there actually be a better environment for Olympic athletes' preparation than a cheering public watching them go head-to-head down the course?