Robbie Manson hopes to see off a challenge from Mahe Drysdale. Photo / photosport.nz
Events on last year's international rowing circuit have changed Robbie Manson's outlook on the sport.
Manson took the single sculling seat from two-time Olympic champion Mahe Drysdale as the legend of the sport took a year off after winning his second gold medal in Rio in 2016.
Now Drysdale is back and the pair are set to compete at the second and third World Cups this year, in Linz, Austria in June and Lucerne in mid-July.
Rowing New Zealand has deemed that the winner, or at least the first across the line, in Lucerne gets the job for the world championships in Bulgaria in September, where countries are restricted to one entry.
Manson has been around a while. Tokyo in 2020 will be his third Olympics, assuming he sees off the challenge of Drysdale, who is back and determined to contest the single set in two years' time at 41.
The 28-year-old was seventh in the quad at London in 2012, fifth in the B final of the double scull in Rio, but once he won the single seat early last year he has made rapid progress.
He destroyed the field in the second World Cup in Poland last year, setting what remains a world fastest time of 6m 30.740s, then won again at the final Cup regatta of the season in Lucerne.
However, he had picked up an injury and when he got to the worlds in Florida was struggling, and he finished fifth.
Had Manson not enjoyed that earlier cup success he might have viewed fifth as a decent stepping stone to this year.
"Obviously I exceeded my own expectations at the World Cups so the world [championships] result was very disappointing," he said.
He had a strong start to this year, comfortably beating Drysdale in two summer regattas and is in a good frame of mind for the European campaign. He won three golds and a silver while completing his heaviest national championship schedule at Lake Karapiro.
"That was tactical in a way. I wanted to challenge myself to do multiple events and see what I could do."
Last year's results have also brought about a change in Manson's thinking.
"I feel I'm not training to try and make up numbers, or make an A final. I'm training to win, which is so much more motivating and exciting. Last year I had no idea where I'd stack up in an international field.
"But I realised I was going a lot faster than I expected. I thought I was capable of doing well but certainly not of breaking the world record. Now I have the confidence from that world record, I want to improve on that and it has changed my mindset."
The big lesson for Manson out of last year was taking time to recover after injury or illness.
He acknowledges he got back into his work too soon, and paid a price.
While he firmly believes he is in the box seat for the world champs, Manson isn't deluding himself that the formidable Drysdale won't be pressing hard by Lucerne.
"Yeah, I definitely think he'll improve, as you'd expect. In time, we'll see whether he gets to the level I feel I'm currently at.
"I'm not too worried about what Mahe is doing because I want to go to the World Cups and win regardless of who I'm racing."
Far from being annoyed at having to go through a head-to-head tussle for the seat, Manson sees it as a challenge.
"I think it will raise my performance. It could actually benefit me."
Manson and Drysdale have different coaches, yet use the same stretch of water at Lake Karapiro.
"We get on fine off the water. It's like any other group. You get on well with other single scullers from other countries.
"It doesn't mean I don't want to beat them. And at the end of the day it's only sport and everyone's out there trying to do their best," he said.
Tokyo is on both men's horizon. This duel could run a while yet.