Scott targets world title in Amsterdam after tough personal spell

Olympic champion Hannah Scott, who won gold in Paris two years ago, says she arrives at the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam having completed her most successful winter of training so far. The Coleraine sculler believes her growing experience in the sport is proving increasingly valuable, not just for herself but for the wider team.

While results on the water have been strong, and fans will see Scott and her team-mates compete in the Netherlands this week, she has revealed that away from competition, elite athletes face many of the same personal struggles as everyone else.

A difficult period at home

Scott explained that she went through a serious breakup around Christmas, an event she described as turning her life upside down. Despite this, she managed to keep her training and performance on track throughout the year, something she says is reflected in her results.

She said she had been determined not to let personal circumstances affect her rowing career, into which she has invested so much work. The timing was particularly challenging, as it coincided with a critical block of trials that helped determine team selection for the year.

Scott admitted she largely kept what she was going through to herself, worried that sharing it with team-mates would cause unnecessary concern during an already high-pressure period. Instead, she leaned on friends and family for support while trying to keep her emotions separate from training.

Learning to compartmentalise

Scott said that separating personal feelings from performance is a skill elite athletes must develop, even though it does not come naturally. She noted that too much emotion, even positive emotion, can be distracting, and that learning to manage this mentally is essential to coping with the demands of high-level competition.