Since March, Tottem has been working daily with the women’s eight, helping shape the crew’s rhythm and spirit.
“I’ve made a conscious effort to get to know everyone individually,” he said. “My role is about relieving pressure from the athletes, and helping each of them to be the fullest version of themselves.
“If we get the most out of everyone’s personality, then we build a real crew identity – and I think we’ve done good work on that.”
That unity has already brought results, with gold medals at the European Championships and World Rowing Cup.
“It’s been quite an intense season in many ways,”
“We sat down as a team and as a crew and set some really clear goals – winning a [World Championships] gold medal is at the top of that list.
“We’ve had some good races already this season at the European Championships and the World Cup, but the step up at the Worlds will be huge. We’re under no illusions about the scale of the task.”
