Alan Glover When she and Polly Swann only finished third in the women’s warm-up match, hopes of winning the Olympic gold medal for the third time in a row were dashed.
Each of them has many stories related to Covid. When the first lockdown occurred, Swan went to the NHS for rounds as a junior doctor.
At the same time, Glover returned to her home rowing machine, initially to make room for herself when her twins took a nap, and then realized that she was making the kind of numbers to get a place in the GB team.
On a sunny morning in the sea forest waterway, there was no sign that a typhoon might hit Tokyo in the next few days.
But Glover and Swann were far from explosive in the relatively slow Heat, because Australia dominated the game and the Russian crew was just enough to prevent the British duo from crossing the finish line.
The third place was a surprise to Glover. She won gold medals in London and Rio de Janeiro in 2012, and then returned to the military career with her former partner Heather Stanning.
After the poor match between the two, her chances of achieving a fairytale ending in the Tokyo waters may have diminished, but they have a chance to make up and maintain their medal hopes in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
