More Titles ~ 17

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Chapter Seventeen

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German commentary was more informed than RTA, as usual, both during the race and after. The commentators could hardly keep the emotions out of their voices. “And his father, King Henri, did not want him to row. He secretly rowed in Germany, but he could only row for his own country after his father died. This is a big middle finger towards his father.”

“Look at how he’s sitting. He’s not only recovering from physical exertion,” said the other commentator.

There was a shot of the stands. “And his mother is crying. Was she also against it?”

“No, no, I don’t think so. His mother is German and married into the family, so she had no say in it. This feels a little like a victory for us as well. His mother is German and he is still with a German club, even though he has his own rowing course at home now.”

“Yes, he has had own course constructed – imagine that! The size of one! And he has already spoken to the German rowing federation about it. That was even before he came here. Even if he would not qualify, he would let them use it as a way to say thanks.”

“That’s very generous.”

“It is, it is. He is still the only rower at home, I imagine.”

---

RTA really only covered the actual race. They did not have any anecdotes to share, or background information, other than that they could read up from the sheet that had been provided to them. Practically anyone could have narrated.

“He did well in the semi-final, but it’s expected that the real winners will show their true strength today. There he is. We don’t see any sponsoring on his shirt. Is that a shirt? What is it called in rowing?”

“He’s wearing sunglasses,” said the other commentator.

“And off they go! Well, we are very curious how this will go.”

“He is still with the field. It looks to be fourth place – no, second.”

“Mind you, they still have 1900 metres to go – no, 1800.”

“It doesn’t look as if they go very fast, does it?”

“Why are some wearing caps when others are not?”

“That must be personal preference. Or maybe the sponsors. Where are they now?”

“1000 metres – there is the sign.”

“That means they are halfway and he is still in third position.”

“No, second.”

“Second? Well, well. The leader seems to fade a bit, but they go back and forth with every stroke, so it’s hard to tell.”

“He seems to be coming alongside the leader now, but number three and four are also approaching.”

“This is still a medal position with 500 metres to go, which is still a big distance. Anything could still happen.”

“Definitely. But he’s passing the leader now. The point of his boat is now ahead.”

“There you can see the finish line. We can, but I don’t think he can, because it’s behind him.”

“It’s also not a line on the water.”

“So how do they know?”

“There is the stadium. People in the stadium can now see them. They are all cheering.”

“And…the point of his boat crosses first. Does that mean he won? Does he know? He looks tired.”

Viewers were not too impressed.

---

The RTA reporter caught Frederick in the mixed zone. “Your Highness—congratulations! Incredible result. You’ve just won our first Olympic gold. How do you feel?”

Frederick’s face was unreadable. “Tired. It was a race.”

There was an awkward laugh from the reporter. “What were you thinking during the race when you realised you were unexpectedly ahead?”

“That was not unexpected to anyone who’d been here for the previous rounds.”

“Can you take us through those last 500 metres? What was going through your head?”

“Mostly: keep going.”

“What does this mean for you now — will you keep rowing, or go back to being a prince?”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“So what happens next — will you now become a professional athlete?”

“My wife is sponsoring me.”

“You didn’t attend sponsor events before. Now that you’ve won, what happens in that regard?”

“Nothing happens in that regard. I’m going swimming again with my son.”

“But is there going to be a celebration in the Village?”

“I think so, later. I have other obligations first.”

“Such as?”

“Medal ceremony. Doping control. Family.”

“Why do you have to go to doping control?”

Frederick gave the reporter an incredulous look. “Sorry, I have to go.”

---

Meanwhile, German TV went back to the studio for a brief moment while they were waiting for Frederick to reach their own reporter in the mixed zone.

Then they returned to the rowing stadium.

“Frederick, congratulations! You have made history. How does it feel that it all came together today?”

Frederick smiled. “Thank you. I worked very hard for a long time, so I’m happy it worked out.”

“Were there moments when you doubted yourself?”

“Of course. There were things I really didn’t like to do and I did wonder, is it worth it? Or should I just give up? Am I good enough to justify the amount of time I spend on this?”

"What sort of things? Training related?”

"Anything to do with establishing a federation and applying for permits to construct a rowing course, because that involves other people who are going to say yes or no based on who you are. So, first the establishment of a federation was blocked because it wouldn't have enough members—and then my father died, and a week later I was called and told I could do it. Such things, I mean. That was all very discouraging."

"But that moment – when you were told you could go ahead, just a week after your father passed away – how did that feel?"

Frederick looked away for a second. "It was difficult. On the one hand, I was happy. On the other hand, I felt angry and betrayed. As if they’d only said yes because the one voice who would say no was gone. But that it would have been possible much earlier. I think that stung me the most. Having been misled."

"That sounds incredibly difficult. Did that affect how you approached rowing afterwards?"

"I’m not sure. I think I’ve always approached the sport the same way, but it definitely confirmed my belief that many people are untrustworthy. And being a king isn’t that much fun, so I guess I trained more to have at least a bit of positivity.”

"But you abdicated eventually. Did you do that in order to row?”

“No! There were a few things happening at once and I thought...no, this is it. I tried, I can’t keep this up, let’s just stop.”

"And you got stronger after that. Was that because the royal pressure was gone?”

"And I met someone who supported me. Life is more fun if you can share it.”

"And you had a son a few months ago.”

Frederick smiled. “Yes, that was a surprise.”

“A surprise? How?”

“We messed up somewhere. And then we were pregnant.”

“You don’t sound bothered.”

“I was, maybe for one second. But I think we know how getting pregnant works now –“

The German reporter cut in. “You didn’t know?”

“Only theoretically! It’s more complicated than rowing.”

“It is?”

“Well, I always have my stuff together when I get into the boat. Even my wife found rowing easier: she never fell out of a boat when she tried rowing, but she did get pregnant. Contraceptionism is far more difficult.”

"You compare falling out of a boat to getting pregnant.” It sounded more than incredulous.

“Yes, falling out is more difficult, because a boat is an inanimate object that doesn’t take you rowing when you haven’t got your stuff together.”

“But now you’ve got your stuff together?”

"Oh, that depends. Number two might think differently about that, but he or she is welcome if it turns out to be on its way some time.”

"Was it difficult to find the time to train after the baby was born?”

“It seemed at first that it would take far too much of my time to row, but we actually got into a great rhythm. If you think you have to make the most of the time you have, you actually end up training a lot more – and more effectively. Alex is mostly with his mother at work, but if she has a meeting I come over and I take him running or something.”

“Does he sleep through the night?”

“No, not at all, but it doesn’t bother me. And he’s not in the Olympic Village, so I’m very well rested.”

"So you can train and be a father."

"Well, my wife takes him to work because she's breastfeeding, but we check on a daily — hourly — basis what's best for him. She was officially on maternity leave, so there were only a few full days anyway. But we dropped most of the social things because we go to bed early and get up early to train.”

"Your wife as well?”

“She doesn’t train as hard, but I sort of make her train and she also skips the parties, but then people had a lot to say about that. Maybe they will get it now.”

“But you might even be working on baby number two.”

Frederick looked amused. “Don’t say that. People are going to think he’s on his way now.”

“He’s not?”

“My wife just carried on with her things last time, so we’re not going to know until she gets fat. She won’t mind my saying that, by the way.”

---

They had some time until Frederick would be released from his obligations, so the family hung around in the restaurant. Everyone wanted to wait for Frederick. Anna Margaret wondered if this was going to change anything for him. There were more countrymen here now and until now the number who had approached him had been manageable.

RTA were here again, but she was not interested in them. They were probably in the plaza, so she was not going there yet.

Rick the archer was here – he was sitting nearby and had waved at her, but had obviously not wanted to disturb the family. She did not see any other national athletes, but of course they might not all be wearing the same thing.

The Minister for Sport was also here. She had said hello to him in the VIP lounge. He had the men’s cycling road race to go to later, however, but that was a race that was not decided in the next few hours. He could still stay here and talk to Rick.

Alex wanted to nurse and nap, so she simply sat there, trying to check information on her phone, but not really knowing where to look.

---

Frederick still had to do the winners’ press conference. Not everyone there was equally well informed.

“Is it true that you used to be a king?”

“Only for half a year.”

“When did you start rowing?”

“When I was twelve.”

“You used to row for Germany. Why was that?”

“We didn’t have a federation yet and I have two passports.”

“Why did you switch?”

“Because it wouldn’t be entirely acceptable to be a prince of one country and to row for another country, if it was possible not to do so.”

“Do the other athletes know you are a prince?”

“I have no idea.”

“Have you had any advantages that others didn’t have?”

“I could buy my own boat.”

“Were you admitted to the tournament because of your background?”

“No, because I won the qualification event.”

“How do you combine your royal duties with rowing? Did you attend other events while in Paris?”

“I don’t have any royal duties. I came here to row, so I only combined that with a little bit of family.”

“Are you staying in a hotel?”

“I’m staying in the Olympic Village.”

“Does your entourage also stay in the Village?”

Frederick looked non-plussed. “My what?”

“Your entourage.”

“My coach is also staying there, yes.”

“Is the French government paying for extra privileges for you?”

“I don’t think they even know I’m here.”

“Will you carry the flag at the closing ceremony? You didn’t attend the opening ceremony.”

“Several of my fellow rowers also didn’t attend. As for the closing ceremony, I’m supposed to leave the Village well before then and I don’t plan to return for it.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t like going to bed late.”

“Does your country have a special celebration or distinction for winners? Such as a meeting with the king or president or a title?”

“The queen is my sister and the prime minister is my wife, so we’re going to deal with that once I’ve finished here.”

“Are they here?”

“Yes. You’re keeping them waiting.”

“Did you see them during the tournament?”

“Yes, I saw them after every race.”

“Did you know you were going to win?”

“No.”

“Were you surprised?”

“No.”

“Why were you not surprised?”

“I know I was in a good shape, but so are others. I was good at the qualification regatta, but I also shared a hotel room with my family there, so I knew that with more sleep I could probably be even better.”

“It’s rumoured you had your own rowing course constructed.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I could.”

“Who is going to train there?”

“Me. My club. Other rowers. Anyone who contacts me and who I approve of.”

“Who financed it?”

“I did.”

“Entirely?”

“Yes, so now you know why I’m not in a five-star hotel.”

“Would you say it is possible for someone with money to create an Olympic champion if there’s no national rowing tradition?”

Frederick looked faintly puzzled and then decided. “No, it’s not possible. I started rowing in England, where they do have a tradition, and I continued in Germany, where they also have a tradition. In both locations there was water, boats, coaches and fellow rowers. A twelve-year old with no access to any of these things will not become a rower. Access is the first priority.”

“Will all children in your country now have access to rowing?”

“I expect some will be interested and they are welcome to try it out. That does not mean all children, because their own parents will be responsible for taking them there and paying the membership – and some parents won’t do that. So I would rather aim at young adults.”

“Why is it not free?”

“Because maintenance costs money as well. “

“Is that fair?”

“Yes, the cleaner doesn’t work for free, or do you want me to clean toilets myself? I can provide one boat for single sculls, but that is all. I can’t afford to buy boats and trailers for everybody. I simply don’t have that kind of money. Now, if venue membership has brought in enough money, I can maybe buy another second-hand training boat to increase opportunities. But until then, they can try out in my one boat and take turns.”

“But you’re a prince.”

“Not a billionaire.”

“So if everyone needs to buy their own boat, the sport is only for rich people?”

“Welcome to rowing. And horse riding. And cycling.”

“People will expect you to do more.”

“Then they will be disappointed, because I cannot.”

“Will you continue on to the next Olympics?”

“I don’t know which other races I might do.”

"How old is your child?" Asked someone.

"Four months and a bit."

"Did he watch the races?"

"He was present. I'm not sure what he was looking at."

"You must have all the best coaches. How large is your team?"

"I have collected information from many coaches over the years but I don't have one exclusively for me, except here and he’s a fellow rower who was willing to do that for me."

“Why not?”

“My training schedule can be unpredictable due to other obligations and it’s impossible to ask someone to be on stand-by all the time. Besides, I’ve been around for so long that I know what works and what doesn’t. I don’t need someone to monitor that very closely. In the past twenty years I’ve tried out training methods and asked people for advice, so I’m not entirely self-coached, but the older you get, the bigger the chance you know just as much as the coach – and not all federation coaches are good for everyone anyway.”

"Do you have a personal physio, nutritionist, personal trainer and masseur and all that?"

"Other teams are bigger and they have team physios and the like. I’m the only one in the team, so it’s useless to have someone only for me – who I may not even need very often. I can find some at home if I need them, but here I’m supposed to be ready and knowing what to do.”

“Do you not use them ever?”

“I have used them, I have asked them questions and I have done my own research. I just don’t need them here. We’re not that far from home, so I could have got someone to drive over if I needed them and if the general team staff didn’t suffice, but I haven’t felt the need. I just had my wife for the post-race extras."

"What did she do?"

"Not saying, but it worked."

“But she was not staying in the Olympic Village. Would a coach have advised against leaving the bubble for family visits?"

"Distractions may not work for everyone. But I'm basically a one-man bubble -- I'm not part of a team with boats in every category. If I want to go swimming with my son after the race and relax with my wife, I can."