South African Olympic rowers Jake Green (22) and James Thompson (29) returned to their old school, St. Andrew’s College, to share their experiences with its current crop of pupils during Tuesday’s assembly.
South African Olympic rowers Jake Green (22) and James Thompson (29) returned to their old school, St. Andrew’s College, to share their experiences with its current crop of pupils during Tuesday’s assembly.
Four years ago, Green was a matric pupil with the world at his feet, while Thompson – who won an Olympic gold in the lightweight men’s coxless four that year – already stood on top of it. When the latter gave a speech at the school, he had no way of knowing that a boy in the audience would go on to share the agonising disappointment of narrowly missing out on medals in Rio de Janeiro with him.
However, despite the heartache that lies behind them, both Thompson and Green see cause for optimism.
Thompson, who finished fourth in last month’s Olympic lightweight men’s double sculls along with John smith, claimed he and his partner were denied glory by a technical error.
Reflecting on this misfortune, he said: “It was our mistake, and we must own it, but we must also live with the knowledge that we put it all on the line to go out for gold and not settle for a safe silver. It is a motto we have lived our life by and a motto we will continue to.”
Meanwhile, Green, who finished fourth in the men’s coxless four along with Jonathan Smith, Vincent Breet, and David Hunt, claimed that the disappointment of falling agonisingly short had filled him with the hunger and self-belief to become the best in the world.
“You must all take confidence in the experiences you go through,” he said. “St. Andrew’s is a house of champions, and it is reflected in our motto, ‘Nec Aspera Terrent.’ [Difficulties do not dismay us.]
“I am speaking to the dreamers in all of you. Maybe one day, you will stand here sharing your journey with the next generation of Andreans.”
