Mark Hunter: I’m done so now I can have a burger, some drinks and be normal

 
Getty
3 July 2013

I’m retiring. It’s weird to write that and it actually makes me feel sad but it’s the right time to go. Realistically, I’ve known for a while that’s what I’m going to do.

People keep asking me about carrying on and possibly going to the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and my answer has always been that I’m taking time out.

But with Henley Regatta going on this week and, with it, inevitably a lot more questions, I didn’t want to kid myself or other people any more. I’m not going back to rowing, I’m done.

I’ve got as much as I can out of the sport and I don’t want to be one of those athletes who carries on for the sake of it and then simply fades away.

I have to be honest and say I don’t miss it, not even when I was commentating at the World Cup for the BBC last month.

I’ve enjoyed stepping away and doing other things.

If I was still competing I’d weigh 70 kilograms and I’m now at 82kg.

I’ve not suddenly turned into a fat bloater — that’s just my natural weight — but not competing has meant I can have a few drinks, eat a burger if I want and basically just have a normal life. Looking back on my career, I feel quite blessed.

It’s had its ups and downs. I’ve been Olympic champion and a world champion twice.

But rowing has challenged me in ways that I didn’t think possible. London was the big low. Missing out on the gold there is something I can’t go back and change.

Zac [Purchase] and I did everything we could and I’m still gutted we didn’t win.

But I can talk about it now without it hurting. It’s probably taken as long as eight or nine months to get to that point. The reality is we weren’t working as well together as a team last season and there were lots of different things going on behind the scenes.

I had another Olympics in Athens, where I came dead last and that shaped me. I’m grateful for it as it was the catalyst for the success in Beijing, which is obviously my career highlight. The other big race that stands out came at the World Championship at Lake Bled in 2011.

Zac and I basically had six weeks to prepare and we were up against quicker crews. But our approach was absolutely spot on, it was probably our perfect race.

I want to say a big thank you to my parents. I owe them tons for the massive support and guidance that they’ve always given me.

And I’d also like to say thank you to my girlfriend, Jen. Now, we can finally have a normal relationship. Living with an athlete is not a great lifestyle — it’s often such a stressful situation and she’s been so understanding. She’s had to be.

Follow Mark Hunter on Twitter at @markhuntergb

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