HENK SCHRIK | ROWING ROEIEN

"I was flying in Tasmania"
Juri Jaanson
interview
by
Henk Schrik
The Estonian Juri Jaanson visited Amsterdam for a training period from 4 to 16 december 1995. I had the opportunity to talk to him during a dinner in an Amsterdam 'eetcafe'. There I learned something about this great sculler, his ups and downs, his memories of great races. Next to drinking orange juice with his dinner I learned to know one of his favourite drinks: "I love hot chocolate."
However, when I asked, I didn't hear him say that he will be the next Olympic champion; "that is something to work on and see."

Rowing was not the first sport Juri Jaanson practised. As a youngster he used to ski a lot. But "somehow", he said, "I got bored of skiing and wanted to do a sport in which I thought I could develop myself more; I chose rowing." This change of sport he did when he was sixteen. Once established as a good sculler, Jaanson, now thirty years old and married, moved to Pärnu, because of good trainingwater on the river Pärnu. In the early season he often goes to Tartu, to train on the river Emajogi, which is even better because it is more sheltered from the wind then the river Pärnu.

Juri Jaanson, Lucerne 1995

BRONZE
I thought to have seen Jaanson's breakthrough in 1989 at the worldchampionships in Bled; at least I hadn't seen him, I didn't remember him from earlier international regattas. But I had not done my homework good enough. He corrected me by telling me about his 5th place at the worldchampionships in Copenhagen, (although I was present, I didn't remember) and 8th place at the Olympic Games in Seoul. But talking about the final in the single scull at the worldchampionships in Bled, he started smiling with a grinse. In that particular final, that impressed me so much, he came from far behind sprinting and managed to overtake Kajetan Broniewski from Poland in the last meters to win the bronze medal (behind Thomas Lange and Vaclav Chalupa).
"They all laughed at me", he said, "in looking at my boat. I had an old boat, weighing more than 18 kilo's. But after the race laughing was over, people were impressed. Of course, after those championships, it was clear I needed a new boat which came the next year."

Juri Jaanson in his 'old boat' on lake Bled during the worldchampionships in 1989

SECOND VISIT TO HOLLAND
In 1990 Juri Jaanson made his first trip to Holland, a trip with some bad memories. That year, the international Holland Beker Regatta was one of races for the World Cup. Like most of his races, Jaanson remembers this race very well. The races that weekend were held under conditions with a strong cross wind. "I was the stronger one and would have won, but I rowed definitely in the wrong lane" is the only comment he made about this race, where he came in third behind winner Andreas Hajek (GDR).
I was wondering why he came back to Holland this early december. "Yes, we could also have gone for a training time to Egypt, but then for example you can't be sure if the available boat will be 'exact' that what you need. And we had a good feeling about this invitation to Holland, although the weather is not really inviting these days." (Ice on the river). Besides, they came to Holland by car and brought the boat with them. Poseidon rowing club in Amsterdam is the host from where he starts his workouts.
Next to rowing workouts, he is training here on the ergometer. Planned activity is to compete, december 16th, at the Rowperfect ergometer races in The Hague. Therefore, during his stay here, he is training on the Rowperfect ergometer. Asked for his experiences, and after confirmation that he didn't talk to the builder yet, Jaanson said: "it appears to me that the Concept II is more for 'power people' than the Rowperfect. The Rowperfect is actually more like rowing than the Concept II, but still I prefer rowing on the water so much more." And looking at the scores of the Dutch Open Ergometer Championships (winner 5.50.9 on Concept II, model B) that he visited for a short while on Saturday 9th, he knodded and said: "fast times, I won't be able to make these times".
As for touristics activities, both men didn't undertake that much; because days in Holland are also short if you plan also two workouts most days. But they had planned at least a visit to the Rijksmuseum.
A third visit will most likely be the Holland Beker regatta in 1996. It looks like Jaanson's schedule for next year will be Cologne, Lucerne, Amsterdam (possibly Henley) and then Atlanta.

Juri Jaanson
World Cup winner
Lucerne 1990

A GOLDEN YEAR
Except for this race at the Holland Beker Regatta his 1990 season was very succesfull. Three out of five World Cup races were won by him, so he won the World Cup in Lucerne. Shown an enlarged picture of himself from the ceremony he directly pointed out: "on my left side the arm of Christian Händle (RFA) 3rd, and on my right side the arm of Vaclav Chalupa (CZE), 2nd."
Success was complete that year by winning the worldchampionships single scull on Lake Barrington in Tasmania. "In fact the final was quite easy, I did not have to make that much effort to win", said Jaanson, "it felt almost as if I was flying over the water. Yes, that year I was in top shape, I never had such good form than that year". Vaclav Chalupa (CZE) won silver, Eric Verdonck from NewZealand the bronze. "Eric Verdonck was so nice to send me some pictures from the championships."(I was short of money to go to Tasmania, so no pictures from Jaanson in Tasmania accompamnying this interview). By the end of the year he was elected sportspersonality of the year in Estonia.
It was the same year in which Frans Göbel won his second gold medal in the lightweight single scull. Now, december 1995 in Amsterdam, it is Göbels' former coach Bert Jan Michels, who is the host of Jaanson and his coach.
Jaansons' rowing career is a career with some good years, but also some bad years. In 1991, at the worldchampionships in Vienna he finished last in the small final, so ending up 12th. Although he reached the final at the Olympics in Bagnolas 1992 he 'only' finished fifth. But it seemed that the breaking down of the Sovjet Union, the emergence of new states like Estonia, Latvia, etc. had also its effects on Jaansons' personal life. He wasn't very explicit about it but he assured me to "have had very difficult times personally". In 1993 he took a year off; did not compete in any international competition. Last year, 1994, he did compete again, for a start being statisfied with his time of 6.49 in the semi-finals and finally 7th place in Lucerne. But at the worldchampionships in Indianapolis he suffered from problems with his heart rythm; he didn't manage to get into the semi-finals, and was advised not enter further racing at the championships.
NEW COACH
In the meantime he got in contact with a former rowing mate of his, Mihkel Klementsov. Officially after Indianapolis, Klementsov, head coach of the Estonian Rowing Association, became his new coach.
Klementsov eleborated some more about the difficult period. "Before the Sovjet Union was breaking down", he said, "everything was arranged for and taken care off, the sporter was paid for and sent to international competitions; but there was nothing in the food stores.
After the fall of the Sovjet Union as one big State, and the emergence of the new States there was food in the stores and many things more, but no money for sporters to go to and participate in international competition, apart from money to live some decent life."
Jaanson is a school employee, but till the Olympics devoting most time to rowing, and working only 'part-time' and very few hours indeed.
Jaanson will be one of the six Estonian sporters that will be paid for by the IOC to compete at the Olympics in Atlanta. "You can understand", said Klementsov, that "it is a big issue in Estonia who, besides Juri, will be the other five sporters that will be able to go to the Olympics on this IOC grant."
Asking about the workouts, Klementsov said, "Jüri is making about 10 workouts a week, a combination of rowing, ergometertraining, weightlifting and running. The workout parts momentarily on the water are limited to 1.5 hours maximum, doing very basic technique, but preceded by ergometer training, running afterwards, etc. totalling to about 2.5 hors. Whenever he accompanies Jaanson during training on the water he is using a motorboat to follow; "we don't have bicycle paths alongside the river, and besides" (Jaanson is wearing hearingaids because of serious hearingproblems) "Jüri would not hear me shouting over the water, so during a training we stop every now and then to talk. And here in Holland its also cold now, so I prefer the car."

"A quick start is not important,
being first on the finishline is!"

TACTICS
Talking about possibilities and tactics of a rower, I wondered about the fact that Jaanson is possibly the only rower who is in fact rowing with negative splits/intervals. "I myself", said Klementsov, "like most the idea of a flat race, a race with equal intervals. Jüri however is capable of rowing with negative intervals." Jaanson was grinsing again, because he knows it is considered his 'weapon'. "Yes", he said, "in fact I row like that. First of all I don't like so much to row in front during the race. For instance the World Cup race in Hazewinkel this year, I was in front from start to finish, but didn't like that race so much. I like to have people row in front of me whom I can overtake. And second, most important of all, I don't have to be the quickest at the start, the only thing that matters, who is first on the finishline. In between it is question of tactics, and of psychology."
Juri Jaanson (EST) and Trine Hansen (DEN)
winners of the World Cup 1995 single scull.

LOOSING GOLD, WINNING SILVER
This year Jüri Jaanson surprised all with his successive winning all the World Cup races, like in Hazewinkel, Paris, Henley and Lucerne and therefore a second time (after the first time in 1990) winning the World Cup. He was so exhausted after the race in Lucerne; he had to sit down for a long time to recuperate and, as he said "I could hardly keep the heavy Cup in my hands".
In between he won the pre-Olympic, Open American championships at Gainsville, the Olympic rowing site.
Very near to his homeland Estonia, he was the favourite for the worldchampionships single scull at Tampere, Finland. Again Jaanson came from behind to overtake his opponents. "The figures on TV of the distance he was behind, were not exact, it was less, so also less dramatic", said Klementsov. But still it was a difficult task to overtake his opponents. He succeeded, but in the end, only almost, because the young Iztok Cop from Slovenia kept hanging on and was able to beat Jaanson just before the line.
"Some people said, we were doing too much, to have such a compact and heavy season", said Klementsov. And mentioning the US-trip, he said, "for once we had the opportunity to go there because of an IOC-grant, it gave us a chance to see and experience where the Olympics will be; we wanted that very much. I mean other sites like Lucerne or Paris etc. are known, this was unknown territory to us. If we lost because of such a heavy season then: 'Such is life!'. Next year we have the Olympics." Tactics? "A little bit of tactics, yes, but no serious mistakes", said Klementsov. Disappointed? "Yes of course", said Jaanson, "but shortly afterwards I could find myself in, and being satisfied with a situation of loosing gold and winning silver. You mostly find a reasoning for a position, in this case the silver medal. But indeed, and that is important, I am glad that I'm back at this high level of rowing this year and for next year, the Olympics, we will work hard and see!"
As I wrote before, planned activity for the weekend is participating in the Rowperfect ergometer races on Saturday, december 16th, in The Hague.
The media from Estonia are also phoning regularly now to Holland. Possibly, again for the second time, he might be chosen sportspersonality of the year in Estonia, which means the media is bound to arrange a flightticket if they want him to be in the TV-show, scheduled for Sunday-evening, december 17th.
P.S.
For a short report on the ergometer races see that page on my server; to appear within short.
While his coach took the car and the boat to return to Estonia via Denmark and Sweden, 'the saver route', Jaanson flew back on Sundaymorning to be on time for the TV-broadcast. "I don't know yet if it will be my name that is in the envelope", he said when we said goodbye. "I'm quite positive about it", replied Klementsov.

Jaanson resting after his exhaustive race in the final single scull at Lucerne 1995. The fastest man in the single scull ever; he set a new world record. Time: 6.37.03

P.S.
Unfortunately, neither at the Olympics in 1996, nor at the Worldchampionships in 1997, did Jaanson reach the same level of rowing as in earlier years.

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