WHEN Karen Bennett lines up on the Sea Forest Waterway on Tokyo Bay in the coming days, she will have an extra force pushing her on. 

The past year-and-a-half hasn’t been easy for anyone but Bennett has had greater challenges to overcome than merely the ones presented by the pandemic.  

So difficult has her path been, there were many times she believed hanging up her oars and forfeiting her place in GB’s rowing team for Tokyo would be the best course of action. 

Just a few days into the pandemic, Bennett’s dad was diagnosed with cancer, which presented a considerable dilemma to the Edinburgh woman. 

“When we got the news about my dad, I was just thinking I want to get home and be with my family. That continued for this whole year - I’ve been battling with thoughts of whether I should continue rowing or whether I should be with my family,” the 32-year-old says. 

“For some people, the postponement of the Games has been a blessing but for other people, like myself, it wasn’t so good and there were some really hard decisions I had to make. So it’s been a very tough year.” 

After careful consideration, Bennett decided to continue training towards the Tokyo Games, whatever happened. After all, as part of the women’s four, she was, and still is, one of GB’s best medal hopes. 

But last month, Bennett’s dad passed away which has left Bennett in the strange position of the lowest and, potentially, the highest point in her life being only weeks apart. 

She believes, though, that what she has been confronted with over the past year-or-so has given her an extra edge that will serve her well come Tokyo. 

“It’s really tricky. I spoke to my dad before, as well as my family, and we made the decision of what I was going to do,” she says.  

“My dad was such a huge fan of rowing and of sport in general and for him, it was very much that you need to go and carry on with what you’ve been training towards.  

“It’s a horrible disease and he didn’t want it to take over everyone’s life.  

“It was a really tricky time but actually, I’ve now got this even bigger fight in me.” 

Tokyo will be Bennett’s second Olympics having won silver as part of the women’s eight on her Olympic debut in Rio five years ago. 

Back in 2016, Bennett had only been a member of the British rowing team for a year whereas this time around, she is an established member of the squad and has added European gold, world silver and, earlier this season, European bronze to her name in the intervening years. 

There are a few lessons she learnt from Rio, as well as everything she has endured over the past year, that will, she hopes, stand her in good stead as she heads to Tokyo aiming to double her Olympic medal tally. 

“I’m obviously much more experienced this time around and more sure of myself,” she says. 

“The mistake I made in Rio was building it up too much in my head.  

“This is the Olympics and so obviously it’s the highlight of your career but I built it up a lot in my head whereas now, I will be nervous but there’s other things I’ve gone through that maybe put things into perspective.  

“Obviously the Olympics is absolutely huge and I’ll go out there and do my best but there are things that are much bigger.  

“For example, this is nothing compared to what my dad went though and I can use those kind of thoughts to get the best out of myself. 

“The way I’m looking at it now is that I know this is a huge thing in my life and I’m very lucky to be doing it and so I see it as a huge opportunity rather than being scared about it.  

“Instead of worrying about doing well, I’m flipping it on its head and looking at it as this amazing chance and we have nothing to lose.” 

The women’s four event is making its first Olympic appearance since 1988 and, unsurprisingly given British rowing’s dominance in the sport over the years, Bennett and her crewmates have their sights set on the greatest prize of all. 

“I feel like things are on-track, we’re coming to the boil at the right time which is obviously what you want,” she says. 

“We definitely want gold and that’s the goal.  

“But it is about the performance and getting the best out of ourselves.  

“It’s about knowing how to row together and it’s taking it one stroke at a time and focusing on the process and if we do that right, the gold medal will be there at the end if we put it all together. 

“So while you do think about the gold medal, you have to go out there and actually get it, that’s the important thing.”