She’s swapped her oars for sails and Sarah Cook is banking on a decade of rowing experience to help her make a successful transition into the sport she hopes will land her an Olympic Games medal.
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Just a month after rowing in London, Cook has made the switch to sailing and she will begin her campaign for the Rio games in 2016 immediately.
In an attempt to breathe new life into her Olympic career, Cook will join Beijing gold medallist Elise Rechichi next week to start her time on the water as a sailor.
They will compete in the 49er FX class, also know as the women’s high performance skiff, which will be added to the Olympic program in Rio.
Cook, a two-time Olympian, feared she would be burnt out if she continued in rowing beyond the London Games.
And after initially being tempted to change to cycling, a chance meeting with Rechichi at the airport convinced jumping into sailing was the right move for her dream of winning a medal.
‘‘I knew I wanted to go to Rio but I didn’t know what sport and sailing was an option after I spoke to the coaches two years ago,’’ Cook said.
‘‘But I’ve never done it [sailing] ... but with this new boat class it became an option and I came across Elise at the airport in London.
‘‘So we’ve come up with a plan for the next six months to see if we can get me across and if we can become a successful crew.’’
Rechichi won gold in Beijing in the 470 class, but could only manage seventh in London.
Instead of trying to reclaim her old title, Rechichi is willing to take a risk on helping Cook make the transition.
Cook hopes her experience as an elite rower will make the switch easier.
The 27-year-old already has the work ethic, physique, knowledge of water currents and wind and high-level racing knowledge which will accelerate her development.
Cook was part of the women’s eight ‘‘motley crew’’ in London which defied the odds to make the gold-medal race.
However, they finished sixth in the final and after a decade at the top of Australian rowing, Cook decided it was time to move on.
She was preparing to have wrist surgery after the Olympics, but switching to sailing allows her to avoid the operation.
The Australian sailing team won four medals - three of them gold - at the London Games.
But Cook’s decisions has its risks.
She will go from a top-tier athlete for Rowing Australia to starting from scratch with the sailing organisation.
Her sailing experience is limited ‘‘to a little bit, but nothing like this’’.
‘‘It’s a pure [talent identification] situation, but that’s how I got into rowing,’’ Cook said.
‘‘I’ve seen it happen a few times, so that gives me a bit of comfort that it is definitely very possible.
‘‘Elise’s belief makes me confident, it will take some adjustment but this is definitely an exciting opportunity.’’
