Photography TED NGHIEM
Henrik Rummel
Henrik Rummel sits on the start line of the world championships semi-final, waiting quietly. Lake Aiguebelette glistens in the French sun. He breathes slowly and deeply. He’s done this a hundred times before, and he’ll do it a hundred times again before he arrives on the start line in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic Games; the race he sees as the culmination of his rowing career. He dips his hand into the water and wets his blade handle. The outside world slowly fades into a dull murmur. Only the boat is in focus; the sleek geometry of the carbon frame, the flecks of water on the sax board. He’s in the boat with three other men but in this moment he’s alone, adrift on a foreign lake, waiting for the order that will take him to hell and back. For a team sport, rowing can feel remarkably lonely. Rummel however trusts in himself, trusts in his crew, and trusts in his process. He grips the handle of the oar and looks up at the start light, poised, ready.