IT IS only just beginning to feel real for Christchurch rower Matt Aldridge after earning his place on the train to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games.

Aldridge was one of the 42 rowers, across 10 boats, who were selected by the British Olympic Association to represent Team GB in the French capital this summer.

Having dreamt of becoming an Olympian ever since watching his dad coach at Christchurch Rowing Club as a young child, Aldridge is ready to put in the work necessary to truly rise to the occasion.

“This is the first time it kind of feels real, really,” Aldridge said at the team announcement at Kew Gardens on Wednesday.

“We've sort of been going through all the season trying to work for selection. Rowing selects the crews quite late - especially compared to some of the other Team GB events – but now it finally feels real.

“Now we can finally let ourselves relax a little bit now we know we're going – but we've got to do the hard work of getting a good result out in Paris.”

Aldridge is one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing him to train full-time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support.

It’s been an intense journey to this point for Aldridge, with a harsh selection process being exacerbated by untimely bouts of COVID-19 – which forced him to miss out on his crew’s World Championship triumph in 2022.

Selection also forces athletes to go head-to-head with their colleagues and friends for Olympic berths – something the 28-year-old admits is looking forward to putting behind him.

He added: “I think one of the hardest parts is that all of a sudden, you've got almost two days a year when best friends become your biggest rivals.

“You've got a group of six people going for four seats, and the math doesn't work, so someone's going to miss out.

“It is a really tough time, and you can tell the mood around Caversham changes when selection is on the line and people start to get a little bit more fiery, shall we say.

“Once it's all done and the selection is out the way, we get back to being friends again and we get going and get moving.”

That said, even when battling your fellow rowers for a place in the Olympic roster, the support of your teammates remained vital in getting through trials for Aldridge.

“We’ve all become really close friends over the past couple of years because we're all going for the same goal,” he said.

“We're all very similarly minded in the fact of our determination and just how we are as people. We rely on each other quite a lot.

“You have your ups, you have your downs. Some days are great, some days are really quite hard, and you've got to rely on the support network around you to get.”

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