Even now, after a rowing career that has yielded a bounty of national titles, world championship crowns and Olympic gold, Lucy Stephan can occasionally hear the chirps from those who said she could never make it; that she was too small, or not cut out for a sport so unrelenting and unforgiving.
When the heat is on, near the business end of a race, those voices might be the spur she needs to shift gears, up the stroke rate and wield the blade harder and faster than her rivals. Like so many champions of their chosen sport, Stephan always seems to find more when the well appears dry. That is what makes the greats… great.
In hindsight, it seems almost comical that anyone would ever have doubted Stephan in the first place. There are few competitors as fierce in the bow of a boat as the straight-talking, acutely grounded Victorian, who grew up in the Wimmera wheatbelt town of Nhill (that’s between of Dimboola and Kaniva for those playing at home).
Perhaps it was the bush upbringing that instilled her signature resilience. Stephan wouldn’t be the first elite athlete to have benefited from life on the family farm, where things tend to go wrong as a matter of course and problems are only as big as the lack of a will to find a timely solution.
Either way, Stephan is about to take to the big stage again as she joins Katrina Werry, Giorgia Patten and Sarah Hawe in the Australian Women’s Four at the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, between September 3-10.
A third World Championship title beckons for Stephan if the quartet put it all together in a hugely competitive boat class. And crucially, it is this regatta where boats are qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Stephan has already rowed in Rio 2016 and famously Tokyo 2020 in 2021, when the Women’s and Men’s Four triumphed in the famed ‘Hour of Power’.
Longevity in the sport has come naturally for the 31-year-old, who has grown and adapted to find new ways to stay motivated amid the gruelling training blocks that make rowers among the most-ferocious trainers of any Olympic sport.
“When I was younger, it was very much the determination to prove people wrong. But that fire will burn out, it doesn't last forever. I've had to learn to adapt and find other things to add to the fire, not just proving people wrong,” Stephan said.
“Some people look for the perfect stroke, some people just want to feel good in a race. And usually if you do those things it turns into winning. It's (winning) still a big driving factor for me.
“But you can't always win so you have to find other reasons to stay in it and contribute to the sport in a good way. And as you do get older and have been in the sport for a while, you hope that people start to look to you and respect you to guide them along the way.”
Stephan always loved sport but hadn’t quite found the perfect fit until she slid into a boat at Ballarat Grammar. From there, it has become a defining part of her life, connecting her in ways she never felt until she was gliding on top of the water, searching to go ever faster.
“Rowing is where I found myself and who I was as a person. I always loved sport but I hadn't found that sport where I really shone and what brought me joy,” Stephan said.
“The happiest I am is when I'm out on the water trying to make a boat go fast. But I definitely think it changes over the years. What drives me to be successful will always go in ebbs and flows.
“People always ask what it takes (to succeed). Passion is a big thing for me. You have to love it and really feel it in your heart. I think I'm one of the lucky few that have that.”
There are more mountains to climb for Stephan and a second Olympic gold medal would put her in rare company. She heads to Belgrade, then hopefully Paris, as an inspirational figure within a wider Australian Rowing Team that is building some serious momentum at precisely the right time.
As Stephan edges towards the tail end of her career, she can already see young athletes for who Brisbane 2032 is well within reach. Even if they can’t see it now, Stephan urges them to play the long game. That’s what she has always done, and the rewards speak for themselves.
“There are girls coming through now who have Brisbane totally in their view. They're like 'I don't know if I'll ever be doing it that long'.
“I don't think I was ever like that. I always loved it and was going to do it for as long as I can. If that meant 10 years, I would have thought that was awesome.”
Phil Lutton
