Ten years of work, and it all comes down to 60 minutes. That’s how long the race will take that will determine if all those years of effort are worth Olympic gold.
Amanda Polk has a cheering section louder than any other at Lagoa stadium in Rio. They’re members of her family, and they definitely stand out.
[ VIDEO: Amanda Polk's family is the ultimate cheering section ]
“We’re very delighted to be the support system for her, but she’s doing the rowing,” said Polk’s father, Ken Polk. “She’s doing the hard work. It’s so exciting to see her on the threshold of a gold medal.”
Amanda Polk and her women’s eight rowing team easily blasted to a first-place finish in their preliminary race. Polk’s mother says she can’t describe what it’s like to see her child compete in the Olympics.
“As a mother, you witness and you feel the journey with them,” said Joann Polk.
That journey nearly ended four years ago when Amanda was named an alternate but did not row with the team in London.
“She went through a pretty substantial period of soul-searching, and she snapped out of it and said, ‘I’m not done yet,’” said Ken Polk.
Amanda, an Oakland Catholic graduated, had an Olympic dream. Now that she’s there, there’s only one thing left – gold.
The finals are Saturday, and to say the U.S. team is heavily favored is an understatement. They’ve been world champions 10 years in a row.