Hochschorner brothers, the Slovak twins who won two gold medals at both Sydney and Athens Games, have set eyes on their third Olympic gold medal in C2 slalom race at the Beijing Olympics.
"We spent four years preparing for the Beijing Olympics," Pavol Hochschorner told Xinhua in the Shunyi Olympic Canoeing/Kayaking Park on the sideline of their practice on Tuesday.
"We don't know yet," he said when asked how they would celebrate if they could win in Beijing.
On the water course, Pavol said:" There are more waves. It's harder. The water is faster and the course is wider. It's the hardest in the world."
Hochschorner brothers have dominated the event for several years. However, Pavol said that athletes from China, the Czech Republic, France and Germany are big rivals to them.
The twins, who started canoeing at an early age, have been coached by their father who is also a canoeist. Their mother is also a coach, who now trains beginners in their home country.
"My father has trained me for 12 years. He is a good father and coach," Pavol said.
He said that in order to ease the pressure ahead of important competitions, he often watches movies or goes water skiing and water motor-racing.
"I watch films from China and America. Sometimes, I just sleep as a way of relaxing," Pavol added.
As the defending champions, Hochschorner brothers have been viewed as the top favorites to win the C2 slalom at the Beijing Games.
(Xinhua News Agency July 30, 2008)