At 23, Franck N’Dri became the first Ivorian Olympic rower when he participated in the Tokyo 2020 Games. Thanks to the advice of his coach, former Canadian Olympic rower Timothy Turner, N’Dri was able to honor the ambition of her late father, a man who was a national kayaking champion. His father introduced N’Dri to water sports and continues to inspire him to become a better rower.
“I have my father’s face in my head when I row,” says N’Dri. “He always told me that as long as you row, as long as you breathe, don’t give up, keep going until the end.”
Now N’Dri wants other Ivorian rowers to emulate his Olympic success. He says one of the barriers to increasing participation in Ivory Coast is the perception that water sports are unsafe.
“Parents are very afraid of water and [for] their children approach it,” says N’Dri.
To combat this, N’Dri is planning a one-day meeting of young people to talk about rowing and dispel the fears surrounding it. Through community engagement events, N’Dri hopes to help train the next generation of rowing professionals in the country.
Another challenge is the lack of funding for equipment and training. N’Dri believes the sport needs more support from the country’s sports ministry and the World Rowing Federation.
“If I stop working, I stop rowing”
Although he represented his country at the Olympics, N’Dri is unable to row full time. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, he earns money as a toll collector in the city of Abidjan. “I have to work to feed myself but also to help my family,” explains N’Dri. “If I stop working, I also have to stop rowing.”
However, the busy schedule does not prevent N’Dri from training every day. Woke up at 4:30 a.m., he enrolled in a training session to improve his endurance, physical strength and technique. N’Dri believes that this level of discipline is necessary to compete at the international level. However, obtaining financial support from governing bodies to train well “is a fight that will be long, very long”, he believes.
Now based in Canada, N’Dri’s coach recognizes the difficulty the rower faces in balancing training with his daily job. “He has to…dedicate himself to his goal of going to the Olympics,” Turner said. “It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort.”
The sport has continued to grow on the continent. In 1992, rowers from just two African countries – South Africa and Zimbabwe – qualified for the Olympics, according to the world rowing organization. At the Tokyo 2020 Games, rowers from 13 African countries qualified, including Benin, Morocco and Namibia.
Facing increasing competition, N’Dri continues to train hard every day. “In rowing, everything is important,” he says. “Every detail counts. Nothing should be missed, nothing should be left to chance.”
