It's amazing to think how many days and hours of training have gone into preparing for this Olympic Games. Little did I know that the day I took my first stroke at Coleraine Academical Institution right through to now has all been building to this moment. In total, the Team GB lightweight four will complete approximately 18 minutes of racing. For me that's about 162 days training for each minute of racing.
After my first strokes at Coleraine Inst, I went on to join Bann Rowing Club, where I rowed for Ireland at the Home Countries before moving across the water to Oxford Brookes University. During my time at uni I trained my way into the GB system and worked my way to a gold medal in the lightweight pair at the U-23s. This was my stepping stone into the senior team.
Never did I believe that I would actually have the chance to go to the Beijing Olympics. Even now, here in China, it all seems like a dream.
Training up to this point has been going well in the LM4- boat. Even though we have had a rocky World Cup season we are sure that we will be on form come that first race on Shunyi Lake. All our results in this crew are in the past; this year's World Cup season and last year's world championship result mean nothing. We start on a level playing field. It's all to play for.
Personally, up until now I have been calm and relaxed about the Olympics and racing in Beijing, but now there is no escaping it, having been to the Shunyi course to inspect the stretch of water where it will all happen. Of course I'm nervous and excited, but I can't wait for the racing to begin.
I'm ready, our crew is ready and we are gunning to get out, race and show our speed. We know that we are fast and are confident that we can put together the right race to win us the gold medal. Bring on Beijing!
Richard will be writing for guardian.co.uk throughout the Beijing Olympics
