Paul Rosenquist

So out of the blue comes a guy strawling to the club. It is just a random day. I just put my boat away with the usual tired legs and I’m wondering if I should jump in the shower now, do some stretching or help some beginners on the dock. Than I bump Björn who pulls me over and says ‘here, this is him, this is Paul, talk to him’. In front of me stands a big arabic looking guy that I somehow recognize. It appears to be Haidar.

Haidar comes from Iraq…and he is a rower. His home waters up to now where the Tigris that runs thru Baghdad. Here he trained for years, literaly dodging bullits, stones, and collapsing bridges. He told me of this nice old brigde that he could rest below to get out of the 50° heat. One day it was blown up like the other five bridges and it was gone. Than there are kids throwing stones at him cause they think he is an American. ‘Than I row in the middle of the river’ he says…’but than they use catapults’.
One day it was enough. He went on a training camp abroad and jumped ship. No more rowing for a while and try to get a better and safer life elswhere. Than I knew where I recognized him from. We actually rowed at the same World Cup in Lucerne last year. He will become Swedish soon and has started to learn the language. He has not rowed for 8 months, but has rowed every day since we met. Good fun to not be on the water alone most of the time.
He tagged along with my training program… As I float towards the dock, he comes in with Borgen (my old boat) ‘ How is Haidar? Tired? ‘Me no tired’ me verry tired’ he shouts smiling.
After a session of what we call 40-20 (40 hard strokes followed by 20 easy ones) which is a pretty tough training he shouts at me ‘when I alone, I not do like this’… hahaha, Yeah, and why should he, he is numer two in Asia and that means that he is more or less certain of a place to the olympics!
A good new power to the club and fun trainings partner.