Scott targets Olympic gold again in Los Angeles

Hannah Scott, the Olympic champion, has confirmed that she intends to compete in Los Angeles once more in three years.

The 25-year-old defeated Team GB team-mates Georgie Brayshaw, Lola Anderson, and Lauren Henry to defeat the Netherlands in the final round of the quad sculls in Paris.

The Northern Irish woman exclusively told BBC Sport NI that her goal is to pursue LA but to take things one day at a time and one step forward.

“I’m very process driven, so I don’t like to think too far ahead but I’m excited by the prospect.

Since winning the Olympic gold, Scott has enjoyed spending time away from the water, earning numerous honors, including an MBE on the New Year’s Honours List.

The Coleraine rower claimed numerous European and world titles as a result of her recent success in Paris, but she acknowledged that nothing could have prevented her.

” I don’t think I quite understood the immensity of winning an Olympic gold and what it meant, “Scott continued.

When I was in Paris, I obviously had my friends, family, and all of my support there, which was very special for me, but when I returned home, I did not anticipate receiving that kind of support, which was what caught me off guard.

“For the longest time, it’s been my dream and my goal, and I’ve been working on it with my friends and family.”

One of the many factors Scott had to consider before making this decision was whether or not winning an Olympic medal does not always pay off financially.

While Scott received funding from the National Lottery that enabled her to work full-time as a full-time rower in the run-up to Paris, she now needs to find sponsorship from two regional businesses in order to continue.

” When you’re a professional athlete, people think you’ve got the fast cars and you’re driving around with all the jewellery and the money. But for me, no, it’s quite the opposite.

“I think running into Paris, I was basically just making ends meet. I was grateful to be on the National Lottery funding, but that doesn’t go very far in the south of England.

When you’re thinking about finances your entire life, it was preventing what I wanted to do with my performance.

Scott is prepared for what 2025 will bring, and he started training in January.

There is plenty of time to worry about which boat she ends up in, subject to selection, with the World Championships in Shanghai in September taking place in April.

If I could return from Northern Ireland with two medals at some point in my career, “gosh, everything has to go right,” I thought, and it’s a new challenge.

” To do that and pave the way for a Northern Irish woman, I think would be really special. “

Scott, one of four Northern Irish Olympians who won a gold medal last summer, joins the other three in confirming that their Olympic journeys are going on, which is exciting news for local sports fans.

” We’ll see in the future how the four of us go, but for Northern Ireland, it’s great, “added Scott.