Invicta Sport - Monday 5th August 2024
On today's episode, we've got both of Kent's gold medal winning Olympians joining us on the back of their success in Paris. Plus: we look back on the final weekend of Gillingham's pre-season.
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00:00Good evening and welcome along to Invictus Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated
00:21to wrapping up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Abbey Hook. Here's what to expect on this
00:26Monday 5th August. Kent in Paris. Medal success as Kent's GB
00:32athletes make the county proud at the Olympics. The Golden of England. We speak to both of
00:39Kent's two gold medallists about what it takes to become a champion and Mark's might Gillingham
00:44and Pre end pre-season with a draw to non-league woking.
00:49But first a round up of the headlines in Kent's cricket winning run in the One Day Cup came
00:54to an abrupt end as they lost by five wickets against Middlesex at Beckenham on Sunday.
00:59After being bowled out for 204 in less than 45 overs, Kent saw the visitors fly past the
01:05target set inside 32 overs with just five wickets lost. The result leaves Kent middle
01:10of the Group A table with four wins under them and just as many points off the top spot.
01:15The Spitfires will next face West Cheshire on Wednesday.
01:20Interim head coach Mark Deckert told the press afterwards it's important the team don't
01:25lose their momentum now.
01:50Next, in Dover's Aspar team racer Jake Dixon says it's a dream come true after winning
02:05the Moto2 British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday. After starting in fifth place,
02:10Dixon moved up to second place by the second lap. And after a dramatic final lap, Dixon
02:15was able to cross the chequered flag in first place by less than two-tenths of a second
02:20to beat Spain's Aaron Kanett. He currently stands on 78 points and is back in action
02:24in Austria on the 16th of August.
02:28Moving on to some football now, and Gillingham FC manager Mark Bonner has not ruled out the
02:32possibility of more new signings for the club. During the transfer window, the Gilles have
02:37added lots of attacking firepower, up top with Marcus Wylie, Jacob Wakelin and Elliot
02:44Nevitt, but Bonner says it's up to the owners if they want to bring in any more players
02:48before the window ends. Gillingham have now completed their pre-season and will begin
02:52their quest for promotion at home against Carlisle on Saturday the 10th of August.
03:01We'll have more on the Gilles' last leg of pre-season action later in the programme,
03:05but now it's been a busy week as Olympic fever has taken over the county and there's been
03:10plenty to celebrate too, as Kent's very own athletes have been making a name for themselves
03:15in shooting, rowing and rugby. There's plenty to talk about, so I'll hand you over to Bartholomew
03:20who has everything you need to know about Kent's Olympians over the past week.
03:25It's been a busy week for Kent's athletes in Paris, with medal displays, hard-fought
03:29debuts and some life-changing moments. And none better to start off with than Chatham's
03:34Nathan Hales, who had to hold his nerve in the men's trap shooting, outblasting his opponents
03:39and dropping just two of a possible 50 points, helping him claim his first Olympic gold
03:45and Team GB's first shooting gold since London 2012.
03:49Georgia Mae Fenton's Olympic debut continued in the women's all-round final, finishing
03:5318th overall. Despite just one mistake on the beam, Fenton says she couldn't have asked
03:58for any more from herself. The Gravesend-born 23-year-old says she was in awe of the gold
04:03medal winner, Simone Biles, and she leaves the French capital inspired by what she saw.
04:08In sailing, Freya Black bowed out of her first Olympics in the women's skiff, as the 23-year-old
04:13could only manage 16th place in the women's 49er. After 12 races, only the top 10 progressed
04:18to decide the medals, leaving Black and her partner Saskia Tidy turning their attentions
04:22to the road to Los Angeles in 2028.
04:26In rugby sevens, Gillingham's Isla Norman-Bell made the perfect start to her Olympic record
04:30with a stunning solo try against Ireland at the Stade de France. The Medway-born athlete
04:35oversaw GB's 21-12 win and was beaming with delight at the end of a hard-fought day.
04:42And last but not least, after their heartbreaking experience in Tokyo, where they missed out
04:46on a medal by a hundredth of a second, Pembury's Emily Craig, alongside partner Imogen Grant,
04:51finally got their revenge, as they stormed the lightweight women's double skulls, taking
04:56home Kent's second gold of this year's Games.
04:59Making up for a slow start, the pair took the lead with just a quarter of the race length
05:02still to go, and in the end, they were well clear of those around them and the Olympic
05:07gold was theirs. Emotion on the podium, as with the event not set to feature again at
05:12the Olympics, Craig and Grant become Olympic champions forever.
05:17Well, he smashed the Olympic record, got Team GB its third gold in this year's Games, and
05:26it was the first win in trap shooting for 56 years. Medway's very own Nathan Howes has
05:31made history for the country and county. He hit 48 shots out of 50 to break the previous
05:38record of 43. But what got him all the way to Paris and turned a family hobby into a
05:43golden success? I caught up with Nathan last week.
05:47Nathan, thank you so much for joining us. I can't imagine what the past 24 hours has
05:52been like for you. First of all, congratulations. How do you feel? Have you had much time to
05:57celebrate or a bit of downtime?
06:01It's just been an absolute whirlwind. It's been absolutely crazy. I've not managed to
06:06catch up with myself yet, I don't think. But yeah, haven't had a chance to celebrate yet,
06:12but managed to have some food with family last night. So that was great. But looking
06:17forward to catching up and celebrating with them over the coming days.
06:21Let's talk about that moment. You set an Olympic record, 48 out of 50. Did you expect that?
06:27How does that feel?
06:29Yeah, again, it's another incredible feeling. It wasn't something I necessarily expected
06:36at the time. Normally, you know, a high pressure event like an Olympic Games final, the scores
06:42are slightly lower than what we'd get at a World Cup event or, you know, one of our World
06:46Champs, European Champs events. But yeah, to set an Olympic record on top of winning
06:52Olympic gold was just an absolute dream come true.
06:56What about your experience of shooting and learning your craft and your sport here in
07:00Kent? Are there any clubs, schools, anybody that sticks out that I suppose we can give
07:05a shout out to here on KMTV? Anybody that's made what's happened, your achievement, possible?
07:12Yeah, there's lots of grounds in the area that I started on as a youngster, like JJ's
07:19in Dartford. There's Dartford Gun Club that I shot at and West Kent, all in Kent that
07:25I'd shot at and, yeah, used to shoot some practice at with family just for fun at all
07:32of those grounds growing up.
07:34And of course, we spoke about your two children watching you, but your partner, of course,
07:39in the same line of work as you. Do you think you've got two youngsters that can follow
07:45in your footsteps here? Is it a family affair, this sport?
07:51We'll see. I'd like to think so. Hattie's only 16 months old, so we've got a long way
07:56to go until she's able to have her first shots. But Hudson's six. He's not too keen at the
08:05moment, but it may come with a bit of age. He may decide he wants to give it a go and
08:12follow in our footsteps and maybe give it a try. The opportunity's always there for
08:16him. He's not going to be pushed, so we'll see what he wants to take up.
08:22Amazing. It's not quite a sport you can start at 16 months old, so we don't blame you for
08:28that one. What's it like to have the support of your partner, knowing exactly the pressure
08:32that you're under going through these competitions?
08:37It makes it a lot easier. We've had conversations on the build-up to the Paris Games. Charlotte
08:43went to Beijing and London, so she's had those experiences. She was able to share those
08:49with me, which was a great help. Those insights that I may not have had and may have caught
08:55me off guard or surprised me when I got there. I was prepared for those things, so it was
09:01a great help.
09:03So European champion, world champion, now Olympic champion and record holder. What's
09:09next?
09:14What's next? We'll have a little bit of a break from here, and then we'll gear up towards
09:19the World Cup events next year. World champs, European champs, and then after next year's
09:24out of the way, it'll be into planning for LA cycle. Fingers crossed we can win quite
09:32a spot for Team GB and hopefully get on the team for LA as well.
09:38We speak to a lot of young athletes, a lot of young people in sport on our programme
09:43on Kent and I, as well as Invicta Sport. What would your message be to a youngster that's
09:48watching you, inspired by you, that's thinking, I'm from Medway too, I'm from Kent, how can
09:53I get myself to the Olympics and do what you've done?
09:58I think if that's your goal, don't ever give up on it, keep going. Try and explore the
10:05pathways of the various sports. I think most sports have a pathway programme, which is
10:11an introduction to the sport, into the UK sport programme, lottery funding programmes,
10:17and that's a great stepping stone on the path to getting to where your dreams take you.
10:24Nathan, I'm really interested to know, if you weren't shooting at the Olympics, what
10:30do you think you'd be doing back here in the county? Where would your life have taken you?
10:36I'm not entirely sure. My dad was a car dealer, so I maybe would have followed his
10:42footsteps a bit more. But yeah, we all shoot as a family, so hobby-wise, so if it wasn't
10:51work-related, you'd be shooting for a hobby.
10:55Amazing. Well, the whole county congratulates you. We are amazed in awe and go and celebrate it finally.
11:04Thank you. I will do.
11:06Well, none of us in the county are quite over that, and there's, of course, plenty more to
11:10come from Kent's athletes as the Paris Games continue. After the break, Bartholomew will
11:15be speaking with Emily Craig after her incredible gold medal win in the Women's Double Sculls.
11:22Following their heartbreaking time at Tokyo, where they missed out on a medal by just a fraction of
11:26a second, Emily and partner Imogen Grant were determined to come back at these Games and
11:32overcome the dream that stood over them ever since, and that they did exactly.
11:37Well, all that and plenty more to come, including the final weekend of pre-season action,
11:41as Gillingham took on Woking, and of course, we'll have your featured clips
11:45and pics with another action replay. See you in a few minutes.
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15:11Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live on KMTV. Now, it was a tough pill to swallow at Tokyo
15:172020 for Pembrey's Emily Craig when she and her rowing partner Imogen Grant missed out on an
15:23Olympic medal by just one hundredth of a second. Three years of blood, sweat and tears later,
15:29including an incredible unbeaten run of regattas and that unrelenting dream of holding an Olympic
15:35medal finally came true on Friday. Bartholomew spoke with Emily earlier today.
15:41It still feels quite a lot like a dream. Certainly, I mean, immediately afterwards,
15:47there was kind of no time to take stock and let it sink in. I think I had about two hours of sleep on
15:54on Friday night, most of which was spent lying there being like, oh, my God, it happened.
16:00But I think as the days go on, it's kind of thinking it a bit more kind of relaxing into
16:05it and really just appreciating how amazing the experience is and how just incredible this entire
16:12Olympic experience has been. Of course. Well, in terms of titles, you've kind of got it all now,
16:16haven't you? European champion, world champion and now Olympic champion as well. And we saw
16:21the emotion that you expressed when you were being given that medal.
16:25This one meant just that little bit extra, didn't it? Yeah, I mean, this one pretty much
16:30meant everything. It was the culmination of three years of really hard work. And I think it's easy
16:36to to look at the track record of being unbeaten and think that it was easy. But I mean, as a crew,
16:44we've had our ups and downs, even like right up to right up to that final. And we've both kind of
16:51come through some stuff behind the scenes. I think handled it really well. So crossing the line was
16:57just, yeah, not not so much relief, but just. Yeah, almost disbelief that we actually managed
17:06to do it and pull it off. And yeah, it was incredible, of course. I mean, when you look
17:10back at the highlights, it almost looks easy. Those that last bit where you're ahead of the
17:14pack. But when you think about the journey that you've had, as you say, over those three years,
17:18it's not been straightforward. Yes, you've been winning and you've been unbeaten in that time,
17:22but you also faced injury as well. So, I mean, I was just wondering, what was your kind of insight
17:26into those three years? Because that determination just just stayed with you the whole way.
17:32Yeah, I think what was really, really helpful was coming back into a new program with new head
17:38coach Andrew Randall. His training program has been pretty insane. There's been days where I've
17:46looked at it and been like, I can't do that. And then somehow somehow you do do it and you get
17:52faster, you get stronger. So I think these three years feeling very, very different and also
17:59going further physically and mentally than I ever had before and ever thought I could is really
18:05meant that we came with a lot of confidence knowing that we just weren't the same athletes
18:09that we were three years ago, of course. And on top of that, it was the last time that your event
18:14is going to feature at the Olympics as well. So it was that kind of that last shot for you to get
18:18that that medal and to get that gold. Are you sad to see the event go despite being the forever
18:23champions now? The forever champions is very, very cool. I think it is very sad to see the event go.
18:31It's been one of the more competitive events over the years. Everybody's obviously the same
18:36weight. So often the margins are a lot smaller, as we certainly experienced three years ago.
18:43I do understand the reasoning behind the IOC's decision, and I am quite excited to
18:49take a look at beach sprints and see how that is, because I have a bit of experience
18:53coastal rowing, and that was extremely fun. It's not over yet. We could see you with some
18:58golds in the future, and we'd love to see it as well. And of course,
19:01rowing in general for Team GB has been extraordinary at this Olympic Games. How do
19:06you see the success and the medals that we've seen flying in impacting the sport back home?
19:13I mean, I absolutely hope it does. I hope hundreds and thousands of people are inspired to get out
19:18on the water because rowing is a really incredible sport. For me, one of the best things about it is
19:24just the sense of community, and I think you get that at a club level, and then even right up to
19:30being part of the squad, seeing the success. It's just been incredible being part of this team,
19:36and from the moment the women's quad crossed the line and got that gold, all the way through to
19:42watching the women's eight get that bronze is just... Yeah, it's been such a privilege to be
19:47a part of something that's been so historic. And it's been great to watch from back home
19:52here as well. And of course, you're now our second gold medalist from Kent as well,
19:56obviously following Nathan Howells in the shooting. I think there's going to be lots of people,
20:00and lots of young people especially, looking at yourself and Nathan and the success, and seeing
20:04someone from where I'm from is able to have that success and complete their goals.
20:10What would be your message to them about following their dreams?
20:15I think make sure you always enjoy it. I've said a couple of times, happy rower is a fast rower,
20:21and if you're doing what you love, then you'll go far with it.
20:26And then just finally, from me, before I let you go and enjoy the rest of your time
20:30in Paris, what would you be doing if you weren't rowing? I know that the last time we spoke,
20:37it obviously came from the inspiration from your parents following in their footsteps as rowers.
20:41What do you think you would be doing maybe back here in the county or wherever else life led you?
20:46So I have a degree in history of arts and a master's in Asian arts, so I would hopefully
20:52be doing something along those lines, probably in an auction house or a gallery.
20:57So a bit of a world away from sport and rowing, but yeah, two very specific passions in my life,
21:04making a boat go fast over 2,000 meters and Asian art.
21:08Incredible stuff. Well, enjoy the rest of your time there in Paris. Are you going to be staying
21:11and watching some more sports and staying, obviously, for the closing ceremony,
21:14as well? Yes, so we're staying for the closing ceremony, and I was very lucky. I was at the
21:21athletics last night, so got to see that insane men's 100-meter final. So yeah, it's going to be
21:27an incredible week. An incredible achievement, for sure, one that they'll be celebrating all
21:33week long. Well, now it's time to take a look at the football highlights from this weekend
21:37across Kent, as Gillingham took on Woking in their last pre-season game before their
21:41curtain-raiser to the League Two season against Carlisle. Alex Skaith has the highlights.
21:48The Gills ended their pre-season away at Woking, beginning brightly as they snatched on a mistake
21:54to get a shot away, unfortunately aiming straight at the keeper. It wasn't all one way early on,
22:01though, with Woking threatening from a free kick and a bit of slick passing in midfield creating
22:06space for their wingers, leading to a shot which produced a decent save from Glenn Morris.
22:12The danger didn't end there, as moments later, a wallop from midfield just narrowly whizzed past
22:18the post. But despite their early stumbles, Gillingham struck first, as Jacob Wakelin got
22:25himself onto a bullet of a cross from Max Clarke, leaving the keeper with no chance and ending their
22:31half with Gills in the lead. In the second half now, Woking threatened from a whipped cross before
22:37Gillingham put it out. The equaliser followed soon after and in the 48th minute another header,
22:44this time by Woking, put the score level. As the game wound down, both teams got opportunities
22:52with Gillingham's McKenzie forcing a save and Woking skying a volley over the stands.
23:00But by the end, despite a few chances, neither team were able to break the deadlock.
23:08The final score ended all square and Gillingham would have been happy to end their pre-season
23:12unbeaten. Manager Mark Bonner shared his thoughts on the game.
23:16Very much a last day of pre-season vibe about it really. It was all right, the game was okay. It was
23:22much more like probably the Dartford game in comparison to the last day of pre-season.
23:28Probably the Dartford game in comparison to the other types of games that we've played.
23:32So I think more suitable to the type of games that we play in the league. So really good that
23:38Lott's got big minutes, loads of restarts, loads of goal kicks, loads of throw-ins,
23:44much more reflective of what a league game looks like. So good in that sense.
23:47Elsewhere across Kent, there were some hotly contested fixtures as teams wrapped up their
23:52pre-season. With Ebbs Fleet United drawing 1-1 against Crawley Town,
23:57Tonbridge Angels just narrowly edging past fellow Kent team Foxton and Victor,
24:02Dover Athletic absolutely battering Lansing FC 7-1 and Chatham Town just about winning out in
24:08a 5-goal thriller which saw them beat Herne Bay 3 goals to 2. Here are some fixtures you can look
24:16forward to in the coming days as the Kent clubs start their season. Gillingham are set to begin
24:21their League 2 campaign against Carlisle, Ebbs Fleet will face Gateshead away from home,
24:28Maidstone are set to play against St Albans City, Dartford are up against Cray Valley PM
24:35and Dover Athletic will be playing Pollers Bar Town.
24:39I'm Alex Skaife and that was your Football Roundup.
24:44Now we've reached full time on today's episode but there's just a few minutes of extra time to
24:49take a look at this week's Action Replay. It's the segment where we take a look at the clips and
24:53pictures that you, the KMTV audience, have sent in of you taking part in sport. Let's see what
24:59we've got in store on this week's Action Replay. Welcome to this week's Action Replay. We start at
25:05Tonbridge's Bettshanger Country Park where some mind-blowing skateboarding has been taking place.
25:10Flying in from the Netherlands, skateboarder Lena Marindals set a new women's world record
25:15for the longest distance travelled in a skateboard in 24 hours. Officially recognised by the Skate
25:21International Distance and Supercross Association, Lena's astonishing final distance was 264 miles.
25:29That's like skateboarding in a straight line from Tonbridge all the way to Newcastle.
25:34Next up we're heading to Mount Snowdon to check in with friends of the show,
25:37Samantha and Ian, who have completed their charity climb as part of a group of Kent Opticians.
25:43A total of 10 staff members from stalls across the county heroically reached the top of Snowdon
25:47after battling it out with the elements and managed to raise a whopping £1,600
25:52for We Are Beans and the 3H Foundation. And finally, the Maidstone River Festival has once
25:57again come and gone with a splash. More than 85 boats lined the riverbank and hundreds gathered
26:03to watch the famous raft race. Teams of volunteers battled it out once again to be the first to cross
26:08the line in a variety of weird and wacky homemade crafts, from ice cream vans to shaunt the sheep.
26:15All whilst trying to avoid the buckets of water thrown at them by boat owners.
26:19Certainly looks like a lot of fun. That's it for this week's Action Replay. Don't forget,
26:24it could be you in next week's edition. Just send in your pictures and videos on social media
26:29or to sport at kmtv.co.uk.
26:32And that's full-time on today's episode of Invictus Sports. I'll see you again next week. Bye-bye.
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