Rower drops Olympics in fallout with partner

One of Canada's top rowers has dropped out of the London Olympics just weeks before the Games, citing a lack of "chemistry" with her partner.

Tracy Cameron cited growing problems in the relationship with her lightweight double sculls partner, Lindsay Jennerich.

"It all came down to listening to my heart, and my heart wasn't in it," Cameron told CBC. "The joy that I once had in my boat with my partner was gone."

Cameron, from Shubenacadie, N.S., won bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

She first began rowing with Jennerich, from Victoria, in 2007. Together they won the world title in 2010 and a World Cup event in 2011.

Cameron said she knew her journey to this Olympics was over after finishing eighth at a major competition in Lucerne, Switzerland, at the end of May.

"It just got to the point where it was the last straw," she said. "I knew I could no longer go to the line with a partner who I didn't believe exemplified Olympic values. It was a really, really hard thing for me to take and decide on, but the chemistry was no longer there."

Cameron said there was no trigger moment that caused the separation, just a growing feeling that the partnership was not working.

As Olympians, she said, they needed to be united. "It's like going to war. You need to be one force, one strength, one drive."

Dragonfly and seal

In an entry on Jennerich's blog before the split, she describes the two as polar opposites — a seal and a dragonfly.

"It can be said that a seal and a dragonfly have the flow and power of the water supporting them," she wrote. "Although an unlikely pair, I would believe the seal and the dragonfly represent something of an even more powerful and inspiring duo."

Cameron said people representing Canada need to behave in an exemplary way, but didn't give details or examples.

"Excellence should be through all of our actions and not just in the speed in our boat," she said.

Cameron said she feels at ease with her decision, and she will continue to row.

She said Jennerich will still go to London. She expects her former partner will join rower Patricia Obee.