Growing up in a canoe-crazed household, Mark Oldershaw heard all about his family's decorated history racing for Canada.
He wasn't forced to follow in those big footsteps — his grandfather, dad and two uncles have combined for seven Olympics appearances — but he also couldn't escape that famous last name or the water's appeal.
"It would be a lie if I said I didn't ever feel the pressure," Oldershaw recalled in a recent interview. "My family was pretty good at not making me feel like it was something I had to do, but something to pursue if I really wanted to. Being in that environment with so many Olympians ... since I was a kid it was something I wanted.
"It's been a positive thing."
Oldershaw became a third generation Olympian when he competed for Canada in Beijing in 2008, finishing 10th in the 500-metre singles canoe race, before capturing his family's first medal at the Games — a bronze in the 1,000 four years ago in London.
Stepping onto that podium lifted a weight off Oldershaw's shoulders as he heads into his third, and likely last, Olympics with a clear mind.
"I think overall there's less pressure. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get that medal (in London)," said the 33-year-old. "(But) the reason I kept going another four years was to give myself an opportunity to get another medal, and ideally upgrade it to that gold medal. I don't think I would have kept paddling if I didn't think I had a chance to do that."
Canoe Kayak Canada sprint high performance director Scott Logan said Oldershaw's genes helped prepare him for his moment four years ago, and should also serve him well when the 1,000-metre heats begin Monday at Rio's picturesque Lagoa Stadium.
"The sport's just ingrained in him. He's lived and breathed it all his life," said Logan. "He knows what it takes, he's wise, and he picks his spots. He hasn't really got ahead of himself or anything."
Oldershaw, who won silver at the 2015 Pan Am Games after carrying Canada's flag at the opening ceremony, was ninth at last year's world championships and conceded that he will be in tough to repeat his Olympic performance from 2012 at Rio's Lagoa Stadium.
"It's going to take quite a race. The last four years in our event, the level has gotten even stronger," said the native of Burlington, Ont. "London was one of the most competitive fields that race has even seen. It's been cool to be a part of that and see how fast people are going these days. I know what I'm up against."
His father, Scott Oldershaw, raced for Canada at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and is his son's coach, something Mark said has been a special part of his journey.
"He's been with me every step of the way," said the son. "It's been pretty incredible.
"Every time we're on the water it's about getting ready for that one race."
And the plan the father-son duo, along with team officials, have developed over the last four years has been solely focused on having him at his peak in South America.
"It's been a slow build," said Logan. "That served him well. His dad as his coach, they have a special relationship and are very focused on what they need to do. They're going to use all that experience that they and their whole family has brought for generations."
While still doing everything in his power to come home from Brazil with more hardware, Oldershaw is also soaking in these Games on more of a personal level. Wife and former Olympic swimmer Annamay Pierse is in Rio to see him race along with their baby daughter Josephine, who was born three months premature last summer and turned one on Aug. 4.
"I'm still just as excited, but every time it's a different journey," he said. "This time it's a huge change. It's definitely been different, but there's more time to smell the roses, and smell the diapers."
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