Gold for GB in Beijing
Jack Morrissey, Matthew Rossiter, George Nash and Kieren Emery led where the senior team will hope to follow this time next year when they won world junior championships men’s four gold on Beijing’s Olympic course at Shunyi Park today.
The quartet produced the perfect regatta, winning their heat, their semi-final and then today’s final.
"This was an awesome performance", said GB Performance Director David Tanner today. "They had a length lead by 1000m, clear-water soon after and just powered on to win".
Tanner also paid tribute to coach Richard Boulton who has now produced two consecutive wins at this event in this boat class.
Nash, from Winchester, was the only rower to have experienced this level of competition before. He represented Great Britain in the eight at the 2006 world championships in Amsterdam.
Morrissey, of Latymer Upper School in London, was part of the GB team at the 2006 Coupe de la Jeunesse, winning double gold at an event which is considered an international testing ground for young talent. He is coached at school by Bobby Thatcher who was himself a world junior champion and a world senior silver medallist.
Emery, from Tyne RC, is coached by Wade Hall-Craggs at Durham University and is the third successful "stroke" to come out of this system with James Clarke currently stroking the GB senior lightweight men’s four and Stephen Rowbotham stroking the GB senior men’s double scull. Rossiter, meanwhile, is at Abingdon School which has already produced rowers like Robin Bourne-Taylor a GB Olympian and world medallist.
Earlier, Sarah Cowburn of Worcester Rowing Club which was severely affected recently by the floods in Great Britain, finished just outside the medals in fourth place in the girls’ single scull. This was an outstanding regatta result for Cowburn who has confounded all expectations, including her own, in Beijing by winning her heat and semi-final and then producing a strong performance in the final in a race won by hosts, China.
"This was a superb result for Sarah", added Tanner. "And probably one which she would never have even dreamt of achieving".
China also took the women’s four title ahead of Germany. Britain’s Abby Johnston, Joanna Fitzsimmons, Lottie Howard-Merrill and Fiona Schlesinger were sixth in the final today.
The Great Britain boys’ quadruple scull were in contention throughout today’s final, just 2.5 seconds off a potential bronze medal until the 1500m mark where they caught a boat-stopping crab which saw them finish sixth overall in a race which was again won by China.
Earlier in the day the boys’ pair and eight both won their B Finals – the latter boat by an amazing 12 seconds.
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RESULTS
(Events featuring GB crews only. Full results
and timetables: www.worldrowing.com)
OPEN
WOMEN
Four
1. China 6:54.19
2. Germany 6:57.07
3. Belarus 6:59.58
4. New Zealand 7:03.05
5. Italy 7:07.00
6. Abby Johnston/Lottie Merrill-Howard/Joanna Fitzsimons/Fiona Schlesinger (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:08.84
Single scull
1. China 7:53.66
2. Germany 7:58.61
3. Lithuania 7:59.49
4. Sarah Cowburn (GREAT BRITAIN) 8:05.45
5. Norway 8:09.55
6. Canada 8:17.31
MEN
Four
1. Jack Morrissey/Matthew Rossiter/George Nash/Kieran Emery
(GREAT BRITAIN) 6:06.76
2. Germany 6:08.87
3. Netherlands 6:09.41
4. Italy 6;14.55
5. China 6:18.23
6. Bulgaria 6:20.01
Quadruple scull
1. China 5:57.44
2. Slovenia 5:57.85
3. Latvia 5:58.86
4. France 5:59.48
5. Germany 6:02.79
6. Jon Preston/Andrew Ford/Phil Clapp/Chris Clark
(GREAT BRITAIN) 6:29.70
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GB CREWS FOR WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPS
(Beijing, 8-11, 2007)
(NB – listed by athlete name followed by club in brackets).
WOMEN
Pair
Vicky Knight (Molesey BC)/Emily Piggott (Bedford High School)
Coach: Ryan Demaine (Headington School)
Four
Abby Johnston (Lady Eleanor Holles School)/Joanna Fitzsimons (St Neots RC)/Lottie Howard-Merrill
(Headington School)/Fiona Schlesinger (Lady Eleanor Holles School)
Coach: Martyn Rooney (St. Neots RC)
Single scull
Sarah Cowburn (Worcester RC)
Coach: Paul Sterckx (Worcester RC)
MEN
Pair
Matthew Tarrant (Walton RC)/Matthew Anker (The Oratory School)
Four
Jack Morrissey (Latymer Upper School)/Matthew Rossiter
(Abingdon School)/George Nash (Winchester College)/Kieran Emery
(Tyne RC)
Eight
James Soane (St Paul’s School)/James Clarke (The King’s School, Worcester)
/Sean Dixon (George Watson’s College)/Andrew Finlay (The King’s School,
Worcester)/Calum Wright (Molesey BC)/Patrick Lapage (Shrewsbury
School)/Alasdair Were (Radley College)/Rory Macleod (St Peter’s School)/
William Plummer (Eton College)
Coaches: Mark Woodcock (Pair, The Oratory School), Richard Boulton (Four, ARA), John Gearing (Eight, Radley College)
Quadruple Scull
Andrew Ford (Henley RC)/John Preston (Yarm School)/Philip Clapp (Maidenhead RC)/Christopher Clark (Henley RC)
Coach: Paul Moss (Henley RC)
Reserve Single scull
Alexander Walker (Henley RC)
Coach: Tom Jost (Maidenhead RC)
SUPPORT STAFF
Team Manager: John Layng
Assistant Team Manager: Jennifer Song
Doctor: Jamie McLeod
Physiotherapist: Jenny Conway
Physiologist: Craig Williams
Nutritionist: Jacqueline Birtwistle
Equipment Manager: Bret King
Local Team Support (Mandarin Speaker): Dan Barry
