Women's pair qualify for the final - British Rowing

August 12, 2008

Women’s pair qualify for the final

TeamGB’s women’s pair of Louisa Reeve and Olivia Whitlam today became the fourth British crew to qualify for the weekend’s Olympic finals at Shunyi Lake, near Beijing.

“I thought I’d just feel relieved at qualifying but actually I’m really pleased, too”, said Reeve of their repechage race today in which they finished second behind New Zealand.

The British lightweight women’s double scull of Helen Casey and Hester Goodsell also progressed to a semi-final with a well-fought win over Greece in second.

TeamGB already has as many finalists as in Athens four years ago and Sydney in 2000 but there are still seven boats with a chance of joining them – six through semi-finals and the women’s eight through a repechage.

“I’m really pleased with what we’ve achieved so far”, said David Tanner, TeamGB rowing
team leader. “We’ve shown the strength in depth again which began to emerge first at the World Championships in Munich. Here in Beijing those who have needed to lift their standards have done so. Now we will see some fantastic racing in the next few days”.

Racing tomorrow begins at 15.30 local time. Beijing is seven hours ahead of the UK.

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RACE REPORTS

From the outset of their lightweight women’s double scull repechage today Helen Casey and Hester Goodsell looked destined to emerge at the finish as Olympic semi-finalists.

They got a good start, were first to the 500m mark and were more than a second up on the chasing Greek duo of Biskitzi and Tsiavou by the half-way point. With the sun at its fiercest for days, eased by a light headwind and under clear skies the British duo held their form and their rhythm and fought off a concerted sprint to the line from the Greeks to win in 7:24.27.

“That was fine”, said Hester Goodsell afterwards. “Maybe we could have paced it a bit better but I’m looking forward to the semi-final”.

“That semi-final will be the hardest race we have ever done together so we’ll be going all out”, added Casey.

TeamGB’s women’s pair were next to race. “Our target here was always to reach the final”, said a composed Olivia Whitlam after the race. For many onlookers she appeared to underplay what they saw as a “fairytale” for two women who came together as recently as May to row as a pair. They qualified for the Olympic Games as late as June and have had little time together to race.

Whitlam, who took up rowing just six years ago at King’s School, Chester, felt they might even have challenged the New Zealand winners more closely. “I thought we might get back at them at the end but we already had a qualifying slot and I thought we’d better not blow up at the end by going for it”.

Australia who were the early race leaders were overhauled by the New Zealanders at the 1500m mark and the GB duo who had been second behind the Australians for the middle part of the race went with them.

“We hoped the Australians had gone out too early and we tried to keep calm. In the end we were right”, said Reeve.

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PREVIEW OF TOMORROW’S RACING

Tomorrow’s action for TeamGB at the rowing course includes semi-finals of the men’s single, double and four and a repechage of the women’s eight.

On Thursday semi-finals continue for GB with action in the lightweight men’s and women’s doubles and the lightweight men’s four.

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TODAY’S RESULTS
(Races featuring GB crews only)

OPEN

WOMEN

Pair

1. Juliette Haigh/Nicola Coles (New Zealand) 7:32.64
2. Louisa Reeve/Olivia Whitlam (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:34.54
3. Kim Crow/Sarah Cook (Australia) 7:38.48
4. Inene Pascal-Pretre/Stephanie Dechand (France) 7:41.87

REPECHAGES

Repechage 2
1. Hester Goodsell/Helen Casey (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:24.27
2. Chrysi Biskitzi/Alexandra Tsiavou (Greece) 7:24.55
3. Yaima Velazquez/Ismaray Marrero (Cuba) 7:32.14
4. Gabriela Huerta/Lila Perez Rul (Mexico) 7:41.97
5. Camila Carvalho/Luciana Granato (Brazil) 7:47.53

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BEIJING RACING TIMETABLE

Wednesday 13
Semi-finals:
Men’s single, double, pair and four
Women’s single

Repechages:
Women’s eight

Thursday 14
Semi-finals:
Lightweight men’s double and four
Lightweight women’s double
Men’s quadruple scull

B Finals:
Men’s and women’s single and double and men’s four

Friday 15 August
Reserve day

Saturday 16 August:

FINALS:
Men’s and women’s single, double and pair and men’s four

B Finals:
Lightweight men’s double and four
Lightweight women’s double
Men’s and women’s quadruple scull
Men’s eight

Sunday 17 August:

FINALS
Lightweight men’s double and four
Lightweight women’s double
Men’s and women’s quadruple scull and eight
Women’s eight

NB – subject to change. Please see Beijing 2008 website
for up to date information.

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TEAMGB CREW LISTS
Olympic Games 2008, Beijing
(with clubs/home towns/dates of birth)
(listed from bow to stroke as at 7 August)

OPEN

WOMEN

Eight:

Carla Ashford (Oxford Brookes BC/Northallerton/13.03.79)
Beth Rodford (Thames RC/Burton-on-Trent/ 28.12.82)
Natasha Page (Reading Uni/Hartpury/30.04.85)
Natasha Howard (Tideway Scullers/West Runton/3.9.80)
Jess Eddie (Uni of London/Durham/07.10.84)
Sarah Winckless (Walbrook & Royal/Henley/18.10.73)
Alison Knowles (Thames RC/ Bournemouth/27.3.82)
Katie Greves (Leander Club/Oxford/02.09.82)
Caroline O’Connor (Oxford Brookes/Ealing/25.04.83) (cox)

Coach: John Keogh

Pair

Louisa Reeve (Leander/London/16.05.84)/
Olivia Whitlam (Agecroft/Warrington 16.09.85)

Coach: Rob Morgan

Quad Scull

Annie Vernon (Marlow RC/Wadebridge/01.09.82)/Debbie Flood
(Leander Club/Leeds/27.02.80)/Frances Houghton
(Tyrian Club (Uni of London)/Oxford/19.09.80)/Katherine
Grainger (St Andrew BC/Aberdeen/12.11.75)

Coach: Paul Thompson

Double scull

Elise Laverick (Thames RC/Poling, W.Sussex/27.07.75)/
Anna Bebington (Leander Club/Leek, Staffs/13.2.83)

Coach: Miles Forbes Thomas

Alternates*

Tina Stiller (Nottingham RC/Yarm, N.Yorks/23.6.87)
Alice Freeman (Wallingford RC/Oxford/6.9.78)

MEN

Pair

Robin Bourne-Taylor (Army RC/Oxford/22.07.81)/Tom Solesbury
(Molesey BC/Petts Wood, Kent/23.09.80)

Coach: Peter Sheppard

Four

Tom James (Molesey/Wrexham/11.3.84)/Steve Williams
(Leander Club/Cheltenham/15.04.76)/Peter Reed (Leander Club/
Nailsworth, Glos/27.07.81)/Andy Triggs Hodge (Molesey BC/Hebden,
N.Yorks/03.03.79)

Coach: Jurgen Grobler

Eight

Alex Partridge (Leander Club/Alton, Hants/25.01.81)/
Tom Stallard (Leander/Welwyn, Herts/11.09.78)/
Tom Lucy (Oxford Brookes/Monmouth/01.05.88)/
Richard Egington (Leander/Knutsford/26.02.79)/
Josh West (Leander/Santa Fe, USA/25.03.77)/
Alastair Heathcote (Army RC/London/18.8.77)/
Matt Langridge(Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.83)/
Colin Smith (Leander/Henley on Thames/23.09.83)/
Acer Nethercott (University College Oxford BC/Harlow/28.11.77)
(cox)

Coaches: Mark Banks, John West

Single Scull

Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers/Coleraine/9.5.83)

Coach: Bill Barry

Double Scull

Matt Wells (Leander Club/Hexham, Northumberland/19.4.79)/
Stephen Rowbotham (Leander Club/Winscombe, Somerset/11.11.81)

Coach: Mark Earnshaw

Men’s Alternates*

Tom Parker (Oxford Brookes/Winchester/24.10.82)
Alex Gregory (Reading Uni/Wormington/11.03.84)

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Double scull

Hester Goodsell (Reading Uni/Cambridge/27.06.84)
Helen Casey (Wallingford RC/Oxford/06.02.74)/

Coach: Rob Morgan

MEN

Four

Richard Chambers (Oxford Brookes/Coleraine/10.06.85)/
James Lindsay-Fynn (London/Trim/29.09.75)/Paul Mattick
(Wallingford/Oxford/25.04.78)/James Clarke (London RC/
London/31.12.84)

Coach: Robin Williams

Double scull

Zac Purchase (Marlow RC/Tewkesbury, Glos/02.05.86)/
Mark Hunter (Leander Club/Romford, Essex/01.07.78)

Coach: Darren Whiter

Lightweight Men’s Alternate*

Rob Williams (London RC/Maidenhead/21.01.1985)

* Alternate=Reserve

TEAM OFFICIALS

ACCREDITED TEAM OFFICIALS

Team Leader:
David Tanner

Chief Coaches:
Jurgen Grobler, Paul Thompson

Coaches:
Miles Forbes-Thomas, John Keogh, Robin Williams, Darren Whiter,
Rob Morgan, Bill Barry, Mark Earnshaw, Mark Banks, John West, Peter Sheppard