Double gold world cup start for GB Rowing Team
The GB Rowing team’s men’s four and women’s pair both took gold on the finals morning at the World Cup in Lucerne.
Both led from the start, were challenged briefly towards the end, before winning by more than a length.
Britain also added a silver and bronze from the men’s pair and the lightweight men’s four respectively in the Olympic classes and a silver and bronze in the coxed and lightweight men’s pairs.
Alex Gregory, Mohamed Sbihi, George Nash and Andrew Triggs Hodge set a powerful rhythm in the middle of their race to create the platform for victory despite a surge from the Dutch world champions in the final 500m.
Nash said: “It’s always awesome to be under pressure and overcoming the challenges, that’s why we do what we do. The Dutch certainly upped their game in that last 500m but we were solid”.
Helen Glover revealed that she had been battling a two-week cold in the lead up to Lucerne. The pair with Heather Stanning also looked briefly challenged by New Zealand before pulling away to win whilst keeping something in reserve.
Glover said: “We needed to come here and get the job done rather than lay out everything. It feels a bit like an anti-climax, a sensible day at the office rather than anything more exciting”.
The men’s pair of Matt Langridge and James Foad were formed just over two weeks ago. So their silver was a bonus at this stage.
Matt Langirdge and James Foad surprised the crowd but not themselves with their silver medal winning performance in the men’s pair behind the world’s stand-out crew, the World and Olympic Champions from New Zealand.
Langridge said: “We came here with that in mind – to get second. We know that the New Zealanders are the dominant world crew and to finish second was pretty realistic after just two weeks together. We can build on that and get closer”.
By contrast the lightweight men’s four, containing three London 2012 silver medallists, were downbeat about their performance which secured a bronze. “They were just better than us today”, said Chris Bartley who strokes the crew. “I am looking forward to going away to the training camps and getting some good work done there”.
Sir David Tanner, Performance Director for the GB Rowing Team said: “I am really pleased with the first half of the day with two excellent gold medals from our men’s four and women’s pair backed up by some other strong medal performances”.
The event will be shown as highlights tomorrow on BBC TV at 16.00-17.30 and is live on the Red Button.
Thursday (17 July) sees the announcement of the GB Rowing Team members who will contest this summer’s World Championships in Amsterdam. Members of the media wishing to attend should e-mail: [email protected] by midday on 16th July.
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RACE REPORTS
Helen Glover and Heather Stanning raced today in their second 2014 world cup together. Their 2012 Olympic winning partnership has been reunited later than planned after Stanning was held back on medical advice from competing at the European Championships.
The British Army Captain, who returned to the squad after a year spent on active service, needed time to regain her intensity at the very top of the training percentages. Three weeks ago in Aiguebelette the duo proved that hurdle had been passed as they surged away from the USA to win gold.
Here today they faced former World Champion, Rebecca Scown with Louise Trappitt in the top New Zealand boat with Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler, another Kiwi combination, also posing a probable threat.
At the outset Glover and Stanning laid down a marker by taking an early lead. They were tracked by the second-ranked Kiwi boat, their U23 crew.
Soon the British duo had stretched out the field behind them with New Zealand 2 still in contention and a threat in a repeat of yesterday’s semi-final. Nothing really changed from there with the British crew easing out to a three-second lead by 1500m and the top-ranked New Zealand crew beginning to come back.
In the final 250m the Kiwis came back hard at the GB pair and Glover and Stanning needed to raise their game a little with the tempo to push out to victory in 7:12.99 by a length.
Afterwards Glover revealed that she had been battling a cold for two weeks before arriving in Lucerne. “We needed to come here and get the job done rather than lay out everything. It feels a bit like an anti-climax, a sensible day at the office rather than anything more exciting”.
Stanning added : “I am really proud to be back and rowing with Helen and to put a race together here without unleashing our main game”.
James Foad and Matt Langridge, both winners of a silver medal in the eight three weeks ago in France, are the newly-established and top-ranked GB Rowing Team men’s pair. With a short lead-time to prepare for this regatta, they showed significant potential to reach today’s final by taking second place in their semi.
There they were drawn alongside the current world-dominating Kiwis Eric Murray and Hamish Bond but knew that the European gold medallists from Serbia and seasoned racer Shaun Keeling with Vincent Breet of South Africa were also potential medal winners.
By 500m gone, the GB boat was fourth but by a mere whisker behind South Africa. At halfway the GB boat had moved up into third behind New Zealand and Serbia. As the crews came past the grandstand Langridge, in the stroke seat, picked up the rate and the resulting sprint saw them take the Serbs with 200m to go to take silver in 6:37.88 with the New Zealanders consummate winners.
Asked if they had surprised even themselves Langridge said: “Not really. We came here with that in mind – to get second. We know that the New Zealanders are the dominant world crew and to finish second was pretty realistic after just two weeks together. We can build on that and get closer”.
Foad added: “We were more in the pack off the start today which helped and it’s the first time we’ve tried a proper finish”.
The GB lightweight men’s four of Mark Aldred, siblings Peter and Richard Chambers and Chris Bartley were drawn today between their big rivals Denmark and New Zealand. These three crews took the medals at the last world cup with the Kiwis winning by a considerable margin from Denrmark.
The Kiwis and Danes led in the first half with GB tucked behind in fourth, moving through to third at the official 1km timing point. Out front in the second half the Kiwis stretched out their lead to gain clear water as the grandstands approached. The Danes battled hard but could not affect the lead. The British boat made sure of bronze with a surge to the finish.
“I don’t think we did as good a job as we could today, to be honest”, said Chris Bartley. “They were just better than us today. I am looking forward to going away and getting in some good work at the training camps. We have done it before and we can do it again”.
Richard, the elder Chambers brother said: “We were just trying to row well in the first half today and not force it. We aren’t rowing as well together as we should but that will come. The training camps are now very important. Look at the men’s eight who were fourth here last year and went on to win in Korea. We can improve there”.
Alex Gregory, Mohamed Sbihi, George Nash and Andrew Triggs Hodge have made an impact on the world stage this year by dominating all of their races. They won at the Europeans and the world cup in France three weeks ago as well as at Henley Royal Regatta. Gregory and Triggs Hodge are already Olympic Champions in this both class. All four are World Champions from last year’s GB eight.
Not that they any of them are eating on their laurels, knowing that other nations will be trying to find the formula to beat them.
In the final the crew used their power to get off to a strong start. They led at 500m and again as the crews came through halfway by which time the British quartet had three-quarters of a length over Canada, their nearest challengers.
In the third 500m the Dutch, world champions in this event, created a stir by putting in a big push. The British boat responded with its strong and powerful rhythm to take the win by a length in 5:58.53.
“From my seat that was a fantastic race, one of the best we’ve done. We got into such a nice rhythm in the middle part of the race and that is what rowing should be about”, said Gregory.
Sbihi gave an equal sense of a job well done: “We executed the plan but weren’t full out. Job done”, he said.
Triggs Hodge said: “It is such a wonderful privilege to be in that position and enjoy such a wonderful regatta by getting out and sitting on a field like that. It felt good. We have worked hard for it”.
Nash said: “It’s always awesome to be under pressure and overcoming the challenges, that’s why we do what we do. The Dutch certainly upped their game in that last 500m but we were solid”.
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RESULTS
World Cup III, Lucerne
(events featuring GB Crews only. Full results: www.worldrowing.com)
FINALS
OPEN
WOMEN
Pair – Final A
1. Helen Glover/Heather Stanning (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:12.99
2. Grace Predergast/Kerri Gowler (New Zealand 2) 7:15.03
3. Louise Trappitt/Rebecca Scown (New Zealand 1) 7:20.45
4. Naydene Smith/Lee-Ann Persse (South Africa) 7:25.53
5. Cristina Grigoras/Laura Oprea (Romania) 7:26.03
6. Aletta Jorritsma/Heleen Boers (Netherlands) 7:26.57
OPEN
MEN
Pair – Final A
1. Eric Murray/Hamish Bond (New Zealand) 6:28.70
2. James Foad/Matt Langridge (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:37.88
3. Veselin Savic/Dusan Bogicevic (Serbia) 6:38.45
4. Marco Di Constanzo/Matteo Castaldo (Italy) 6:41.13
5. Shaun Keeling/Vincent Breet (South Africa 1) 6:45.70
6. David Hunt/Brittain Lawrence (South Africa 2) 6:54.69
Coxed Pair – Final A
1. Alexander Egler/Peter Kluge/Jonas Wiesen (cox) (Germany) 7:03.00
2. Scott Durant/Alan Sinclair/Henry Fieldman (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:03.59
3. Thomas Doornbos/Stefan Broenink/Time van den Ende (cox) (Netherlands) 7:15.79
Four – Final A
1. Alex Gregory/Moe Sbihi/George Nash/Andrew Triggs Hodge (GREAT BRITAIN) 5:58.53
2. Boaz Meylink/Mechiel Versluis/Olivier Siegelaar/Robert Luecken (Netherlands) 6:00.41
3. Will Crothers/Rob Gibson/Conlin McCabe/Kai Langerfeld (Canada) 6:01.92
4. Bjoern Birkner/Maximilian Munski/Toni Seifert/Kristof Wilke (Germany) 6:03.08
5. Matteo Lodo/Paolo Perino/Mario Paonessa/Giuseppe Vicino (Italy) 6:06.68
6. Jan Pilc/Milan Dolecek Jr/Jakub Podrazil/Matyas Klang (Czech Republic) 6:06.92
LIGHTWEIGHT
MEN
Pair – Final A
1. Simon Niepmann/Lucas Tramer (Switzerland) 6:41.58
2. Jiri Kopac/Miroslav Vrastil Jr (Czech Republic) 6:41.82
3. Jonathan Clegg/Sam Scrimgeour (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:42.64
4. Clement Duret/Theophile Onfroy (France) 6:46.41
5. Darryn Purcell/Alister Foot (Australia) 6:49.95
6. Guido Gravina/Alberto Di Seyssel (Italy 2) 6:53.52
Four – Final A
1. James Hunter/Peter Taylor/James Lassche/Curtis Rapley (New Zealand) 6:00.17
2. Kasper Winther/Jacob Larsen/Jacob Barsoe/Morten Joergensen (Denmark) 6:02.89
3. Mark Aldred/Peter Chambers/Richard Chambers/Chris Bartley (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:06.09
4. Augustin Mouterde/Thomas Baroukh/Franck Solforosi/Guillaume Raineau (France) 6:07.88
5. Blair Tunevitsch/Samuel Beltz/Nicholas Silcox/Thomastom Gibson (Australia) 6:09.09
6. Elia Luini/Martino Goretti/Stefano Oppo/Paolo di Girolamo (Italy) 6:09.63
Single scull – Final A
1. Michael Schmid (Switzerland) 7:14.05
2. Damien Piqueras (France) 7:16.83
3. Daniel Lawitzke (Germany) 7:16.88
4. Spyridon Giannaros (Greece) 7:17.13
5. Adam Freeman-Pask (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:19.59
6. Rajko Hrvat (Slovenia) 7:22.56
B FINALS
OPEN
WOMEN
Quadruple scull – Final B
1. Kristina Stiller/Olivia Carnegie-Brown/Victoria Meyer-Laker/Beth Rodford (GREAT BRITAIN 1)
6:42.12
2. Ruth Walczak/Eleanor Piggott/Brianna Stubbs/Charlotte Taylor (GREAT BRITAIN 2) 6:50.05
3. Anne Andersen/Christina Johansen/Hedvig Rasmussen/Rannva Olsen (Denmark) 6:50.74
4. Benedetta Bellio/Veronica Paccagnella/Alessandra Patelli/Gaia Palma (Italy) 6:53.77
OPEN
MEN
Pair – Final B
1. Giovanni Abagnale/Vincenzo Abbagnale (Italy) 6:46.99
2. Bastian Bechler/Anton Braun (Germany) 6:47.77
3. Milos Vasic/Nenad Bedik (Serbia 2) 6:48.92
4. Alexander Sigurbjonsson Benet/Pau Vela Maggi (Spain) 6:50.77
5. Oliver Cook/Philip Congdon (GREAT BRITAIN 2) 6:51.33
6. Ioannis Tsilis/Dionysios Angelopoulos (Greece 2) 6:53.82
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FORWARD DIARY DATES
July
17 – NOTE NEW DATE THIS THURSDAY
Announcement of GB Rowing Team crews for the World Championships – venue Caversham.
23-27
World U23 Championships, Varese, Italy
August
6-10
World Junior Championships, Hamburg, Germany
16-28
World Youth Olympic Games, Nanjing, China
24 – 31
World Championships, Amsterdam
September
13-14
World University Championships, Gravelines, France (U23s only)
October
19-20
British Championships – GB Rowing Team participation
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CONTACT DETAILS
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