Well-earned wins keep senior title defences on track
The GB Rowing Team’s senior squad continued their defence of both the men’s coxed pair and lightweight men’s pair titles by winning their semi-finals in Rotterdam on Thursday afternoon.
The men's coxed pair on the charge © Peter Spurrier/Intersport Images
Cox Henry Fieldman stayed on course for a second successive gold medal after he, Ollie Cook and Callum McBrierty surged through the field to take first place on the line.
As in Monday’s heats, GB concentrated on their own race as the crews around stormed out into early leads. The United States and Ukraine were well clear at 500m, with the Brits a narrow sixth at that stage.
Settling into a powerful rhythm, they pushed past the Italians and reeled in the tiring Ukranians to sit second with 500m to go. They wanted the win, though, and continued to pound away, eventually overhauling the Americans in the last few strokes.
Joel Cassells and Sam Scrimgeour edge clear of DenmarkThe lightweight men’s pair of Joel Cassells and Sam Scrimgeour extended their unbeaten record to 11 races but had to work hard to hold off a determined challenge from Denmark.
Emil Espensen and Jens Vilhelmsen had finished runners-up to the British pair at both the European Championships and the Poznan World Cup this year, and the two crews were once again the class of the field.
There was very little to choose between them throughout the race but Cassells and Scrimgeour had their noses in front and were able to respond to any challenge the Danes made.
Both senior pairs are coached by Christian Felkel, who – along with Jurgen Grobler – coached the men’s eight to Olympic gold in Rio earlier this month.
Gemma Hall is making her senior debut at these World Championships and had achieved her main target of the week by reaching the semi-finals of a hotly-contested lightweight women’s single scull competition.
She was in touch with the top three at the 500m mark but a battle for third spot between Russia’s Anastasiia Ianina and Katherine Sauks of Canada took them away from the Brit.
Hall was also passed by Belgium’s Eveline Peleman in the last 250m but gained more valuable senior racing experience and will race in the B final on Saturday.
Day five had began with the repechages for the Junior World Championships, featuring two GB boats.
The men’s coxed four of Matthew Rowe, Alex Green, Seb Newman, Bertie Woodward-Fisher and cox George Cozens were off the race pace in Wednesday’s heats but got off to an excellent start today to put themselves right in the mix for one of the two A final places available.
They were second with 800m gone but Serbia were able to push through and, along with Australia, moved clear. GB had given their all and faded in the last 500m, crossing the line in fifth.
Only two crews progressed in the women’s pair repechage as well and those places were secured early on as Denmark and Germany surged clear.
The British pair of Hope Cessford and Lauren Irwin rowed well, at times matching the pace of the leading crews, but were unable to make up ground and came home in fourth.
Race Results
(Events featuring GB Rowing Team crews only. For full results – www.worldrowing.com)
SENIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
SEMI-FINALS
OPEN
MEN
Coxed pair – SF1
1. Oliver Cook/Callum McBrierty/Henry Fieldman (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:54.58
2. Yohann Rigogne/Thomas Pestek/Louis Lombardi Jr (cox) (USA) 6:54.70
3. Mario Paonessa/Vincenzo Capelli/Andrea Riva (cox) (Italy) 6:56.59
4. Matyas Klang/Jakub Marovicka/Radek Suma (cox) (Czech Republic) 6:59.62
5. Sergii Gryn/Artem Moroz/Oleksandr Konovaliuk (cox) (Ukraine) 6:59.92
6. Onat Kazakli/Besim Sahinoglu/Kaan Sahin (cox) (Turkey) 7:03.69
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Single scull – SF2
1. Zoe McBride (New Zealand) 7:31.45
2. Anastasiia Ianina (Russia) 7:34.35
3. Katherine Sauks (Canada) 7:34.96
4. Patricia Merz (Switzerland) 7:37.15
5. Eveline Peleman (Belgium) 7:48.47
6. Gemma Hall (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:50.54
MEN
Pair – SF1
1. Joel Cassells/Sam Scrimgeour (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:29.63
2. Emil Espensen/Jens Vilhelmsen (Denmark) 6:30.12
3. Lei Li/Zhongwei Li (China) 6:32.81
4. Masato Kobayashi/Kazuki Nara (Japan) 6:33.38
5. Julius Peschel/Sven Kessler (Germany) 6:36.39
6. Sergei Cherepkov/Aleksei Kiiashko (Russia) 6:38.24
JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
REPECHAGE
JUNIOR WOMEN
Pair – R2
1. Frida Sanggaard Nielsen/Ida Petersen (Denmark) 7:24.99
2. Katja Fuhrmann/Katja Ruebling (Germany) 7:28.82
3. Andrea Budeanu/Simona Geanina Radis (Romania) 7:40.21
4. Hope Cessford/Lauren Irwin (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:47.34
5. Oleksandra Rohozhynska/Zhanna Huzhva (Ukraine) 7:54.57
JUNIOR MEN
Coxed four – R1
1. Serbia 6:27.28
2. Australia 6:28.47
3. Ukraine 6:33.52
4. South Africa 6:33.60
5. Matthew Rowe/Alex Green/Seb Newman/Bertie Woodward-Fisher/George Cozens (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:35.47
Crew List
Senior World Rowing Championships, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, August 21-28, 2016
(Listed bow to stroke; club, hometown, date of birth)
OPEN
WOMEN
Four
Fiona Gammond (Leander Club/Bicester/19.10.92)
Donna Etiebet (Imperial College BC/London/29.04.86)
Holly Nixon (Leander Club/Enniskillen/07.12.93)
Holly Norton (Leander Club/Johannesburg, SA/01.01.93)
Coach: Jane Hall
MEN
Coxed pair
Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC/Windsor/05.06.90)
Callum McBrierty (Leander Club/Edinburgh/13.08.92)
Henry Fieldman (cox) (Molesey BC/Barnes/25.11.88)
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Single scull
Gemma Hall (Wallingford RC/Wargrave/10.04.92)
Coach: Ben Reed
Quadruple scull
Brianna Stubbs (Wallingford RC/Poole/13.07.91)
Emily Craig (Univ of London BC/Mark Cross/30.11.92)
Imogen Walsh (London RC/Inverness/17.01.84)
Ellie Piggott (Wallingford RC/Bedford/16.05.91)
Coach: Ben Reed
MEN
Pair
Joel Cassells (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Coleraine/15.06.94)
Sam Scrimgeour (Imperial College BC/Kirriemuir/28.01.88)
Quadruple scull
Charles Waite-Roberts (Leander Club/Basingstoke/06.11.92)
Jamie Copus (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Watlington/30.01.93)
Jamie Kirkwood (Leander Club/Newcastle/30.08.89)
Zak Lee-Green (Agecroft RC/Cardiff/06.02.91)
Coach: Ross Hunter
GB Rowing Team for Junior World Rowing Championships
JUNIOR WOMEN
Pair
Hope Cessford (Durham ARC)
Lauren Irwin (Chester-le-Street ARC)
Coach: Tom Pattichis (GBRT/Gloucester Hartpury)
JUNIOR MEN
Coxed four
Matthew Rowe (Royal Shrewsbury School BC)
Alex Green (Westminster School BC)
Seb Newman (Shiplake College BC)
Bertie Woodward-Fisher (St Paul’s School BC)
George Cozens (cox) (Eton College BC)
Coach: Mark Woodcock (Pangbourne College BC)
Contact Info
For background information about the The GB Rowing Team contact the Press office via comms@gbrowingteam.org.uk or 07831 755351
For picture requests please contact: GBRTpressoffice@gbrowingteam.org.uk
GB Rowing Team website, including full rower biogs: www.gbrowingteam.org.uk
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