World Championships: Day Six

Britain’s first medal of the World Rowing Championships was won by the lightweight men’s quad as 11 British crews get set to race A finals this weekend

Lightweight men’s quad claim GB’s first medal

Britain’s lightweight men’s quadruple scull (LM4x) claimed the team’s first medal of the 2017 World Rowing Championships after winning silver on the opening day of finals in Sarasota-Bradenton.

The quad of Gavin Horsburgh, Peter Chambers, Ed Fisher and Zak Lee-Green were edged on the line by France, who clinched gold by just 0.17 seconds with Greece back in third.

The medal comes on the first of three days of finals in Florida, with British crews set to line up in 11 medal races over Saturday and Sunday.

Horsburgh said: “We went out there three days on the trot and committed ourselves each time and showed our best form. In the final we didn’t quite get the result we wanted but we couldn’t have asked for more effort.

“It’s a fantastic feeling to win a medal but to also win Britain’s first here, we couldn’t have asked for more. It’s my first senior Worlds and we set a high bar for ourselves and I wouldn’t be sat here without three incredible teammates.”

In the other A finals, there were narrow fourth place finishes for both the men’s coxed pair (M2+) and the lightweight men’s pair (LM2-), who both just missed out on the podium places.

Tim Clarke, Tom Ford and cox Harry Brightmore finished behind Hungary, Australia and Germany in their coxed pair final in what is their first senior World Championships experience.

Poznan World Cup silver medallists Joel Cassells and Sam Scrimgeour then ended their championships just behind Brazil in the hunt for bronze, coming fourth in the lightweight pairs final.

In the women’s lightweight quadruple sculls (LW4x) A final, Maddie Arlett, Robyn Hart-Winks, Eleanor Piggott and Gemma Hall finished in fifth as Italy, Australia and China claimed the medals.

In the day’s earlier semi-finals, it wasn’t to be for the men’s double (M2x) of Angus Groom and Graeme Thomas after they ended their final in fourth, just one place shy of an A final spot. Groom and Thomas, competing for the first time at a senior regatta in over a year following their return from injury, will contend the B final on Sunday.

British crews set for 11 A finals this weekend

Sensational performances from Tom Barras and Vicky Thornley in the single sculls today saw both British boats qualify for Sunday’s A finals after semi-final victories today, taking the total number of A finals featuring British crews this weekend to 11.

Barras sat in the pack for the first half of his race before moving through the field in the second 1,000m, overtaking double Olympic silver medallist Damir Martin en route to victory.

The 23-year-old, who is enjoying his debut World Championships in his first year as a senior, qualified as the fastest boat for his final.

Vicky Thornley then followed suit in the next race at Nathan Benderson Park, winning the first women’s single (W1x) semi-final by 2.5 seconds.

The Olympic silver medallist in the double, who also won her heat in convincing fashion earlier in the week, finished ahead of Denmark’s Lisa Scheenaard and Carling Zeeman of Canada.

In the Para-rowing men’s single sculls (PR1 M1x), Andy Houghton safely negotiated his semi-final, finishing second and moves through to Sunday’s A final after only finishing behind Australia’s Erik Horrie.

The two Olympic class singles will race on Sunday along with Houghton and the women’s eight, who qualified through the repechage yesterday.

Tomorrow will see seven GB crews in action, opening with the Para-rowing mixed coxed four (PR3 Mix4+) before both men’s (M2-) and women’s (W2-) pairs compete for the medals.

The men’s four (M4-) will then take to the water after the lightweight women’s double before the men’s (M4x) and women’s (W4x) quad sculls conclude the action.

British Rowing Performance Director Sir David Tanner said: “As a Team we’ve had an excellent first six days here in Florida and my congratulations go to the lightweight men’s quad on winning our first medal after an impressive week for the four of them.

“To be in so many A finals this weekend is a terrific showing and Tom and Vicky’s performances today highlight the strength we have across the Team. This was also no more evident yesterday with Ollie Wynne-Griffith stepping in for the unwell Will Satch to help the men’s four qualify for their final.

“At the end of our first season of the new Olympiad, to see so many crews in A finals is testament to the hard work that has been put in by rowers and coaches across the summer and shows what a good place we are in at the start of our long build up to Tokyo 2020.”

Results

PR1 men’s single scull semi-final (Three progress to A final)

1. Australia, 10:20.54

2. Great Britain (Andy Houghton), 10:30.62

3. Brazil, 10:41.52

 

Men’s double scull semi-final (Three progress to A final)

1. France, 6:15.39

2. New Zealand, 6:16.33

3. Lithuania, 6:17.04

–

4. Great Britain (Graeme Thomas and Angus Groom), 6:20.21

 

Men’s single scull semi-final (Three progress to A final)

1. Great Britain (Tom Barras), 6:49.97

2. Croatia, 6:51.36

3. Germany, 6:51.94

 

Women’s single scull semi-final (Three progress to A final)

1. Great Britain (Vicky Thornley), 07:31.720

2. Netherlands, 07:34.090

3. Canada, 07:34.530

 

Men’s coxed pair A final

1. Hungary, 06:54.80

2. Australia, 06:56.60

3. Germany, 06:58.37

–

4. Great Britain (Tim Clarke, Tom Ford and Harry Brightmore (cox)), 07:01.610

 

Lightweight men’s pair A final

1. Ireland, 06:32.42

2. Italy, 06:34.20

3. Brazil, 06:35.30

–

4. Great Britain (Joel Cassell and Sam Scrimgeour), 06:37.56

 

Lightweight men’s quadruple scull A final

1. France, 05:51.850

2. Great Britain, (Gavin Horsburgh, Peter Chambers, Ed Fisher and Zak Lee-Green), 05:52.020

3. Greece, 05:53.640

 

Lightweight women’s quadruple scull A final

1. Italy, 06:33.970

2. Australia, 06:35.470

3. China, 06:36.330

–

5. Great Britain (Maddie Arlett, Robyn Hart-Winks, Eleanor Piggott and Gemma Hall), 06:47.940