GB to battle in six medal finals on Saturday at Glasgow 2018 European Rowing Championships

All seven crews to race in repechages successfully progress to later rounds of competition as European Championships moves into finals weekend

Seven GB crews came through repechages to book their places in the next rounds of the Glasgow 2018 European Rowing Championships at Strathclyde Country Park.

Friday’s results set up a total of six medal finals for Great Britain on Saturday as the competition reaches the business end.

Four crews won their repechages, including both the women’s pair and women’s four. Hattie Taylor and Rowan McKellar, in the pair, led from start to finish to lead France over the line by a length and move through to Saturday’s medal race.

The four, which missed out on an automatic qualification place in the heat by just a thousandth of a second, made sure of their progression by winning their repechage by half a length. Sara Parfett, Caragh McMurtry, Emily Ashford and Jo Wratten also led from the start to keep the Netherlands at bay in second.

The women’s quadruple sculls also looked comfortable in their repechage win to reach Saturday’s final. Alice Baatz, Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne, Melissa Wilson and Zoe Lee finished nearly half a length up on Russia to take the first of two qualification places to the final.

Zak Lee-Green and Jamie Copus were in a tight battle with Slovakians Marek Reznak and Peter Zelinka all the way down the course in the lightweight men’s double sculls. The Brits crossing the line just two tenths of a second ahead. Both crews go through to Saturday’s semi-finals.

Ellie Piggott and Fran Rawlins sealed their place in the lightweight women’s double final on Sunday with second place in their repechage. GB finished over a length ahead of Ireland to secure their progression behind Switzerland.

GB’s men’s eight finished second to Romania in their repechage to see them through to the final, with the women’s eight finishing third in their exhibition race ahead of Saturday’s race for medals.

And the men’s pair of Matt Rossiter and Ollie Cook will race in Saturday’s B final after finishing just outside the qualification places in fourth.

British Rowing Director of Performance Brendan Purcell said: “It’s really positive to see our crews confidently coming through their repechages and into finals and semi-finals. There were four solid wins out on the water and every crew that raced today has helped tune their performances for the weekend.

“The first two days of racing have left our athletes feeling confident ahead of the intensity of finals racing to come over the next two days.”

Results

Women’s

Women’s pair repechage

1. Rowan McKellar & Harriet Taylor (GBR) 7:21.58
2. Flavie Bahuaud & Marie Le Nepvou (FRA) 7:24.10
3. Anna Wierzbowska & Monika Sobieszek (POL) 7:25.82

Women’s four repechage

1. Great Britain (Sara Parfett, Caragh McMurtry, Emily Ashford, Jo Wratten) 6:46.43
2. Netherlands 6:47.68
3. Denmark 6:50.13

Women’s eight repechage

1. Romania 6:07.01
2. Netherlands 6:07.52
3. Great Britain (Anastasia Chitty, Katherine Douglas, Holly Hill,  Rebecca Girling, Fiona Gammond, Holly Norton, Karen Bennett, Rebecca Shorten, Matilda Horn) 6:07.63

Women’s quadruple scull repechage

1. Great Britain (Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne, Zoe Lee, Alice Baatz, Melissa Wilson) 6:27.61
2. Russia 6:28.40
3. Italy 6:28.54

Lightweight women’s double scull repechage

1. Patricia Merz & Frederique Rol (SUI) 7:03.89
2. Ellie Piggott & Fran Rawlins (GBR) 7:06.04
3. Aoife Casey & Denise Walsh (IRL) 7:11.31

Men’s

Men’s pair semi final

1. Martin Sinkovic & Valent Sinkovic (CRO) 6:22.18
2. Marius-Vasile Cozmiuc & Ciprian Tudosa (ROU) 6:23.52
3. Nenad Bedik & Milos Vasic (SRB) 6:23.79
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4. Matt Rossiter & Oliver Cook (GBR) 6:25.29

Men’s eight repechage

1. Romania 5:28.60
2. Great Britain (Tom George, Tom Jeffery, Will Satch, Tom Ransley, Moe Sbihi, Alan Sinclair, Matthew Tarrant, Oliver Wynne-Griffith, Henry Fieldman) 5:31.67
3. Italy 5:34.04

Lightweight men’s double scull repechage

1. Jamie Copus & Zak Lee-Green (GBR) 6:26.06
2. Marek Reznak & Peter Zelinka (SVK) 6:26.25
3. Jiri Simanek & Miroslav Vrastil Jr (CZE) 6:27.95