Highlight 7# of the decade: Moe Sbihi smashes 2km record at BRIC 2015
Number seven in our highlights of the decade is Moe Sbihi smashing Sir Matthew Pinsent’s 2km record – unbroken for 11 years until BRIC 2015.
Because of Moe breaking the record, indoor rowing grabbed the headlines, making the mainstream news as Rich Stock, who was working at the event, remembers.
He said: “There had been a lot of chat in the build-up to the race as to whether Moe might be able to beat the record, but the experts at Concept2 were advising that the conditions weren’t great for a record attempt. I remember the excitement on the race floor as it was confirmed that Moe had beaten the record.”
The news quickly spread beyond the velodrome, as Stock explained: “That year, the event managed to reach the top trends on Twitter for the UK and Moe’s record was on the front page of the BBC News and Sport page which was a real breakthrough for indoor rowing.”
Read on to see how the British Rowing website reported it.
Moe Sbihi says he was inspired by the race between Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell at BRIC 2003 and hopes his performances have proved inspirational as well
Olympic gold medallist Moe Sbihi has thrown down the gauntlet to anyone competing at the British Rowing Indoor Championship (BRIC) on 10 December, challenging participants to get near the British record time he set 12 months ago.
I was there when teammates James [Cracknell] and Matt [Pinsent] went head-to-head in a real hammer of the race
It’ll be no mean feat, with Sbihi smashing Sir Matthew Pinsent’s 11-year-old record at the Lee Valley VeloPark in 2015, stopping the clock at 5:41.8 for his 2km effort.
The Indoor Championships is the competition that made Sbihi see the sport of rowing in a different light and inspired him to pursue his dreams of reaching the top.
Indoor rowing tips
Find out how you can improve your PB for BRIC here.
“It’s a really exciting event to be part of. It’s evolving and changing,” he said of BRIC.
“I remember in 2003 I was there when teammates James [Cracknell] and Matt [Pinsent] went head-to-head in a real hammer of the race. Cracknell ended himself and Pinsent just sat back and just pipped him at the end.
“There was the contrasting feeling of Pinsent looking relaxed and a little bit out of breath, while Cracknell was on the floor.
“That affected how I saw rowing, and hopefully what I did last year will inspire someone to give it a go and try and beat my score. My score is out there in public, so go and beat it.”
