GB para-rowers among the medals at Brit Champs

Four GB Rowing Team medallists from the World Championships were among the para-rowers to win gold at the British Rowing Senior Championships in Nottingham on Sunday.

Four GB Rowing Team medallists from the World Championships were among the para-rowers to win gold at the British Rowing Senior Championships in Nottingham on Sunday.

Double World Champion Dan Brown, part of the LTA mixed coxed four that won the World title in both 2014 and 2015, took the men’s legs-trunk-arms (LTA) single scull honours ahead of Marlow RC duo Sam Murray and Jordan Beecher.

“It’s been good to get out in the single again and get a bit of competition at the start of a big year,” said Upper Thames RC’s Brown, who is hoping to make his Paralympic Games debut in Rio next summer.

“It’s always nice to go back to our clubs and mix things up.”

University of East London’s Rose Linden, who raced in the LTA mixed coxed four at this year’s International Para-Rowing Regatta, was fourth overall and took the women’s LTA gold medal.

Army RC’s Scott Meenagh, who also made his international debut in 2015, was the only trunk-arms (TA) rower to contest the A final and took the British title ahead of Tees RC duo Laurence Whiteley and James Rose.

The race for the women’s TA gold was the most closely-contested of the day, with Lauren Rowles edging out fellow Marlow TA rower Katie O’Brien by just four-tenths of a second. Bronze went to Sudbury RC’s Sophie Brown.

Rowles, who only took up rowing this year, teamed up with Whiteley at last month’s World Championships to qualify the TA mixed double scull for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and win silver on her international debut.

“This is only my second championships and my first in the single scull, so it’s been a very different experience for me but really enjoyable,” she said.

“It’s really good to see the depth of talent there is in para-rowing.”

Finishing just ahead of Rowles and O’Brien in the B final was Beijing 2008 Paralympic champion Tom Aggar, who took the men’s arms-shoulders (AS) title for Marlow RC. Silver went to Gloucester Hartpury’s Scott Jones and Marlow RC’s Liam Morris won bronze.

“It’s good to get some competitive racing in this early in the season,” said Aggar. “It gives us chance to assess our fitness and see where we are at this stage.”

Rachel Morris, silver-medallist at this year’s World Championships, took the AS women’s title.