Two bronze medals for GB crews on final day of Glasgow 2018 European Championships

Sam Mottram wins bronze in lightweight men’s single sculls while Jack Beaumont and Harry Leask take third place in the men’s double sculls

Great Britain’s rowers capped off their European Championships campaign with two bronze medals on the final day of racing at Strathclyde Country Park.

Following the silver medals won by the men’s four and women’s eight on Saturday, Sam Mottram took third place in the lightweight men’s single sculls and the duo of Jack Beaumont and Harry Leask took bronze in the men’s double sculls.

Mottram staged an impressive comeback in the second half of his final, moving up from sixth to third to win his first senior international medal. Switzerland’s Michael Schmid, the dominant force in the event so far this year, took gold, while Italy’s World Cup bronze medallist Martino Goretti took silver.

Leask and Beaumont only had a week to train together following the withdrawal of Angus Groom from the double sculls. The Leander crewmates found their rhythm immediately, winning the heat and semi, before battling hard for third in the final.

British Rowing Director of Performance Brendan Purcell said: “The two medals today were really pleasing to see. Sam has been working tirelessly to move into medal contention in the lightweight single and today he mixed with some of the strongest lightweight scullers in the world and got his reward.

“Harry and Jack came together at the start of the week and showed their maturity and professionalism to make the most of the situation. They produced three good rows this week and can be proud of their medals.”

In GB’s other two medal finals of the day, the men’s eight finished fifth with substitute James Rudkin replacing an ill Moe Sbihi, while Fran Rawlins and Ellie Piggott took sixth in a strong lightweight double sculls final.

The British men’s eight stuck with the early pace set by Romania and the Netherlands, but a second-half push by world champions Germany saw them move through the field to take gold.

All six crews in the lightweight women’s double sculls final had won at least one medal in the World Cup series, including the world champion Romanians.

The standout Dutch crew of Ilse Paulis and Marieke Keijser bided their time to move through Poland to win gold, with Rawlins and Piggott two lengths back from the Swiss bronze medallists.

And the lightweight men’s double sculls of Zak Lee-Green and Jamie Copus finished second in their B final, edged out in the closing metres by France, featuring reigning Olympic and world champion Pierre Houin.

Purcell added: “Our performances in this regatta have given us good clarity as to where our training focus needs to be ahead of the World Championships in September. The chief coaches and athletes will use this focus in the training camps, to get the specific training required under their belts, and come back stronger for the racing in Plovdiv.”

Results

Lightweight women’s double scull A final

1. Marieke Keijser & Isle Paulis (NED) 6:57.35
2. Weronika Deresz & Joanna Dorociak (POL), 6:58.39
3. Patricia Merz & Frederique Rol (SUI), 7:00.36
–
6. Ellie Piggott & Fran Rawlins (GBR), 7:08.34

Men’s eight A final

1. Germany, 5:27.48
2. Netherlands, 5:29.51
3. Romania, 5:29.71
–
5. Great Britain (Tom George, Tom Jeffery, Will Satch, Tom Ransley, James Rudkin, Alan Sinclair, Matthew Tarrant, Oliver Wynne-Griffith & Henry Fieldman), 5:31.95

Men’s double scull A final

1. Hugo Boucheron & Matthieu Androdias (FRA), 6:10.21
2. Ioan Prundeanu & Marian-Florian Enache (ROU), 6:10.71
3. Harry Leask & Jack Beaumont (GBR), 6:10.84

Lightweight men’s single scull A final

1. Michael Schmid (SUI), 6:54.93
2. Martino Goretti (ITA), 6:56.30
3. Sam Mottram (GBR), 6:57.18

Lightweight men’s double scull B final

1. Thomas Baroukh & Pierre Houin (FRA), 6:26.20
2. Jamie Copus & Zak Lee-Green (GBR), 6:26.71
3. Marek Reznak & Peter Zelinka(POL), 6:27.93