New-look four in GB Rowing Team line-up for Europeans
Mohamed Sbihi and George Nash, of Molesey BC, have emerged from an excellent winter’s training and testing to be named today in the GB Rowing Team men’s four for the European Championships.
They will join Olympic champions Andrew Triggs Hodge, also of Molesey BC, and Alex Gregory of Leander Club in the crew for the event in Belgrade from May 30 – June 1.
The four men were in the top two pairs at the recent GB Rowing Team Senior Trials with the Gregory-Sbihi combination taking the title. The third boat in that final, Leander Club’s Alan Sinclair and Nathaniel Reilly O’Donnell of the University of London BC, have been selected into the men’s pair.
Alex Gregory said: “Coming into the racing season is always a really good time. I really enjoy the end of Trials, that pressure and that build up and now we can concentrate on racing internationally and aiming towards the Worlds and Olympics. I’m really excited to race with this crew at the Euros. It’s going to be my first time there and it’s really exciting to have a full Championships this early in the season”
GB has today named nine men plus a cox from which the men’s eight will be drawn. They include five Olympic medallists – Pete Reed, Will Satch, James Foad, Matt Langridge and cox Phelan Hill. They are joined by Oliver Cook, Matt Gotrel, Mat Tarrant, Phil Congdon and Scott Durant.
GB has selected the 2013 World Championships quadruple scull bronze medallists in an unchanged line-up – Agecroft RC’s Graeme Thomas, Sam Townsend, of Reading University BC, and Charles Cousins and Peter Lambert of Leander Club.
2012 Olympic bronze medallist and 2013 World finalist Alan Campbell, of Tideway Scullers School, will race the single scull.
With emerging talents Jonny Walton and John Collins, both from Leander Club, also selected into a fresh-looking men’s double scull, there is good strength in depth across the open men’s boats for the Championships in which there are 17 (rather than the Olympic total of 14) official boat classes.
“The European Championships have emerged as an important event in their own right and we are ambitious to do well in Belgrade”, said Sir David Tanner, GB Rowing Team’s Performance Director. “We are excited to see how our winter’s training translates into these first races before making decisions on the world cups in June and July and the World Championships in August”.
Jürgen Grobler, Chief Coach for Men, said: “Moe and George have been selected into the four from a closely-contested men’s sweep squad. I am looking forward to seeing how all the rowers perform in Belgrade. I am sure that the opposition will be strong and it will be a good test for us”.
Elsewhere in the GB squad, Kat Copeland‘s winter training has also been on-song. The Olympic lightweight women’s double champion, from Tees RC, stormed to victory in the single at the Trials after a season’s rest from international competition and will race in the double in Belgrade with 2013 World finalist Imogen Walsh from London RC.
Paul Thompson, Chief Coach for Women, said: “Kat has made an outstanding come-back to the squad and was dominant in the Trials. She topped, with Imogen, a very competitive training group at the Trials. Everyone in this group has been pushing each other onwards. It will be a pleasure to see them race as well as relative newcomer Charlotte Taylor, from Putney Town RC, who will race the lightweight women’s single”.
The lightweight men’s crews are new for 2013. Three of the 2012 Olympic silver medal winning crew – brothers Peter, of Oxford Brookes University BC and Leander Club’s Richard Chambers and Chris Bartley – will be reunited in the lightweight men’s four and will race with Mark Aldred, of London RC, who won World bronze in the lightweight men’s pair in Korea last year.
Jamie Kirkwood and Will Fletcher, both from Leander Club, took the one-two at the GB Rowing Team Senior & U23 Trials, and are selected into the lightweight men’s double which was raced last year by the Chambers brothers. Imperial College BC’s Sam Scrimgeour and Leander Club’s Jonno Clegg race in the light men’s pair. They were both World bronze medallists last year in different crews.
Adam Freeman-Pask, from Reading University BC, takes the final lightweight men’s spot and will race the single. Both lightweight singles events and the lightweight men’s pair are Championship events at European Championships level.
Heather Stanning‘s withdrawal from Belgrade on medical advice means that Polly Swann, of Leander Club, steps back into the women’s pair with Helen Glover from Minerva Bath RC. The duo are reigning World Champions in this event.
Sir David Tanner said: “We are in an enviable position with our open women’s squad. Helen, Heather and Polly are a strong triumvirate for the women’s pair seats and it was always a tough call to make.
“We simply need to get Heather to step back off the training a little, rebuild and come back stronger later in the season”.
Victoria Thornley – a World top 10 single sculler last year from Leander Club, and winner of the GB Rowing Team Trials – partners veteran Olympic medallist Leander Club’s Frances Houghton in the women’s double scull.
Gloucester RC’s 2010 World Champion Beth Redford headlines the women’s quadruple scull crew which includes Kristina Stiller from Tees RC, Lucinda Gooderham of Sport Imperial BC, and Victoria Meyer-Laker of Leander Club – the latter was a World finalist with Houghton in the double in 2013.
London RC’s Jess Eddie, second in the GB Rowing Team Senior & U23 Trials in the women’s pair with Swann, is one of the more experienced names in the women’s eight group which has a new feel to it. Coxed by Zoe de Toledo and stroked by Start graduate Olivia Carnegie Brown of Oxford Brookes University BC, the crew will also feature Leander Club’s Monica Relph and Rosamund Bradbury, Zoe Lee of Imperial College and Caragh McMurtry, from Reading University BC, who have all raced internationally for GB in the past 12 months with seasoned internationals Louisa Reeve and Katie Greves, and new-comer Donna Etiebet, making up the group of nine rowers from which eight will eventually race.
KEY: BC = Boat Club, RC = Rowing Club.
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CREW LISTS (Includes club, home town, date of birth)
GB Rowing Team for the 2014 European Championships,
Belgrade, 30 May – 1 June.
OPEN
WOMEN
Pair
Helen Glover (Minerva Bath RC/Penzance/17.06.1986)
Polly Swann (Leander Club/Edinburgh/15.06.1988)
Coaches: Paul Thompson & Robin Williams
Eight (8 from 9 rowers + cox)
Rosamund Bradbury (Leander Club/Banstead/17.12.1988)
Olivia Carnegie-Brown (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Oxford/28.03.1991)
Jessica Eddie (London RC/Durham/07.10.1984)
Donna Etiebet (Sport Imperial BC/London/29.04.1986)
Katie Greves (Leander Club/Oxford/02.09.1982)
Zoe Lee (Imperial College BC/Richmond, N. Yorks/15.12.1985)
Caragh McMurtry (Reading Univ BC/Southampton/22.08.1991)
Louisa Reeve (Leander Club/London/16.05.1984)
Monica Relph (Leander Club/Cambridge/15.01.1988)
Zoe de Toledo (cox) (Leander Club/London/17.07.1987)
Coach: James Harris
Double scull
Frances Houghton (Leander Club/Oxford/19.09.1980)
Victoria Thornley (Leander Club/Wrexham/30.11.1987)
Coaches: Paul Thompson & Robin Williams
Quadruple scull
Beth Rodford (Gloucester RC/Gloucester/28.12.1982)
Lucinda Gooderham (Leander Club/Norfolk/09.06.1984)
Victoria Meyer-Laker (Leander Club/Premnay/18.03.1988)
Kristina Stiller (Tees RC/Yarm/23.06.1987)
Coach: Nick Strange
OPEN
MEN
Pair
Alan Sinclair (Leander Club/Inverness/16.10.1985)
Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell (Univ of London BC/Durham/13.04.1988)
Coach: Rob Dauncey
Four
Alex Gregory (Leander Club/Wormington/11.03.1984)
Mohamed Sbihi (Molesey BC/Surbiton/27.03.1988)
George Nash (Molesey BC/Guildford/10.02.1989)
Andrew Triggs Hodge (Molesey BC/Hebden, N. Yorks/03.03.1979)
Coach: Jurgen Grobler
Eight
Phil Congdon (Molesey BC/Bury St Edmunds/06.06.1989)
Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC/Windsor/05.06.1990)
Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.1988)
James Foad (Molesey BC/Southampton/20.03.1987)
Matthew Gotrel (Leander Club/Chipping Campden/01.03.1989)
Matt Langridge (Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.1983)
Pete Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth, Glos/27.07.1981)
Will Satch (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/09.06.1989)
Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Shepperton/11.07.1990)
Phelan Hill (cox) (Leander Club/Bedford/21.07.1979)
Coach: Christian Felkel
Single scull
Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers School/Coleraine/09.05.1983)
Coach: John West
Double scull
John Collins (Leander Club/Twickenham/24.01.1989)
Jonathan Walton (Leander Club/Leicester/06.10.1990)
Coach: Mark Banks
Quadruple scull
Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC/Preston/08.11.1988)
Sam Townsend (Reading Univ BC/Reading/26.11.1985)
Charles Cousins (Leander Club/Willingham/13.12.1988)
Peter Lambert (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/03.12.1986)
Coach: Paul Stannard
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Single scull
Charlotte Taylor (Putney Town RC/Bedford/14.08.1985)
Coach: Tom Evens
Double scull
Imogen Walsh (London RC/Inverness/17.01.1984)
Kat Copeland (Tees RC/Ashington/01.12.1990)
Coach: Paul Reedy
LIGHTWEIGHT
MEN
Pair
Jonathan Clegg (Leander Club/Maidenhead/14.07.1989)
Sam Scrimgeour (Imperial College BC/Forfar/28.01.1988)
Coach: Rob Morgan
Four
Mark Aldred (London RC/London/18.04.1987)
Peter Chambers (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Coleraine/14.03.1990)
Richard Chambers (Leander Club/Coleraine/10.06.1985)
Chris Bartley (Leander Club/Chester/02.02.1984)
Coach: Rob Morgan
Single scull
Adam Freeman-Pask (Reading Univ BC/Windsor/19.06.1985)
Coach: Darren Whiter
Double scull
William Fletcher (Leander Club/Chester-le-Street/24.12.1989)
Jamie Kirkwood (Leander Club/Creswell/30.08.1989)
Coach: Darren Whiter
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EVENT INFORMATION
The provisional timetable for the European Championships can be found here: http://www.worldrowing.com/events/2014-european-rowing-championships
Belgrade is one hour ahead of the UK. An outline schedule is as follows (local Belgrade time):
Friday 30 May: 09.00 Heats; 15.30 Repechages
Saturday 31 May: 09.00 Reps and semi-finals
Sunday 1 June: 08.40 B Finals; 10.30 A Finals
The event will take place on Sava Lake in Belgrade, Serbia. This venue hosted a world cup in 2012. More information can be found here: http://www.erch2014.com/en/
Media accreditation requests should be lodged here: http://www.worldrowing.com/mediacenter
The event will be televised by the BBC. All finals will be live on the Red Button on Sunday 1 June and there will be a 90 minute programme on BBC 2 from 12.00-14.45.
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GB MEDALLISTS 2012 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The GB Rowing Team last competed at the European Championships when a squad of, then, development rowers took five medals:
Silver
Women’s pair: Caragh McMurtry and Olivia Carnegie Brown
Lightweight men’s four: Adam Freeman-Pask, Jonno Clegg, Sam Scrimgeour/Will Fletcher
Bronze
Lightweight women’s double scull – Imogen Walsh/Ruth Walczak
Lightweight men’s double scull – Chris Boddy/Mikey Mottram
Women’s eight – Leonora Kennedy/Claire McKeown, Monica Relph, Victoria Meyer-Laker/Yasmin Tredell/Zoe Lee/Caragh McMurtry/Olivia Carnegie Brown/Zoe de Toledo
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THE SEASON AHEAD
GB Rowing Team Diary Dates for 2014
MAY
14
Announcement of the GB Rowing Team for the European Championships, Caversham.
30 – 1 June
European Championships, Belgrade
June
11
Announcement of GB Para-Rowing crews for the World Cup, Caversham
20-22
World Cup II, Aiguebelette, France (includes para-rowing)
July
2-6
Henley Royal Regatta
11-13
World Cup III, Lucerne, Switzerland
18
Announcement of GB Rowing Team crews for the World Championships – venue TBC
23-27
World U23 Championships, Varese, Italy
August
7-10
World Junior Championships, Hamburg, Germany
16-28
World Youth Olympic Games, Nanjing, China
24 – 31
World Championships, Amsterdam
September
13-14
World University Championships, Gravelines, France (U23s only)
October
18-19
British Championships – GB Rowing Team participation
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CONTACT DETAILS
For media enquiries about the GB Rowing Team please contact:
The GB Rowing Team Press office at Matchtight Ltd on (01225) 384211 or, on the day, 07831 755351 or [email protected] or [email protected]
For pictures please e-mail [email protected]
GB Rowing Team website, including full rower biogs: www.gbrowingteam.org.uk
Follow us on:
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Youtube: www.youtube.com/gbrowingteam
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