Silver and bronze for GB at World U23s
The GB Rowing Team, made light work of the the 37 degree heat in Linz, Austria, to win two medals on the first of two finals day at the World U23 Championships with six other crews racing tomorrow.
The lightweight women’s quadruple scull of Rosa Atkinson, Gemma Hall, Ellie Lewis and Emily Craig took the first medal for GB – a bronze.
The British crew, coached by Phil Gray, were in contention with the leaders Germany and Australia for the first 500m this afternoon but then slipped back but had enough to hold off Denmark to take their bronze in 6:49.31.
Matthew Bedford and Wilf Kimberley followed with silver in the lightweight men’s pair in 6:50.13 behind the favourites Italy but ahead of the also-fancied Czech Republic.
The duo raced at the senior World Cup at Eton Dorney in late June and were always considered a good prospect for the U23s, taking place in Linz Austria, this weekend.
“That was a really mature race from the men and a big step on for them after last year when they were fourth”, said Sir David Tanner, GB Rowing Team Performance Director.
“I thought the women put in an excellent race, too, and defended very well against the Danes who were pressing us hard”, he added.
Earlier today Marcus Bowyer substituted successfully for a poorly Stewart Innes to help the men’s quadruple scull qualify for tomorrow’s A final.
A graduate of the GB Rowing Team Start programme, Bowyer joined Jack Beaumont, Barnaby Stentiford, and Angus Groom on the start line., having expected instead to race a B final of the men’s four today.
Remarkably, they were leading their semi-final with 500m to go before relinquishing the lead to New Zealand.
In the final 500m they were challenged strongly by France but held on to second by just under two tenths of a second to reach tomorrow’s final.
Brianna Stubbs and Eleanor Piggott, close rivals at the GB Rowing Team Senior Trials earlier this year, have teamed up to great effect in the lightweight women’s double since then.
This morning they led their semi-final at the World U23s in Linz, Austria, with panache, opening up a gap of three seconds on the chasing pack by halfway and holding off a fast-finishing Australian duo to win in 7:18.20. Switzerland took the third qualifying slot.
Zak Lee-Green is aslo through to the final of the lightweight men’s single scull. He took third place in today’s semi-final to qualify in a time of 7:14.26. After a winter of training disrupted by illness, reaching the final is a big measure of success.
In the morning’s semis he moved up through the field steadily to overhaul Australia at 1500m and go on to book his finals place in a race won by the USA with Ireland second.
“I am very pleased with the way our rowers have stepped up to get eight A final qualifications. The World U23s is a very, very high standard event and it’s a great grounding for our young rowers to be challenged and that’s why I’m pleased”, said Tanner.
“It also been an outstanding Championships here. Horst Anselm, the Executive Director, and his team have done exceptionally well to turn the venue round to hold the event after the massive floods they had here a couple of months ago. All credit to them”, he said.
Six of those finalists will be on tomorrow’s start list with all the A finals in the morning session. They are the men’s and women’s eight, the lightweight women’s double, the men’s quadruple scull, the lightweight men’s four and Lee-Green in the lightweight single scull.
Stuart Sykes and Jamie Copus, whose brother Rory is cox to the GB men’s eight in Linz, will race a B final tomorrow of the lightweight men’s double scull after their fifth-placed finish in today’s semi-final. A scratch combination who were brought together late in the day because of injury in the squad, they have done well to finish in the top twelve.
At the end of this morning’s session the GB men’s coxed four won their B Final whilst the men’s four was withdrawn from its B final to allow Bowyer to transfer to the men’s quad.
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RESULTS
FINALS
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Quadruple scull
1. Germany 6:41.86
2. Australia 6:44.08
3. Rosa Atkinson/Gemma Hall/Ellie Lewis/Emily Craig (GREAT BRTIAIN) 6:49.31
4. Denmark 6:50.45
5. USA 6:53.97
6. Italy 7:03.04
MEN
Pair
1. Italy 6;45.45
2. Matthew Bedford/Wilf Kimberley (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:47.83
3. Czech Republic 6:50.13
4. Hungary 6:53.86
5. Canada 6:56.62
6. Germany 7:00.60
Semi-finals
OPEN
MEN
Quadruple scull
1. New Zealand 5:54.80
2. Jack Beaumont/Barnaby Stentiford/Marcus Bowyer/Angus Groom (GREAT BRITAIN) 5:56.73
3. France 5:56.90
4. Poland 5:59.99
5. Estonia 6:03.06
6. Belarus 6:09.59
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Double scull
1. Brianna Stubbs/Eleanor Piggott (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:18.20
2. Australia 7:19.66
3. Switzerland 7:22.07
4. Hungary 7:27.26
5. Italy 7:35.58
6. Norway 7:39.53
MEN
Single scull
1. USA 7:11.15
2. Ireland 7:12.58
3. Zak Lee Green (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:14.26
4. Australia 7:22.67
5. Italy 7:24.34
6. Germany 7:28.69
Double scull
1. France 6:30.88
2. Hungary 6:32.96
3. Netherlands 6:33.59
4. Denmark 6:58.33
5. Jamie Copus/Stuart Sykes (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:58.33
6. Lithuania 7:30.09
B FINAL
OPEN
MEN
Coxed Four
1. James Martyn Smith/Callum McBrierty/Edward Williams/Lewis McCue/William Hakim (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:22.76
2. USA 6:28.89
3. Ukraine 6:40.03
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GB ROWING TEAM
CREW LISTS: World U23 Championships, Linz, Austria
OPEN
WOMEN
Eight
Fiona Gammond (Headington School BC/Bicester/19.10.92)/
Rebecca Chin (Agecroft RC/Salford/11.12.91)/
Josephine Wratten (Tees RC/Yarm/23.03.92)/
Iona Riley (Robert Gordon Uni BC/Aberdeen/17.04.92)/
Yasmin Tredell (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Evesham/18.11.92)/
Fiona Schlesinger (Molesey BC/New Malden/01.04.91)/
Bethany Bryan (Tees RC/Stockton-on-tees/23.04.93)/
Nicole Lamb (Newcastle Uni BC/Hexham/20.01.93)/
Morgan Baynham-Williams (cox)(Ross RC/Ross-on-Wye/28.06.94)
Coach: James Harris
Spare
Katie Bartlett (Nottingham RC/Nottingham/02.02.94)
MEN
Four
Francis Highton (Durham Uni BC/Weybridge/10.04.91)/
Ertan Hazine (Uni of London BC/Maidenhead/01.08.91)/
Marcus Bowyer (Exeter RC/West Hill, Devon/02.08.93)/
Andy Holmes (Leander Club/Lochwinnoch/04.10.91)
Coach: Mark Earnshaw
Coxed four
James Martyn Smith (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Newnham Bridge/26.07.91)/
Callum McBrierty (Durham Uni BC/Edinburgh/13.08.92)/
Edward Williams (Molesey BC/Wylye/13.03.91)/
Lewis McCue (Robert Gordon Uni BC/Aberdeen/26.12.94)/
William Hakim (cox) (Leander Club/25.07.91)
Coach: Angelo Savarino
Quadruple scull
Jack Beaumont (Leander Club/Maidenhead/21.11.93)/
Barnaby Stentiford (Durham Uni BC/Newton Abbot/06.02.91)/
Stewart Innes (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/20.05.91)/
Angus Groom (Durham Uni BC/Wanborough/16.06.92)
Coach: Matt Beechey
Eight
James Cook (Uni of London BC/Windsor/02.07.92)/
Thomas Ford (Newcastle Uni BC/Holmes Chapel/03.10.92)/
Sam Arnot (Newcastle Uni BC/Newcastle-upon-Tyne/09.07.91)/
Timothy Grant (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Otford/02.07.93)/
Cameron Buchan (Leander Club/03.12.92)/
James Edwards (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/26.09.91)/
Timothy Clarke (Newcastle Uni BC/Reading/07.04.91)/
George Rossiter (Newcastle Uni BC/Newbury/09.03.92)/
Rory Copus (cox) (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Wallingford/27.03.91)
Coach: Steve Trapmore
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Double scull
Eleanor Piggott (Wallingford RC/Olney/16.05.91)/
Brianna Stubbs (Wallingford RC/Headington/13.07.91)
Coach: Pete Sheppard
Quadruple scull
Rosa Atkinson (Sport Imperial BC/Frodsham/16.11.92)/
Gemma Hall (Newcastle Uni BC/Wargrave/10.04.92)/
Ellie Lewis (Sir William Borlase BC/Marlow/14/04/94)
Emily Craig (Uni of London BC/East Sussex/30.11.92)
Coach: Phil Gray
MEN
Pair
Matthew Bedford (Uni of London BC/Maidenhead/21.01.91)/
Wilf Kimberley (Imperial College BC/London/15.07.92)
Coach: Brian Young
Four
Charles Waite-Roberts (W. of England Uni BC/Bristol/06.11.92)/
Tom Marshall (Leander Club/Chester/12.03.94)/
Timothy Richards (Imperial College BC/London/17.05.92)/
Joel Cassells (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Coleraine/15.06.94)
Coach: Mark Earnshaw
Single Scull
Zak Lee-Green (Agecroft RC/Cardiff/05.02.91)
Coach: Hamish Burrell
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