Aggar dominates final to take world champs gold at Karapiro

Paralympic champion Tom Aggar proved today why he remains the best in the world when he totally  dominated today’s final of the Paralympic-class single scull at the World Championships in New Zealand.

For Londoner Aggar it was his third world gold to add to the Paralympic gold he won in Beijing in 2008 and  his two previous world championships wins since making his international debut in 2007.

“It feels fantastic”, said Aggar who led for all bar the first 100m of today’s final to win by clear water in 5:19.36. “All the hard work in training and in the gym has paid off. I’ve really enjoyed the competition. I love rowing, I’m passionate about the sport”.

Aggar’s gold was followed by silver for the British mixed adaptive coxed four.  Kate Jones, Ryan Chamberlain, James Roe and Kelsie Gibson, coxed by Rhiannon Jones, narrowly led the race until the dying 100m when the Canadians surged to take a narrow lead and then held on to cross the line in 3:36.53 to Britain’s silver medal time of 3:37.08. Germany finished in third.

“It was a good race but it was also a bit of a blur”, said Roe, the only survivor of last year’s world championships quartet, afterwards.

“We never led by more than a couple of feet and I  couldn’t say we were comfortable at any point”, said the cox after a close battle.

“I wasn’t sure where we had finished as we crossed the line”, said Kate Jones. “They were better than us on the day and it was a good race”.

Britain’s crew included 17 year-old Kelsie Gibson and amputee Ryan Chamberlain who both emerged into the sport as part of a British Paralympic Association and GB Rowing Team talent identification and development scheme.

Earlier there was huge disappointment, though, for reigning Paralympic champion Helene Raynsford who was withdrawn from racing in the final by the GB Rowing Team doctor as she had developed a respiratory dysfunction this morning.

Full racing schedule can be found at: www.worldrowing.com

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RESULTS
(Events featuring GB crews only.  For full results visit:  www.worldrowing.com)

ADAPTIVE

MEN

Single scull

1.  Tom Aggar (GREAT BRITAIN) 5:19.36
2.  Andrii Kryvchun (Ukraine) 5:32.67
3.  Daniel McBride (New Zealand) 5:33.39
4.  Alexey Chuvashev (Russia) 5:33.72
5.  Pascal Daniere (France) 5:34.56
6.  Luciano Luna de Olveira (Brazil) 5:39.08

MIXED

Coxed four

1.  Canada 3;36.53
2.  Kelsie Gibson/Ryan Chamberlain/James Roe/Katherine
Jones/Rhiannon Jones (cox) 3:37.08
3.  Germany 3:39.65
4.  Ukraine 3:45.90
5.  Ireland 3:49.95
6.  USA 3:52.26

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GB ROWING TEAM CREW-LISTS
2010 World Rowing Championships, Lake Karapiro,
New Zealand, October 31-November 7, 2010
(listed bow to stroke plus cox)

OPEN

WOMEN

Pair

Helen Glover (Reading Uni BC/Penzance/17.06.86)/
Heather Stanning (Army RC/Lossiemouth/26.01.85)

Coach: Miles Forbes Thomas

Eight

Jo Cook (Leander Club/Sunbury-on-Thames/22.03.84)/
Louisa Reeve (Leander Club/London/16.05.84)/
Jessica Eddie (Uni of London BC/Durham/07.10.84)/
Victoria Thornley (Minerva Bath RC/Wrexham/30.11.87)/
Natasha Page (Reading Uni BC/Hartpury/30.04.85)/
Lindsey Maguire (Wallingford RC/Edinburgh/15.01.82)/
Olivia Whitlam (Agecroft RC/Warrington/16.09.85)/
Alison Knowles (Thames RC/Bournemouth/27.03.82)/
Caroline O’Connor (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Ealing/25.04.83) (cox)

Coach: Miles Forbes Thomas

Double scull

Anna Watkins (Leander Club/Leek, Staffs/13.02.83)/
Katherine Grainger (St Andrew BC/Aberdeen/12.11.75)

Coach:  Paul Thompson

Quadruple scull

Debbie Flood (Leander Club/Guiseley/27.02.80)/
Beth Rodford (Gloucester RC/Gloucester/28.12.82)/
Frances Houghton (Tyrian Club, Uni of London/Henley/19.9.80)/
Annabel Vernon (London RC/Wadebridge/01.09.82)

Coach:  Ade Roberts

RESERVES:

Ro Bradbury (Jesus College BC/Banstead/17.12.88)
Katie Solesbury (Leander Club/Oxford/02.09.82) – racing spare W1x
Melanie Wilson (Molesey BC/London/25.06.84)

OPEN

MEN

Pair

Pete Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth, Glos/27.07.81)/
Andrew Triggs Hodge (Molesey BC/Hebden, N.Yorks/03.03.79)

Coach:  Jurgen Grobler

Four

Alex Partridge (Leander Club/Alton, Hants/25.01.81)/
Richard Egington (Leander Club/Knutsford/26.02.79)/
Alex Gregory (Leander Club/Wormington, Glos/11.03.84)/
Matthew Langridge (Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.83)/

Coach: Mark Banks

Eight

Tom Broadway (Leander Club/Newport Pagnell/21.08.82)/
James Clarke (London RC/London/31.12.84)/
Cameron Nichol (Molesey BC/Glastonbury/26.06.87)/
James Foad (Molesey BC/Southampton/20.03.87)/
Mohamed Sbihi (Molesey BC/Surbiton/27.03.88)/
Greg Searle (Molesey BC/Marlow/20.03.72)/
Tom Ransley (York City RC/Cambridge/06.09.85)
Dan Ritchie (Herne Bay RC/Herne Bay/06.01.87)/
Phelan Hill (cox) (Leander Club/Bedford/21.07.79)

Coaches:  Christian Felkel/John West

Single scull

Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers/Coleraine/09.05.83)

Coach: Bill Barry

Double scull

Matthew Wells (Leander Club/Hexham, Northumberland/19.04.79)
Marcus Bateman (Leander Club/Torquay/16.09.82)/

Coach: Mark Earnshaw

Quadruple scull

Charles Cousins (Reading Uni BC/Cambridge/13.12.88)/
Sam Townsend (Reading Uni BC/Reading/26.11.85)/
Bill Lucas (Reading Uni BC/Kingswear/13.09.87)/
Stephen Rowbotham (Leander Club/Winscombe, Somerset/11.11.81)

Coach: Mark Earnshaw

RESERVES

Brendan Crean (Agecroft RC/Lewes/07.02.85)
Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell (Uni of London BC/Durham/13.4.88)
Tom Wilkinson (Leander Club/Reading/04.07.85)/

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Double scull

Hester Goodsell (Reading Uni BC/London/27.06.84)/
Sophie Hosking (London RC/Wimbledon/25.01.86)

Coach:  Paul Reedy

Quadruple scull

Jane Hall (Leander Club/Surbiton/20.10.73)/
Stephanie Cullen (London RC/Bury, Lancs/27.11.80)/
Laura Greenhalgh (London RC/Cuddeson,Oxon/2.9.85)/
Andrea Dennis (Reading Uni BC/Oxford/03.01.82)

Coach: Tom Gale

LIGHTWEIGHT

MEN

Pair

Adam Freeman-Pask (Imperial College BC/Windsor/19.06.85)
Chris Boddy (Leander Club/Stockton-on-Tees/16.11.87)/

Coach:  Rob Morgan

Four

Richard Chambers (Leander Club/Coleraine/10.06.85)/
Paul Mattick (Leander Club/Frome, Somerset/25.04.78)/
Rob Williams (London RC/Maidenhead/21.01.85)/
Chris Bartley (Leander Club/Chester/02.02.84)

Coach:  Rob Morgan

Single scull

Peter Chambers (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Coleraine/14.03.90)

Coach:  Darren Whiter

Double scull

Zac Purchase (Marlow RC/Tewkesbury/02.05.86)/
Mark Hunter (Leander Club/Romford, Essex/01.07.78)

Coach:  Darren Whiter

ADAPTIVE BOATS

AS Men’s Single scull

Tom Aggar (Royal Docks RC/London/24.05.84)

Coach: Tom Dyson

AS Women’s Single scull

Helene Raynsford (Guildford RC/Farnborough/29.12.79)

Coach:  Tom Dyson

LTA Mixed Coxed four

Kelsie Gibson (Maidstone Invicta RC)
James Roe (Reading Uni BC/Stratford-upon-Avon/28.03.88)/
Ryan Chamberlain (King’s College London BC/Wandsworth, London/03.04.86)
Kate Jones (Aberdeen BC/Eskdale Green, Cumbria/28.02.86)
Rhiannon Jones (cox) (Reading Uni BC/Hereford/16.09.87)

Coach:  Mary McLachlan

MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT STAFF

Performance:

Team Manager and Performance Director: David Tanner
Chief Coach Men:  Jurgen Grobler
Chief Coach Women & Lightweights: Paul Thompson
Assistant Team Manager/Adaptives:  Louise Kingsley

Medical and Sports Science:

Doctor: Ann Redgrave
Lead Physiotherapist: Mark Edgar
Physiotherapist:  Liz Arnold
Physiotherapist:  Sally Brown
Psychologist:  Chris Shambrook
Physiologist: Mark Homer
Nutritionist: Wendy Martinson

Media/Admin/Logistics:

Assistant Team Manager (admin): Jo Bates
Assistant Team Manager (logistics): Judi Read
Sponsorship liaison Manager:  Francesca Bullock
Resources Manager:  Maurice Hayes
Boatman:  John Tetley
Press Officer: Caroline Searle

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TIMINGS OF FINALS IN KARAPIRO
(Events featuring GB crews only)

Thursday 4 November (local NZ time* 15.30 – 16.30)

Adaptive (“Paralympic”):  Men’s and women’s single, mixed coxed four

Friday 5 November (local NZ time* 14.03 – 15.33)

Open Men:   Four and quadruple scull
Open Women: Quadruple scull
Lightweight: Men’s pair, men’s and women’s double scull

Saturday 6 November (local NZ time* 14.03 – 15.48)

Open Men:  Pair and single scull
Open Women:  Pair and single scull
Lightweight:  Men’s four and women’s quadruple scull

Sunday 7 November (local NZ time* 14.03 – 15.33)

Open Men:  Double and eight
Open Women: Double and eight
Lightweight:  Men’s single

*All times are subject to change. NZ is 13 hours ahead of the UK

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CONTACT DETAILS
For media enquiries about The GB Rowing Teams please contact:

During the 2010 world championships in New Zealand:

Caroline Searle

(00) 64 274977493 or [email protected]

NB:  New Zealand is 13 hours ahead of the UK.

Caroline Searle

T:  (01225) 443998
M:  (07831) 755351

e:  [email protected]

GB Rowing Team website www.gbrowingteam.org.uk – full biogs available
here.
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