GB Rowing team now has 14 finalists at World Championships with six more semis to come
The GB Rowing Team remains on course for a successful World Championships this week in New Zealand with three more crews reaching finals today – the lightweight men’s and women’s double scull and the men’s quad scull.
That brings the GB tally to nine Olympic-class, three Paralympic and two International-class finalists with six more semi-finals still to come.
Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase, the Olympic Champions in the lightweight double, looked to be back to their best after beating the New Zealand world champions on their home water in this morning’s semi-finals to reach Friday’s final when both crews will face each other again.
“We knew we had to race them sometime this regatta and it was good to get them in the semi-finals and set out our stall”, said Purchase.
“It added to the spice today to know the Kiwis were there but we went out with our race plan, executed it well and you saw the result. We were there to race everyone”, said Hunter.
Hester Goodsell and Sophie Hosking produced a determined performance to win their semi-final – also beating the world champions. The Greeks and British tangled bow-ball to bow-ball for the second half of the race with the British taking line honours by just over a second.
“It was good to see them looking exhausted at the end”, said Hosking afterwards. “We got what we wanted today but we’ve got to draw a line under it now and focus on performing in the final on Friday”.
Sam Townsend, Charles Cousins, Bill Lucas and Stephen Rowbotham were second in their repechage of the men’s quadruple scull today to reach Friday’s final.
Tomorrow’s racing includes the semi-finals of the men’s pair in which Andrew Triggs Hodge and Pete Reed have been drawn against the world champions, Eric Murray and Hamish Bond.
Alan Campbell has avoided the world champion, Mahe Drysdale, but will face the Olympic champion instead – Olaf Tufte of Norway – in his semi-final of the men’s single scull.
Britain’s lightweight men’s four – who leapt back into form at the world cup finals – and single sculler Katie Solesbury will also be in semi-final action.
The first medals will also be decided on Lake Karapiro in the finals of the Paralympic classes. Tom Aggar starts as favourite in the men’s single scull.
Full racing schedule can be found at: www.worldrowing.com
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RACE REPORTS
Sophie Hosking and Hester Goodsell fought tooth and nail with the Greek world champions all the way down the course on Lake Karapiro today before emerging as semi-final winners in the lightweight women’s double scull by a margin of just over a second.
Christina Giazitzidou and Alexandra Tsiavou, who are also the European champions, took the early lead whilst Hosking and Goodsell settled in behind them and ahead of the USA. The pattern remained similar until just after halfway when the British duo drew virtually level with the Greeks. Just 0.06 separated the two.
Briefly, beyond 1250m, the GB combination got ahead but could not entirely shake off the oppostion. Meanwhile the Americans faltered and the New Zealanders, perhaps inspired by their home crowd, began a long hard sprint towards the line which almost, but not quite, paid dividends.
As the pressure continued Hosking, in the stroke seat, looked ever more determined and the British had enough in reserve to take them home to victory in 7:34.79 to book a place in Friday’s final.
“We knew what we had to do. We had to go out hard in the early part of the race and that’s what we did. We kept up with everyone and then worked our way back up the field”, added Goodsell.
In the opposing semi-final the Australians, winners in Lucerne, the Canadians and the Germans all looked strong, setting the scene for a tight scrap in that final.
Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase laid down a sizeable marker in their semi-final of the lightweight men’s double scull today when they beat the world champions from New Zealand, Peter Taylor and Storm Uru, by clear-water
Purchase and Hunter burst off the start and had a strong lead by 250m. They continued to build on that through the early phases of the race the two key crews created a gap on the remainder of the field. First Germany and then Greece led the chasers.
By 1000m it looked clear, barring incident on the bobbly water in cross-head winds, that the British would win comfortably. A last push from them at around the 1500m mark, to establish a 4.18 second gap, made that final.
So, GB first in 6;55.50, NZ second in 6:57.48 and Portugal, with a flying finish, third in 6:59.29.
Great Britain’s men’s quadruple scull did not, by their own admission, cover themselves in glory in the heats. That left them with a tall task in today’s repachages if they were to make the final.
With a quarter of the race gone, the British did not look particularly strong. They were fourth with New Zealand and Ukraine just ahead of them and Italy out in front.
Slowly the GB quartet of Charles Cousins, Sam Townsend, Bill Lucas and Stephen Rowbotham clawed their way back into contention. At halfway, though, they were still fourth but coming back on New Zealand and the USA.
With 250m to go, GB emerged into and then held onto second place to finish in 6:02.57 and take the second qualifying slot behind race winners, by a length, Italy.
“That’s a big weight off our shoulders”, said Charles Cousins. “We put ourselves under a lot of pressure of expectation here after our success in the world cup this season. There were a lot of nerves today. But now we can go and focus on the final”.
“After our heat on Monday we were really annoyed with ourselves and the way we rowed. It was the worst thing that we had ever done”, added Townsend. “Since then we had that inevitable build up of pressure on us. We knew it would be a hard race today. So, now we feel that we have put it all right.
“We are the first British men’s quad to make the final since 1982 and that’s a big milestone for me, having been in the quad for a few years now”, he added.
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RESULTS
(Events featuring GB crews only. For full results visit: www.worldrowing.com)
SEMI-FINALS
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Double scull
1. Hester Goodsell/Sophie Hosking (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:34.79
2. Christina Gaizitzidou/Alexandra Tsiavou (Greece) 7:35.40
3. Lucy Strack/Julia Edward (New Zealand) 7:36.73
4. Ursula Grobler/Abelyn Broughton (USA) 7:39.75
5. Huang Wenyi/Pan Feihong (China) 7:46.03
6. Giulia Pollini/Erika Bello (Italy) 7:49.59
MEN
Double scull
1. Zac Purchase/Mark Hunter (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:55.50
2. Storm Uru/Peter Taylor (New Zealand) 6:57.48
3. Pedro Fraga/Nuno Mendes (Portugal) 6:59.29
4. Panagiotis Magdanis/Eleftherios Konsolas (Greece) 7:07.37
5. Linus Lichtschlag/Lars Hartig (Germany) 7:05.58
6. Kristoffer Brun/Are Strandli (Norway) 7:07.88
REPECHAGE
OPEN
MEN
Quadruple scull
1. Italy 6:01.54
2. Charles Cousins/Sam Townsend/Bill Lucas/Stephen Rowbotham
(GREAT BRITAIN) 6:02.57
3. New Zealand 6:04.88
4. USA 6:07.01
5. China 6:08.91
6. Ukraine 6:16.91
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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
