Six Heat Winners on World U23 opening day

GB rowers won six of the heats on the opening day of the World U23 Championships in Amsterdam.  Of the eleven crews racing, four qualified for the semi-finals and three direct into finals. The remaining four crews who raced in the opening heats now face repechages.

In the lightweight squad there were four heat victories.  These fell to Marlow RC’s Zac Purchase in the lightweight men’s single, and to his female counterpart, Hester Goodsell, of York University, as well as Paul Kelly and James Clarke in the men’s pair early in the day. In the late afternoon Laura Greenhalgh and Helen Ralston of Rob Roy club added a further victory.

Amongst the open weight contenders the heat winners were: the women’s pair of Jessica Eddie and Anna Bebington and the men’s double of Colin Smith and Alex Gregory.

The repechages take place on Friday with semi-finals on Saturday and finals on Sunday.