Four medals from seven finalists

Great Britain won four medals – a gold, two silvers and a bronze – from seven finalists at the  World U23 Championships in Hazewinkel, Belgium, which concluded this afternoon in fast tail-wind conditions.

The lightweight men’s pair of Richard Chambers and Chris Bartley won gold in 6:34.53 to hold off the fast-finishing Italians. Their time was a world best.

Britain’s two silvers came from Sophie Hosking in the lightweight women’s single scull and the women’s quadruple scull with the men’s pair winning bronze.

Hosking ultimately lost out to the Greek rival whom she beat in yesterday’s semi-finals but her silver was described as "excellent" by the GB Performance Director, David Tanner, as Hosking was strongly challenged by the French in the final stages of the race.

Ben Smith and Oli Moore, coached by Oxford Boat Race cox Seb Pearce, were involved in a dramatic finish.  They were lying third at half-way with the Germans and the crew from Serbia & Montenegro looking almost certain to take gold and silver.  The British then startled both by putting in the fastest final quarter by five seconds and coming within four hundredths of taking silver.

Not to be outdone, the women’s quadruple scull also produced some drama. They were sixth at half-way and gradually began to haul back the opposition. With 500m to go they were fourth and battled with all around them to move through to take silver on the line in a race won by Romania.

The men’s coxed four, the lightweight men’s four and the lightweight men’s single all acquitted themselves well to reach the finals but could not make the best of the fast conditions finishing fifth, fifth and sixth respectively.

"Overall we’ve had a good day", said Tanner.  "There were two very dramatic races and we’ve had some excellent results".

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RESULTS – WORLD U23 Championships
Final Day

(Events featuring GB crews only.  Full results
at:  www.worldrowing.com)

FINALS

OPEN

WOMEN

Quadruple scull
1.  Romania 6:24.55
2.  Tina Stiller/Louisa Reeve/Franki Jus-Burke/
     Frances Fletcher (GREAT BRITAIN)  6:26.32
3.  Germany 6:26.38
4.  Netherlands 6:26.83
5.  New Zealand 6:33.51
6.  Russia 6:34.12

MEN

Pair

1.  Germany  6:27.84
2.  Serbia & Montenegro 6:30.16
3.  Ben Smith/Oli Moore (GREAT BRITAIN)   6:30.20
4.  Czech Republic 6:35.01
5.  Poland 6:38.79
6.  Canada 6:49.56

Coxed four
1.  New Zealand 6:03.19
2.  Australia 6:03.76
3.  Itlay 6:07.13
4.  Romania 6:08.46
5.  Tom Wilkinson/Nick Clarke/Rob Hollis/Dave Lyons
     (GREAT BRITAIN)  6:12.53
6.  USA 6:15.46

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Single scull

1.  Greece 7:38.04
2.  Sophie Hosking (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:40.48
3.  France 7:42.33
4.  Germany 7:44.98
5.  Czech Republic 7:48.71
6.  Belgium 7:55.99

MEN

Pair
1.  Richard Chambers/Chris Bartley (GREAT BRITAIN)
     6;34.53
2.  Italy 6:34.99
3.  South Africa 6:38.02
4.  Spain 6:36.29
5.  France 6:43.56
6.  Australia 6:47.48

Four
1.  Italy 5:58.88
2.  Greece 6:00.60
3.  Germany 6:00.82
4.  Austria 6:04.29
5.  France 6:07.26
6.  Marco Espin/Rob Williams/Doug Perrin/Stephen Feeney
     (GREAT BRITAIN)  6:09.02

Single scull
1. New Zealand 6.55.73
2.  France 6:58.84.
3. Turkey 7:00.01
4.  Germany 7:00.52
5.  Adam Freeman-Pask (GREAT BRITAIN)  7:08.14
6.  Slovakia 7:09.98