Flagship thwarted, others win medals
On a finals day packed with some superbly-close racing at the World Championships in Munich, Britain won two Olympic class bronze medals as well as a Paralympic class gold and silver but the double world champions and Camelot-backed men’s four lost their crowns.
The bronze medals came from Colin Smith and Matt Langridge in the men’s pair and from Anna Bebington and Elise Laverick in the women’s double scull whilst Tom Aggar won the Paralympic-class single scull gold and the mixed adaptive coxed four won silver – all four Siemens-sponsored boats.
"Of course we had hoped for and expected better across the board today", said GB Performance Director David Tanner. "The men’s four result was a big disappointment. But we should celebrate the excellent bronzes from our men’s pair and women’s double with Anna Bebington becoming the first graduate of our world class start, talent identification scheme, to win a senior medal. I’m also very excited by the arrival of Tom Aggar on the scene. He is a good ambassador for the Paralympic movement.
"We said it would be tough today and I’m sure tomorrow will be more of the same".
Tomorrow’s finals will feature the Camelot-backed women’s quadruple scull, the reigning world champions, racing in their more usual order with Katherine Grainger at stroke and Annie Vernon at bow. There will also be action from the two men’s Olympic lightweight boats – the double scull and the four – as well as the British men’s and women’s eights.
The lightweight women’s double scull has a chance of qualifying for Beijing if they finish in the top two of their B Final. The men’s coxed four and the lightweight men’s pair, men’s and women’s quadruple sculls will have their final in the international classes, too.
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RACE REPORTS
FINALS
In the semi-finals of the men’s pair, two days ago, the GB duo of Colin Smith and Matt Langridge came back from nowhere to take second. By the halfway point of today’s final, with Britain in fifth place, the British supporters in the crowd were hoping for more of the same in a race being led comprehensively by Australia and New Zealand.
As it happens, they got their wish. With 600m to go Langridge and Smith wound up the tempo, pushed past Serbia and France to be third, with a quarter of the race remaining, and held on to take bronze behind winners Australia and silver medallists New Zealand.
"We’ve worked hard and gradually moved up this season and it’s now good to be on the podium", said Smith afterwards. "A lot of our success is down to our coach Jurgen who has done a brilliant job with us but also to the rest of the support team of medics, physios and strength coaches".
"At 1000m I looked around and saw everyone there and I thought ‘this is our part of the race’", said Langridge afterwards. "Then it was just a case of hanging on".
China, as largely predicted, won the women’s double scull but there was a photo-finish at the line between Great Britain and New Zealand for the silver and bronze with the Antipodean Olympic champions – the Ever-Swindells twins – edging it by just two hundredths of a second.
This was a remarkable result for the Siemens-backed British duo in only their second regatta of the season because of injury to stroke Anna Bebington. She and Olympic bronze medallist Elise Laverick were third at 500m, fourth at the 1000m mark and and fourth with 500m to go. That’s when they picked up the pace and battled it out stroke by stroke with New Zealand in the dying metres.
"That didn’t go to plan", said Laverick afterwards. "We left ourselves with too much to do" added Bebington, their disappointment a measure of their ambition and, therefore, their potential.
Matt Wells and Stephen Rowbotham were well placed within the chasing pack in the men’s double scull final today in which the Slovenians, predictably, hit the front by the halfway mark with France in pursuit and Estonia not far behind.
In such a tight field, it went down to the long, final sprint for the line. "Going into the last 500m we thought we had a chance of gold and went for it. But both of us worked too hard and got tired in the last 250m", said Stephen Rowbotham of their eventual fourth place behind Slovenia in first, France in second and Estonia in third.
"I’m bitterly disappointed", added Wells. "But we’re definitely in the running for gold next year"
There was disappointment, too, for the reigning world champion men’s four today. They were fourth in a race won by New Zealand in 5:54.24.
This was a race in which the Camelot-sponsored double world champions did not seem to spark. They were first to the 500m mark but less than a second ahead of the twin main threats – New Zealand and the Netherlands. By halfway the British boat had dropped back to third with the Netherlands picking up the lead tracked by Slovenia.
As the second half unfolded it became apparent that the GB boat didn’t have what it takes today. They came home fourth in 5:57.00 with Italy, who flew up the grandstand side in the final 200m, and the Netherlands taking silver and gold respectively.
"There wasn’t one point in the race where you could pinpoint what went wrong", said Andy Hodge afterwards.
"We’re better than that, I just feel empty", said Peter Reed. "Something just wasn’t quite right".
"If you want to jump high you have to sometimes dig deep", said coach Jurgen Grobler of the work now ahead in the next twelve months.
Alan Campbell has been involved in one of this sport’s more fascinating duels this season in the Siemens-backed men’s single scull. Four or five men have been capable of taking the spoils, headed by Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand, Campbell’s friend and training partner and world champion.
In today’s race, Campbell, Germany’s Marcel Hacker, Olympic champion Olaf Tufte and Ondrej Synek made the very early running before Drysdale emerged to join them.
By the halfway point Tufte led with Drysdale second and Campbell in third. That’s when Drysdale made his move to lead by a length over Campbell and Tufte with Synek emerging from the pack to take third by the 1500m. Campbell unleashed his fabled sprint but it was just not enough to squeeze by Drysdale, Synek and Tufte who took the honours at the line in that order.
"I’m proud of what I’ve achieved this season", said Campbell afterwards. "But it was tough stuff out there today. I didn’t have enough at the end".
The British women’s four were also in action today in the final of this international class. They were fourth behind the American winners in a time of 6:46.55.
Andrea Dennis, in the lightweight women’s single, was fifth in her final – a good result in her debut year at this level of racing – in which Marit van Eupen of the Netherlands retained her world title in a time of 7:38.02.
Britain also had three Siemens-backed Paralympic class boats in action today taking a gold – through Tom Aggar in the arms-only single scull – and silver in the mixed adaptive coxed four.
Aggar got out in front early today in his race and held on supremely as Dominic Moneypenny of Australia, the reignig world champion, clungto hopes of keeping his title.
"I got out in front and then it was just a case of trying to hang on", said Aggar afterwards.
The mixed adaptive coxed four were chasing the early pace-makers from Germany and the USA through the first half of their race and hauled themselves up in the second half to take silver in a time of 3:36.19 behind the German four who were roared home to victory by a large, local crowd.
Helene Raynsford has not been in the best of form here so it was not surprising today when she struggled in the second half of her race and came home fifth in a time of 6:19.14 to relinquish her world crown in the arms-only women’s single scull.
B FINALS
Natasha Howard and Beth Rodford in the Siemens-backed British women’s pair were in contact for the first half of their B final today but could not then cope with the blistering pace set at the front of the race by Canada and the USA – with the latter the eventual winners. They finished sixth in 7:23.07 and GB will now seek to qualify this boat for Beijing via the world cup finals in Lucerne next June.
Alasdair Leighton-Crawford, racing this year in his debut season at senior level, produced a fine performance in today’s B Final of the lightweight single scull to win in a time of 7:12.09. He led for much of the race and held off a challenge from Slovenia in the final 200m.
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RACING TIMETABLE
Racing in Munich from now on takes place
as follows (full timetable
at www.worldrowing.com):
2 September
FINALS
(Full details: www.worldrowing.com and click on media
center before selecting events).
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RESULTS – Day seven/1 September
(races featuring GB crews only. Full results:
www.worldrowing.com)
FINALS
OPEN
WOMEN
Four
1. USA 6:37.94
2. Germany 6:40.36
3. Australia 6:43.03
4. Georgina Menheneott/Rebecca Rowe/Vicky Etiebet/
Vicky Myers (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:46.55
5. China 6:47.61
6. Italy 6:52.09
Double scull
1. Li Qin/Tian Liang (China) 6:54.38
2. Georgina & Caroline Evers-Swindells (New Zealand) 6:57.72
3. Elise Laverick/Anna Bebington (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:57.74
4. Ioana Papuc/Simona Musat (Romania) 6:59.98
5. Gabriela Varekova/Jitka Antosova (Czech Republic) 7:02.42
6. Peggy Waleska/Christiane Huth (Germany) 7:04.73
MEN
Pair
1. Drew Ginn/Duncan Free (Australia) 6:24.89
2. Nathan Tweddle/George Bridgewater (New Zealand) 6:30.19
3. Colin Smith/Matt Langridge (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:33.64
4. Erwan Peron/Laurent Cadot (France) 6:33.64
5. Ramon Di Clemente/Donovan Cech (South Africa) 6:35.57
6. Goran Jagar/Nikola Stojic (Serbia) 6:38.45
Four
1. New Zealand 5:54.24
2. Italy 5:55.15
3. Netherlands 5:55.49
4. Steve Williams/Peter Reed/Alex Partridge/Andy Hodge
(GREAT BRITAIN) 5:57.00
5. Slovenia 5:59.05
6. France 5:59.19
Single scull
1. Mahe Drysdale (New Zealand) 6:45.67
2. Ondrej Synek (Czech Republic) 6:46.48
3. Olaf Tufte (Norway) 6:47.58
4. Alan Campbell (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:49.21
5. Marcel Hacker (Germany) 6:52.96
6. Lassi Karonen (Sweden) 6:53.01
Double scull
1. Luka Spik/Itzok Cop (Slovenia) 6:16.65
2. Jean-Baptiste Macquet/Adrien Hardy (France) 6:16.93
3. Tonu Endrekson/Jeuri Jaanson (Estonia) 6:18.32
4. Matt Wells/Stephen Rowbotham (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:19.10
5. Dzianis Mihal/Stanislau Shcharbachenia (Belarus) 6:22.90
6. Matthew Trott/Nathan Cohen (New Zealand) 6:24.72
ADAPTIVE
WOMEN
Single scull
1. Claudio Santos (Brazil) 5:57.58
2 Liudmila Vauchok (Belarus) 5:58.57
3. Martyna Snopek (Poland) 6:08.54
4. Svitlana Kupriianova (Ukraine) 6:18.06
5. Helene Raynsford (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:19.14
6. Laura Schwanger (USA) 6:19.84
MEN
Single scull
1. Tom Aggar (GREAT BRITAIN) 5:13.13
2. Dominic Moneypenny (Australia) 5:14.72
3. Nawi Ell (Israel) 5:15.04
4. Patrick Laureau (France) 5:30.77
5. Ronald Harvey (USA) 5:32.85
6. Pierre Morel (Canada) 5:44.91
MIXED
Coxed four
1. Germany 3;34.99
2. Vicky Hansford/Alan Crowther/Alastair Mckean/Naomi
Riches (GREAT BRITAIN) 3:36.19
3. Canada 3:37.19
4. Italy 3:37.92
5. USA 3:38.93
6. Netherlands 3:44.06
B FINALS
OPEN
WOMEN
Pair
1. Portia McGee/Anna Mickelson (USA) 7:11.89
2. Darcy Marquardt/Jane Rumball (Canada) 7:13.16
3. Nienke Kingma/Helen Tanger (Netherlands) 7:18.52
4. Lea Jacobsen/Fie Graugaard (Denmark) 7:19.16
5. Vera Pochiteva/Alevtina Podvyazkina (Russia) 7:21.49
6. Beth Rodford/Natasha Page (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:23.07
LIGHTWEIGHT
MEN
Single scull
1. Alasdair Leighton-Crawford (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:12.09
2. Bine Pislar (Slovenia) 7:13.48
3. Timothy Colson (Canada) 7:14.57
4. Valeri Prosvirnin (Estonia) 7:14.67
5. Dong Tianfeng (China) 7:16.63
6. Matti Jaeaeskelainen (Finland) 7:24.08
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GB CREWS FOR THE 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
(Munich, August 26 – September 2, 2007)
(NB – listed from bow to stroke as at 23/08/07 – with
athlete name followed by club, home town
and date of birth in brackets. NB some seat order
changes have taken place – see above results each
day for up-to-date information).
OPEN
WOMEN
Pair
Beth Rodford (Thames RC/Burton-on-Trent/ 28.12.82)/
Natasha Page (Reading Uni/Hartpury/30.4.85)
Coach: John Keogh
Four
Georgina Menheneott (Mortlake, Anglian & Alpha RC/North Bradley,
Wilts/18.12.79)/Rebecca Rowe (Rebecca/Bridgend/16.5.81)/
Vicki Etiebet (Auriol Kensington/Ottowa, Canada/12.2.79)/
Vicky Myers (Leander/Cheshire/31.3.81)
Coach: Nathan Williams
Eight
Carla Ashford (Thames RC/Northallerton/13.3.79)/Baz Moffat
(Thames RC/Bradford/8.4.78)/Alice Freeman (Wallingford RC/Oxford/
6.9.78)/Louisa Reeve (Leander/London/16.05.84)/Natasha Howard (Tideway Scullers/West Runton/3.9.80)/Alison Knowles (Thames RC/
Bournemouth/27.3.82)/Katie Greves (Uni of London/Oxford/2.9.82)
Jess Eddie (Uni of London/Durham/7.10.84)/Caroline O’Connor
(Oxford Brookes/Ealing/25.4.83) (cox)
Coaches: John Keogh
Double scull
Elise Laverick (Thames RC/Poling, W.Sussex/27.7.75)/
Anna Bebington (Leander Club/Leek, Staffs/13.2.83)
Coach: Miles Forbes Thomas
Quadruple scull
Annie Vernon (Thames RC/Wadebridge/1.9.82)/Debbie Flood
(Leander Club/Leeds/27.2.80)/Fran Houghton
(Uni of London/Oxford/19.9.80)/Katherine Grainger
(St Andrews BC/Aberdeen/12.11.75)
Coach: Paul Thompson
MEN
Pair
Colin Smith (Leander/Henley on Thames/23.9.83)/
Matt Langridge(Leander Club/Northwich/20.5.83)/
Coach: Jurgen Grobler
Four
Steve Williams (Leander Club/Cheltenham/15.4.76)/Peter
Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth, Glos/27.7.81)/Alex Partridge
(Leander Club/Alton, Hants/25.1.81)/Andy Triggs Hodge
(Molesey BC/Hebden, N.Yorks/3.3.79)
Coach: Jurgen Grobler
Coxed four
Oli Moore (Imperial/Burford)/James Orme (Leander Club/
Colchester/1.4.84)/Marcus Bateman (Leander Club/Torquay/
16.9.82)/Tom James (CUBC/Wrexham/11.3.84)/Phelan Hill (London
RC/London/21.7.79) – cox
Coach: Richard Tinkler
Eight
Tom Parker (OUBC/Winchester/24.10.82)/Tom Stallard
(Leander/Welwyn, Herts/11.9.78)/Tom Lucy (Oxford Brookes/
Monmouth/1.5.88)/Tom Solesbury (Molesey BC/Petts Wood, Kent/23.9.80)/Josh West (Leander/Santa Fe/25.3.77)/Richard Egington (Leander/Knutsford/26.2.79)/Robin Bourne-Taylor (Army RC/Oxford/22.7.81)
/Alastair Heathcote (Army RC/London/18.8.77)/Acer Nethercott (OUBC/Harlow/28.11.77) (cox)
Coaches: Mark Banks, John West
Single Scull
Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers/Coleraine/9.5.83)
Coach: Bill Barry
Double Scull
Matt Wells (Leander Club/Hexham, Northumberland/19.4.79)/
Stephen Rowbotham (Leander Club/Winscombe, Somerset/11.11.81)
Coach: Mark Earnshaw
Quadruple scull
Simon Fieldhouse (Molesey/Thames Ditton/4.9.76)/Sam Townsend
(Reading Uni/Reading/26.11.85)/Alex Gregory (Reading Uni/
Wormington/11.3.84)/Ian Lawson (Leander/Otley, W.Yorks/4.3.77)
Coach: Steve Gunn
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Single scull
Andrea Dennis (Wallingford RC/Oxford/03.01.82)
Coach: Rob Dauncey
Double scull
Helen Casey (Wallingford RC/Oxford/6.2.74)/
Hester Goodsell (Rob Roy/Cambridge/27.6.84)
Coach: Robin Williams
Quadruple scull
Sophie Hosking (Durham Uni/Wimbledon/25.01.86)Laura Greenhalgh (Rob Roy/Oxford/2.9.85)/Mathilde Pauls (Imperial College BC/Berlin & Putney/26.09.83)/ Jane Hall (Leander/Caversham/20.10.73),
Coach: Rob Dauncey
MEN
Pair
Matt Beechey (Leander/Worcester/3.4.77)/Daniel
Harte (London/Edinburgh/12.12.75)
Coach: Paul Reedy
Four
Richard Chambers (Oxford Brookes/Coleraine/10.6.85)/
James Lindsay-Fynn (London/Trim/29.9.75)/Paul Mattick
(Wallingford/Oxford/25.4.78)/James Clarke (London RC/
London/13.12.84)
Coach: Robin Williams
Single scull
Alasdair Leighton-Crawford (Tideway Scullers/Richmond-upon-Thames/
09.12.81) – racing spare.
Double scull
Zac Purchase (Marlow RC/Tewkesbury, Glos/2.5.86)/
Mark Hunter (Leander Club/Romford, Essex/1.7.78)
Coach: Darren Whiter
Quadruple scull
Simon Jones (Leander/Henley/8.6.78)Rob Williams (London
RC/Maidenhead/21.1.85)//Chris Bartley (Wallingford/Chester/
2.2.84)/Dave Currie (Leander/Bridgend/10.1.82)
Coach: Rob Morgan
ADAPTIVE CREWS
WOMEN
Single scull
Helene Raynsford (Guildford RC/Frimley/29.12.79)
Coach: Chad King
MEN
Single scull
Tom Aggar (Royal Docks/Barnet, London/24.5.84)
Coach: Chad King
MIXED
Mixed adaptive coxed four
Naomi Riches (Marlow RC/Harrow Weald/15.6.83)/
Alastair Mckean (Herne Bay ARC/Whitstable/14.4.79)/
Alan Crowther (Nottingham BC/Derby/29.7.65)/
Vicki Hansford (Guildford RC/Lewisham/31.10.79)/
Alan Sherman (cox)
Coach: Chad King
Double scull
Karen Cromie (Royal Docks BC/Ballinamalllard, Co.Fermanagh/
24.9.79)/James Roberts (Swansea/11.5.86)
Coach: Chad King
SPARES
Olivia Whitlam (Agecroft RC/Warrington/16.9.85)
Tom Wilkinson (Leander/Henley/4.7.85)
Charles Burkitt (Leander/Reading/28.4.86)
Bill Lucas (Reading Uni/Dartmouth/13.9.87)
Atlanta St John (Reading Uni/North Leigh, Oxon/13.1.87)
TEAM MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT
Team Manager: David Tanner
Assistant Team Manager: Maggie Netto
Doctor: Ali Sanders
Chief Coach Men: Jurgen Grobler
Chief Coach Women and Lightweights: Paul Thompson
Logistics Manager: Maurice Hayes
Adaptive boats coordinator: Louise Kingsley
Lead Physio: Mark Edgar
Physios: Pam Gardiner, Gill Edmondson, Mike Chisholm
Physiologist: Al Smith
Pyschologist: Chris Shambrook
Nutritionist: Wendy Martinson
Sponsorship Liaison Manager: Fran Bullock
Drivers: Phil Tinsley, John Brockway
Press Officer: Caroline Searle
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OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC QUALIFYING DETAILS
Each nation competing in Munich will be seeking to
qualify for Olympic Games’ quota places, available for
each event. It is important to remember, though, that
it is the "boats" that qualify in Munich and at the later
regattas (see below). In Britain’s case the individual "rowers’
names" will not be put to the places in each boat
until late June, 2008.
Events (with quota places available in Munich)
MEN
Single scull (11) – qualified (30/08/07)
Pair (11) – qualified (30/08/07)
Double scull (11) – qualified (30/08/07)
Four (11) – qualified (30/08/07)
Quadruple scull (11) – will seek to qualify in June 2008
Eight (7) – qualified (31/08/07)
WOMEN
Single scull (9)
Pair (8) – will seek to qualify in June 2008
Double scull (8) – qualified (30/08/07)
Quadruple scull (7) – GB qualified (27/08/07)
Eight (5)
LIGHTWEIGHT MEN
Double scull (11) – qualified (31/08/07)
Four (11) – qualified (31/08/07)
LIGHTWEIGHT WOMEN
Double scull (8)
If British boats do not gain a quota place in any given
event in Munich, there will be one further chance
via the final qualifying regatta in June of 2008 in
Lucerne, Switzerland where a small number of
further quota places will be available but for which
the competition will be fierce.
ADAPTIVE BOAT CLASSES
Each adaptive boat class has eight spaces
available in Munich for Beijing 2008. For those
who do not qualify in Munich there will be a
second-chances at the world cup from
9-11 May, 2007.
Women’s arms only single scull – qualified 28/08/07
Men’s arms only single scull – qualified 30/08/07
Mixed coxed four – qualified 30/08/07
Mixed double scull – qualified 31/08/07
