Injured Kehoe throws up selection headache

Friday 17 April 2009

2008 Olympic rower Sally Kehoe was forced to withdraw from her heat of the women’s single scull as the 2009 Australian Rowing Selection Trials commenced this morning at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith.

Kehoe, 22, pulled out of the race after sustaining a stress fracture in her rib, with her recovery now being closely monitored by the Australian selectors.

Kehoe has been the form single sculler in 2009, claiming emphatic victories in both the NSW State Championships and the Australian Rowing Championships, both pushing her claims to be selected in the women’s single scull for the world championships later this year.

The Toowoomba rower has only returned to scull rowing in 2009 after spending the last two seasons as part of the women’s eight crew. Prior to this Kehoe had been a double junior world champion, after winning the double scull in 2003 and the single scull in 2004. In her first senior international season she won a world championship bronze medal in the double scull and followed this up in 2006 with a silver medal in the quad scull.

National High Performance Director Andrew Matheson was not sure on the extent of the injury.

“It is too early at this stage to determine how serious Sally’s injury is, so we will have to wait until next week when we know the full extent of the problem,” Matheson said. “By no means has it ruled Sally out of contention at this stage, but we will have to wait and see how she is next week.”

Pippa Savage, who rowed the women’s single scull in Beijing, capitalised on the absence of Kehoe to comfortably win her heat in a time of 7:56.06, while Victorian Lisa Szatsznajder won the second heat in a time of 7:56.20.

The top three from each heat progressed through to this afternoon’s semi-finals.

For more information please call David Polglase on 0401 453 041

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