NSW Athletes Produce Mixed Bag at World ChampionshipsNSW athletes produce mixed bag One of the highlights of the regatta was the gold medal win by the NSW based women’s lightweight quad, which relegated reigning World Champions China to third position. Coached by Ellen Randell (UTS) and containing Bronwen Watson (Sydney Uni) and Miranda Bennett (UTS) the quad dominated their heat and continued their great form into the final to win by over a length.
“It worked out exactly as we had planned. We benefited in every way from a solid preparation, fantastic coach, and great crew dynamic” Watson said. “We had fun in the heat, had a smile at the start line and it was just great. It was the culmination of a lot of work and a lot of effort. It was great.” The win marked the return of Watson, Bennett as well as Ellen Randell to international rowing after a few years off. It also highlighted the ability for club-based crews to perform exceptionally well at an international standard.
The NSW duo of John McLean (
“We’re not here for the tracksuit, but given that we’ve only been in the sport for a short while, it’s a pretty good result” “We’re happy with silver, it’s time to go and celebrate and then we’ll get back into our training and start preparing for next year.”
In other results Brooke Pratley (
After disappointing races in the heat and repecharge, the Australian quad showed phenomenal courage to win the small final and secure the only Olympic qualification for women’s heavyweight sculling. Zoe Uphill (Mosman) also produced some great racing to match the best in the world when she battled it out in the women’s single. Winning the C Final, Uphill will be looking to gain a seat in the quad for next year.
The women’s four with NSW athletes Vickie Roberts (UTS) and Katelyn Gray (UTS) also raced well to give
The late inclusion of Peter Hardcastle (Mosman) finished 11th in the men’s single after Dan Noonan pulled out due to injury. Hardcastle’s placing qualified the boat for next year and made it a clean sweep in the men’s sculling qualification attempts.
The men’s lightweight four also qualified for Beijing when they won the B Final with NSW athlete Rod Chisolm (St George) sitting in bow. Chisolm will now be looking to secure his spot in the Olympic boat.
Unfortunately the men’s sweep squad had less success, with the best result coming from Fergus Pragnell (Sydney Uni) and Marty Rabjohns (Sydney Uni) who gained fourth position in the men’s coxed pair.
The men’s eight and four however failed to qualify, with the eight containing Marty Rabjohns (Sydney Uni), Matt Ryan (Sydney Uni), Jeremy Stevenson (Sydney Uni), Tom Laurich (Mosman) finishing 8th and missing qualification by one place.
The NSW four coached by Andrew Randell and containing Nick Baxter (UTS), James Chapman (UTS), Sam Loch (UTS) and Francis Hegerty (Sydney Uni) also missed qualification by one place, finishing 12th.
Rowing Australia High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson, said the squad would have to regroup before next year. “The sweep squad now needs to regroup despite the disappointment that is associated with the result and bounce back before final qualification ahead of Verena Stocker. |
 |
Stakeholders
Partners
SupportersRowing NSW relies heavily on
|
Officials | NoticeBoard | Contacts | Photos | Links | Shop
© Rowing New South Wales Incorporated 2012.