MEDIA RELEASE
TOMKINS IN LINE FOR TOP HONOUR
Australia's triple Olympic gold medallist James Tomkins has been nominated for the prestigious Thomas Keller Medal for "an outstanding career in rowing".
A foundation member of the legendary Oarsome Foursome which swept to double Olympic gold, Tomkins is one of seven nominations including Britain's four time Olympic gold medallist Sir Matthew Pinsent.
Judges from FISA, the sport's controlling body, will look at a range of qualities including international success, resilience/determination, technical mastery, sportsmanship and public perception.
The award will be made at the World Cup regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland on July 10th 2005.
"If James wins the award he'll create a precedent because it has always gone to a rower who has retired," said Rowing Australia High Performance Director and former Oarsome Foursome coach Noel Donaldson.
"Any honour he achieves is absolutely deserved. James' athleticism and knowledge of how to compete and win at the highest level are as good as it gets."
2005 DHL Australian Rowing Championships start Monday
Although Tomkins is enjoying a sabbatical and won't be rowing at the DHL Australian Championships and Interstate Regatta at Penrith starting on Monday, his gold medal crewmate Drew Ginn will have all guns blazing.
Ginn will be a member of the Victorian eight which aims to regain the Kings Cup crown it lost to NSW last season.
"The Kings Cup is our greatest event," says Tomkins. "There is only one thing better in Australian rowing than lining up at the start in an eight for Victoria and that's crossing the line first for Victoria in the Kings Cup."
North of the Tweed, the Queenslanders also have a point to prove and many astute judges reckon they are right up to the task.
At 3.10pm on Sunday March 13 at the Sydney International Rowing Centre, the banana- benders aim to end the current longest losing run in Australian sport. Their last Kings Cup win was in 1939 on the Brisbane River.
And in an inspired moment of interstate goodwill, the "cockroaches" from NSW are joining forces with their arch rival across the border to ensure that the last surviving member of that winning crew 66 years ago will be on the bank at Penrith on March 13.
Don Tynan rowed in the four seat for Qld in what remains one of the greatest finishing efforts in the 122 year history of Australia's greatest rowing event.
The Qld crew at one point had conceded the leaders a few hundred yards start before sustaining an incredible finishing spurt over the last half mile.
A record entry of more than 1300 junior and senior rowers will contest the week long titles at Penrith. National club events and national selection trials will be held from Monday to Saturday with the interstate regatta on Sunday March 13.
Other highlights include the swansong of celebrated Tasmanian fruit farmer Simon Burgess who is seeking a record 7th victory in the Penrith Cup for lightweight fours.
In women's competition, WA's AIS-based sculler Amber Bradley, a bronze medallist in Athens, will have to fight hard to hold off the challenge of world junior champion Sally Kehoe(Qld) in the women's single scull.
Amazingly, one of the biggest representations at the championships will come from the North Esk club in Tasmania which won 11 championships at their state titles last weekend. The club has entered in 25 championship races and six school events.
Schools from all Australian states are competing culminating in the national schoolgirls and schoolboys eights on the final day.
For further information:
Contact Neil Bowes, NSW Rowing on 0405 804226
