ROWING: The Australian Rowing Team continued to make positive progress at day two of the 2015 World Rowing Championships with nine crews in action, five booking places into the respective quarter-finals, semi-finals or A-Finals, and four headed to repechages.
The first Australian crew to take to the water was the Lightweight Men’s Pair of Darryn Purcell and Nick Silcox. The Queenslanders, who are coached by Brett Crow, jumped into the non-Olympic boat after Perry Ward’s injury meant the Lightweight Men’s Four would no longer compete in Aiguebelette.
Purcell and Silcox, who are both members of Toowong Rowing Club, sat for the majority of their race in third with Great Britain and Germany pushing out in front. The Australians battled at times with the Japanese crew but it was the Queenslanders who came out on top and booked themselves a place in the semi-finals in a time of 6:50:95.
Back on the water was Tim McDonnell in the Lightweight Men’s Single Scull repechage. Queenslander McDonnell performed well in his repechage sitting comfortably in second throughout the race and qualifying himself a place in the quarter-finals in a time of 7:14:74.
The Lightweight crews continued to take to the water for Australia on the second day of the event in France, with the Lightweight Men’s Quadruple Scull racing in their heat, where they required a top two finish to make the A-Final.
The crew of Jonothon Hookway, Tom Perry, Ed de Carvalho and James Wilson are coached by 1980 Olympic coxswain David England. The crew were drawn against Germany, Italy, Hungary and USA and it was the Germans and Italians who booked their places in the A-Final, while the Australians will head to the repechage alongside USA and Hungary from their heat and Russia, Great Britain and Hong Kong from the other heat.
The Lightweight Women’s Quadruple Scull who in 2014 won a silver medal in this boat class at the World Rowing Championships qualified their boat for a place into the A-Final of this year’s event. The crew of Maia Simmonds, Sarah Pound, Georgia Miansarow and Laura Dunn recorded a time of 6:34:70, finishing second to Germany.
With the Lightweight categories concluded for Australia, it was the Women’s Quadruple Scull up next for Australia and the first Olympic-class boat of the day.
The Women’s Quadruple Scull of Madeleine Edmunds, Kerry Hore, Jennifer Cleary and Jessica Hall required a first place finish to automatically qualify for the A-Final and avoid the repechage.
The crew, who are coached by Tom Westgarth, claimed silver at the Lucerne World Cup earlier this year and were up against USA, China, New Zealand and France in the heat. The Chinese were the Olympic champions in Beijing in 2008 and they were fastest out the blocks with Australia and USA hot on their heels.
The Australians showed their stamina and pushed into the lead at the halfway mark with USA pursuing them, but rating at 41 the Queensland-based crew got to the line first to book their place in the A-Final. The Germans, who are the current World Champions, won the other heat, but only a fraction faster than the Australians.
The Women’s Quadruple Scull were followed by the Women’s Double Scull of Sally Kehoe and Olympia Aldersey who required a first place finish to automatically make their semi-final, otherwise it was to be the repechage. Kehoe and Aldersey were up against Lithuania, South Korea, Great Britain, Cuba and Ukraine.
The race saw tight margins throughout with Australia battling with Great Britain, Lithuania but it was Lithuania who surged at the line to take the win with Kehoe and Aldersey in second.
The crew, coached by Jason Lane, will now compete in the repechage on Wednesday this week in a bid to make semi-finals and qualify the boat for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Alexander Belonogoff and James McRae were up next in the Men’s Double Scull with Rhett Ayliffe’s crew requiring a top four finish to book a place automatically in the quarter-finals.
Facing off to Estonia, Bulgaria, New Zealand, France and Azerbaijan, the Australian double secured themselves a place in Thursday’s quarter-finals after finishing third overall.
Both Australia's eights men’s and women’s crews missed chances to advance directly to their finals and will now contest repechage rounds to get through to the medal race.
Racing against world champions Great Britain, the Australian men finished last in their six-boat heat, with the Brits taking the honours.
The women's eight, coxed by Sarah Banting, were also up against stiff competition including 2014 silver medallists Canada.
With only two final spots up for grabs from the heat they finished fourth behind Canada and New Zealand.
Australia’s reigning para-rowing World Champions, Erik Horrie (ASM1x) and Kathryn Ross and Gavin Bellis (TAMix2x) both won their heats to book places in the semi-finals and A-Final of their respective boat classes.
Horrie, who won his heat in a time of 4:42:45, the fastest of all the ASM1x heats said post-race: “It’s only the start of the process, Championships aren’t won on the first race but it’s good to get the first one out the way.
“Between now and semi-finals it’s about keeping things as normal as possible and to maintain my training regime and focus on the end goal.”
The TA Mixed Double Scull of Gavin Bellis and Kathryn Ross had a competitive heat with the reigning World Champions, but secured the win in a time of 3:59:36.
In making the A-Final of the TAMix2x, Bellis and Ross have qualified that boat class for the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.
The Legs, Trunks and Arms Mixed Coxed Four of Kate Murdoch, Jeremy McGrath, Alistair Chong, Sara Waitzer and coxswain Jo Burnand made their debut at the 2015 World Rowing Championships women's.
The young crew were focused on the task at hand but finished in fourth with Italy and South Africa taking the two automatic qualifying places.
RACE TIMES FOR TUESDAY
Lightweight Women’s Single Scull, Georgia Nesbitt, Repechage, Lane 3. 18:20 AEST (10:20 Local Time) – 1-2 to Semi-Final A/B, 3.. to Semi-Final C/D
Women’s Pair, Genevieve Horton and Molly Goodman, Repechage, Lane 1. 18:45 AEST (10:45 Local Time) – 1-2 Semi-Final A/B, 3… Semi-Final C/D
LTA Mixed Coxed Four, Kate Murdoch, Jeremy McGrath, Alistair Chong, Sara Waitzer and Jo Burnand, Repechage, Lane 2. 20:04 AEST (14:04 Local Time) – 1-3 to Semi-Final A/B, 4…C Final
Check www.worldrowing.com for the most up to date race times for Australian crews for Tuesday 1 September.
AAP/ROWING AUSTRALIA
