ROWING: The Australian Rowing Team has arrived in France ahead of the 2015 World Rowing Championships set to be held on Lac d’Aiguebelette from 30 August to 6 September.
The crews that have been split between Ourense in Spain and the AIS European Training Centre in Gavirate, Italy have reunited in Chambery ahead of the event that doubles as the qualification regatta for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Australia will be aiming to qualify boats in 11 Olympic boat classes, while there will be five non-Olympic boats racing too.
While athletes may qualify their respective boat for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games at the event in Aiguebelette, this does not guarantee them a berth in the Australian Olympic Rowing Teams. Athletes will be subject to selection consideration in early 2016 for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Information on where crews are required to finish at the event, in order to qualify their respective boat for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games can be found here.
It is set to be a massive week of racing with 77 countries descending upon Lac d’Aiguebelette and a record-breaking 1300 athletes entered to compete at World Rowing’s pinnacle event for 2015.
Australian Rowing Team High Performance Director and Head Coach, Chris O’Brien commented ahead of racing beginning this Sunday: “The team has been split between Italy and Spain for the last six weeks with progress being made in both camps.
“There’s an added element to this year’s World Championships, which is of course the Olympic and Paralympic Qualification. We believe the team is focused on their respective performances for this regatta and the outcomes will follow as a matter of course.”
Kimberley Crow will be aiming to maintain her winning momentum from her recent World Rowing Cup performances to secure a second World Rowing Championships title.
Crow said: “Since World Rowing Cup III I’ve been based in Varese at the AIS European Training Centre with half of the Australian Rowing Team. It’s been a great training block and I’m really looking forward to racing this week in Aiguebelette.
“It’s great to see so many entries in the Women’s Single Scull. I feel really lucky to race in such a beautiful location.”
Other crews who will be hoping to medal once again at the World Championships will be 2014 medallists Sally Kehoe and Olympia Aldersey in the Women’s Double Scull and Alexander Belonogoff and James McRae in the male equivalent.
The new look Men’s Four will be looking to build on the positives taken from their gold medal at the Lucerne World Cup, with Josh Dunkley-Smith coming into the boat for the injured Alex Lloyd.
Meanwhile, the Men’s Quadruple Scull are eyeing a spot on the medal podium this time around after making the A-Finals in both Varese and Lucerne.
David Crawshay, who won gold for Australia in the Men’s Double at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, sits in the bow seat of the crew coached by John Driessen and said: “Preparations have been going well. I’ve been very impressed with the consistency of our training and I look forward to seeing the results of our hard work.
“This is the first time I will have raced in Aiguebelette and as venues go there’s not many like it. It has a similar feel to Bled in Slovenia where we raced back in 2011, and I’m sure all our supporters, both here and in Australia, will appreciate the sheer beauty of the venue as we race.”
Sunday 30 August
Lightweight Men’s Single Scull, Tim McDonnell (Heat 4, Lane 2). 18:20 AEST (10:20 Local Time) – 1-3 to Quarter-Final, 4… to Repechage
Lightweight Women’s Single Scull, Georgia Nesbitt (Heat 1, Lane 6). 18:30 AEST (10:30 Local Time) – 1 to Semi-Final A/B, 2 to Repechage
Women’s Pair, Genevieve Horton and Molly Goodman (Heat 2, Lane 2). 18:55 AEST (10:55 Local Time) – 1 to Semi-Final A/B, 2 to Repechage
Men’s Pair, Nick Wheatley and Jack Hargreaves (Heat 4, Lane 1). 19:25 AEST (11:25 Local Time) – 1-4 to Quarter-Finals, 5 to Repechage
Lightweight Women’s Double Scull, Ella Flecker and Alice McNamara (Heat 2, Lane 1). 20:10 AEST (12:10 Local Time) – 1-4 to Quarter-Finals, 5.. to Repechage
Men’s Four, Alexander Hill, Spencer Turrin, Joshua Dunkley-Smith and William Lockwood (Heat 3, Lane 5). 20:40 AEST (12:40 Local Time) – 1 to Semi-Final A/B, 2 to Repechage
Men’s Quadruple Scull, David Watts, Cameron Girdlestone, Karsten Forsterling and David Crawshay (Heat 1, Lane 3). 20:50 AEST (12:50 Local Time) – 1-2 to Semi-Final A/B, 3… to Repechage
Women’s Single Scull, Kimberley Crow (Heat 5, Lane 4). 22:05 AEST (14:05 Local Time) – 1-3 to Quarter-Finals, 4… to Repechage
Monday 31 August
Lightweight Men’s Pair, Darryn Purcell and Nicholas Silcox (Heat 3, Lane 5). 18:20 AEST (10:20 Local Time), 1-3 to Semi-Final A/B, 4.. to Repechage
Lightweight Men’s Quadruple Scull, Jonothon Hookway, Thomas Perry, Edward de Carvalho and James Wilson (Heat 1, Lane 4). 18:40 AEST (10:40 Local Time). 1-2 to A-Final, 3… to Repechage
Lightweight Women’s Quadruple Scull, Maia Simmonds, Sarah Pound, Georgia Miansarow and Laura Dunn (Heat 2, Lane 3). 18:55 AEST (10:55 Local Time) – 1-2 to A-Final, 3… to Repechage
Women’s Quadruple Sculls, Madeleine Edmunds, Kerry Hore, Jennifer Cleary and Jessica Hall (Heat 2, Lane 1). 19:40 AEST (11:40 Local Time) – 1 to A-Final, 2… to Repechage
Women’s Double Scull, Sally Kehoe and Olympa Aldersey (Heat 3, Lane 6). 19:55 AEST (11:55 Local Time). 1 to Semi-Final A/B, 2.. to Repechage
Men’s Double Scull, Alexander Belonogoff and James McRae (Heat 4, Lane 5). 20:20 AEST (12:20 Local Time). 1-4 to Quarter-Finals, 5… to Repechage
Women’s Eight, Charlotte Sutherland, Alexandra Hagan, Katrina Bateman, Meaghan Volker, Rosemary Popa, Georgina Howe, Hannah Vermeersh, Lucy Stephan and Sarah Banting © (Heat 1, Lane 1). 20:50 AEST (12:50 Local Time). 1-2 to A-Final, 3… to Repechage
Men’s Eight, Fergus Pragnell, Matthew Ryan, Joshua Booth, Samuel Hookway, Nicholas Purnell, Scott Laidler, James Chapman, Christopher Cunningham-Reid and David Webster © (Heat 2, Lane 5). 20:00 AEST (14:00 Local Time) 1 to A-Final, 2… to Repechage
Notes
Rowing Australia recently withdrew its entry into the Lightweight Men’s Coxless Four due to an injury to Perry Ward. Information on this can be found here.
World Rowing’s website www.worldrowing.com will have audio commentary and live-tracker available, while later in the week for finals there will be live streaming.
In Australia, Fox Sports are set to broadcast racing from Friday to Sunday (4-6 September), please check local viewing guides.
Follow Rowing Australia’s social media channels and use the hashtags #ARTeam and #WRChamps to interact.
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