2011 world champions Anthony Edwards (TAS) and Sam Beltz (TAS) have shown their pace in the new year by qualifying directly for the final of the men’s coxless pair at the 2012 Australian Rowing Championships at Champion Lakes in Perth.
 
Edwards and Beltz rowed four seconds quicker than world record time for a lightweight men’s pair, but their time will not officially count as they were entered in an open weight event.
 
The Tasmanian duo finished second in Heat 2 of the event behind Bryn Coudraye (SA) and Tom Swann (VIC) in a time of 6:22.14, with both crews progressing to the A Final on Saturday.
 
Edwards and Beltz, who were part of the Australian lightweight men’s four crew that won gold at the world championships in Slovenia last year, were entered in the men’s pair to test their speed and showed they will be a force to be reckoned with in 2012.
 
Edwards said he and Beltz pushed each other all the way down the course.
 
“We executed our race plan to perfection this morning and we both felt in the zone today,” Edwards said. “It felt like one of our best rows ever and we were able to do it in a world class field today.
 
“We know what we are capable of later this year and to row such a quick time is definitely an added bonus.
 
“We have national selection trials coming up in two weeks and all these races are important to prepare for those trials.”
 
In the earlier heat defending national title holders Drew Ginn (VIC) and Joshua Dunkley Smith (VIC) underlined their favouritism to retain their trophy with victory in a time of 6:22.66.
 
Ginn said despite the victory that he and Dunkley Smith had a lot of things to work on ahead of the final on Saturday.
 
“We weren’t too happy with that row today and really we should be going ten seconds quicker than that,” Ginn said. “We have been doing a lot of work in the four and haven’t really concentrated on the pair since trials in December.
 
“We definitely need to work on a range of things ahead of the final and there is a lot of improvement to be done before then.”
2011 world championship bronze medalists Sarah Tait (WA) and Kate Hornsey (VIC) rowed a strong opening 1000m and were able to ease off in the closing half of the race to win their heat of the women’s pair.
 
The pair was only a couple of seconds off world record pace through the first 1000m and progressed directly through to the final in a time of 7:24.49.
 
Kim Crow (VIC), Brooke Pratley (NSW) and Pippa Savage (QLD) won their respective heats of the women’s single scull to open the third day proceedings.
 
Crow, who is a dual world championship silver medalist in the women’s double scull, won her first national title in the single scull in 2011 and remains on track to repeat the effort this year as she set the quickest time.
 
Crow won her heat in a time of 7:33.04, while Pratley (7:38.74) and Savage (7:35.48) were equally impressive in their victories.
 
Queenslander Jared Bidwell recorded the quickest time in the heats of the men’s single scull as he upset South Australian James McRae in the third heat.
 
David Crawshay (VIC) and Chris Morgan (SA) won the corresponding heats and will both line up from middle lanes in the semi-finals on Friday.

Rowing Australia