GB adaptive squad to race in Italy

The GB Rowing Team’s Paralympic hopefuls will get their first test of the year against London 2012 rivals at the Gavirate International Adaptive Regatta in Italy this weekend. 

Four crews from the Siemens-sponsored and Lottery funded GB Rowing Team are travelling out to Gavirate on Lake Varese for the regatta which runs from April 28-29 and will provide a warm-up for the world cup in Munich and this summer’s Paralympic Games.

London’s reigning Paralympic and World Champion Tom Aggar will race in the men’s single scull event along with his GB teammate Andy Houghton from Newbury and Russian World silver medallist Alexey Chuvashev – who pushed Aggar hard to the halfway point of their final in Bled, Slovenia, last summer

GB’s 2011 World Champion mixed coxed four of Aylesbury’s Pam Relph, Beijing bronze medallist Naomi Riches from Marlow, former GB bobsleigher David Smith from Aviemore and James Roe from Stratford-upon-Avon will get the chance to race Germany who won bronze behind the British and the Canadians in Bled.

Lead adaptive coach Tom Dyson said: “It is our chance to see the guys under pressure and see where we stand with four months left to go [until the Paralympics].”

“It is probably the best field they have had there. The standard of the event is very high this year.” 

Former soldier Nick Beighton from Yateley and Wokingham’s Sam Scowen, 2011 World finalists, have entered the adaptive mixed double scull and could face four of the crews they raced against in the final in Bled including France and Australia who won silver and bronze respectively.

The GB Rowing Team’s adaptive squad has qualified three boats out of a possible four for the Paralympic Games and will remain in Varese after the regatta for a warm-weather training camp at the other end of the lake, boating from Canottieri Varese Club. 

The Paralympic rowing regatta will be held at Eton Dorney from Friday August 31 to Sunday September 2. 

For more information on adaptive rowing go to: https://www.britishrowing.org/taking-part/adaptive

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TIMETABLE FOR RACING

Gavirate International Adaptive Regatta

(26-29 April 2012, Gavirate, Lake Varese, Italy)

Friday April 27: 

From 6pm heats or race for lanes

Saturday April 28: 

From 10:30am finals A,B, etc 

From 6pm heats or race for lanes 

Sunday April 29:

From 10,30 finals A, B, etc 

Fixed start on 6 lanes – All races will be over 1000m – Races every 10 min.

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GB ROWING TEAM CREWS 

Gavirate International Adaptive Regatta

(28-29 April 2012, Gavirate, Lake Varese, Italy)

ADAPTIVES

MEN

Arms & shoulders single scull (ASM1x)

Boat one: Tom Aggar (Royal Docks RC/London/24.05.84)

Boat two: Andy Houghton (Maidenhead Rowing Club/Newbury/01.04.1981)

Coach: Tom Dyson

Trunk & arms mixed double scull (TAMix2x)

Sam Scowen (Dorney BC/Wokingham/29.10.87)/

Nick Beighton (Guildford RC/Yateley/29.09.81)

Coach: Tom Dyson

Legs, trunk & arms mixed coxed four (LTAMix4+) 

Pamela Relph (Birmingham Uni BC/Aylesbury/14.11.89)/

Naomi Riches (Marlow RC/Harrow/15.06.83)/

James Roe (Stratford upon Avon BC/ Stratford upon Avon/28.03.88)/

David Smith (Reading Uni BC/Dunfermline/21.04.78)/

Lily van den Broecke (cox) (Headington School BC/Oxford/08.01.92)

Coach: Mary McLachlan