Final touches made to GB Rowing Team for 2013 Worlds

The GB Rowing Team is in its final countdown to the 2013 World Championships starting in Chungju, Republic of Korea, this Sunday.

Southampton’s James Foad, 2012 Olympic bronze medallist in the men’s eight, and Windsor’s Oliver Cook have been selected into the men’s pair since the overall team announcement on 8th August.

The duo were in a four-way battle with Chipping Campden’s Matt Gotrel and Paul Bennett from Leeds who have travelled to South Korea as reserves.

A replacement is still to be named in the women’s eight for the now injured Sarah Cowburn with one of the reserves, Caragh McMurtry or Katherine Douglas, likely to step up.

The announcement of the men’s pairing means that GB now has a boat entered in all fourteen Olympic classes, with two Paralympic boats and three non-Olympic (or International Class) boats. A total of 58 rowers and seven spares make up the team which is headed by GB Rowing Team Performance Director Sir David Tanner and the Chief Coaches, Jurgen Grobler and Paul Thompson.

Final training has been taking place against a backdrop of high temperatures and significant humidity in Korea.

For the lottery-funded GB Rowing Team this is the first World Championships of the new Olympiad and the selectors have continued the strategy of the 2013 World Cup series of generally placing returning Olympians in different boats from London 2012 and have selected a significant number of rowers for whom this will be their first senior World Championships.

The open women’s boats are headed by the pair of Helen Glover and Polly Swann – unbeaten together this season in a remarkable run of success for Glover as Olympic Champion with Swann in her first international season. The combination have won three world cup golds in 2013.

A similar pairing of experience and new blood sees Frances Houghton and Victoria Meyer-Laker race the women’s double. Victoria Thornley retains her place in the women’s single, allowing her a new solo experience in the sport after racing in the eight in London. The women’s eight and quadruple scull make up the other women’s boats .

The eight – featuring returning Olympians Jess Eddie, Louisa Reeve, Katie Greves, Beth Rodford and Melanie Wilson, is stroked by Olivia Carnegie Brown who was identified into the sport by the GB Rowing Teams’ Start programme – a renowned talent identification and development scheme.

The team’s top men’s sweep rowers remain in the eight with eight Olympic medallists on board including London Olympic Champions Alex Gregory, Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge. They will be looking to improve on their fourth place in Lucerne.

Graeme Thomas returns to the men’s quadruple scull while the four and double scull remain unchanged. Ulsterman, Alan Campbell, London 2012 bronze medallist contests the single scull for GB for the ninth time.

In the lightweight boats the Chambers brothers, Richard and Peter, have moved from sweep to sculling this season with its own challenges and will look to build on their bronze medal in the double in Lucerne.

Their female counterparts, Kathryn Twyman and Imogen Walsh, narrowly missed a medal in Lucerne and will also go to Korea hungry to improve.

The men’s lightweight four is unchanged, as are the gold medal lightweight pair from Lucerne and Dorney, Sam Scrimgeour and Mark Aldred, and the two lightweight singles, Jamie Kirkwood and Ruth Walczak.

GB has selected two Para-Rowing class boats for the Championships – the LTA (Legs-Trunk-Arms) four has two of the defending Paralympic Champions on board, Pamela Relph and Naomi Riches, with a new male line-up and a new cox.

Tom Aggar has been selected for GB for the seventh time in the AS (Arms-Shoulders) single scull. Both boats won gold at the Eton Dorney World Cup in June.

“Lucerne was useful in that it gave us a baseline from which to move forward”, said GB Rowing Team Performance Director, Sir David Tanner. “This year has all been about giving new, young rowers their chance at the top alongside our more experienced names. So we should not expect big fireworks in Korea but this team still has the talent to sparkle”.

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OUTLINE RACE SCHEDULE

Events featuring GB crews only. For full schedules and results (www.worldrowing.com). NB – may be subject to change after the draw on Saturday 24 August.

Sunday 25 August
10.00 – 14.00 (Local time)*

Heats

Lightweight men’s pair (LM2-), single scull (LM1x), double scull (LM2x)
Lightweight women’s single scull (LW1x), double scull (LW2x)
Women’s pair (W2-), quadruple scull (W4x)
Men’s pair (M2-), four (M4-), single scull (M1x), quadruple scull (M4x)

Monday 26 August
(10.00 – 14.40 local time)

Heats

Men’s double scull (M2x), eight (M8+)
Women’s double (W2x), eight (W8+), single scull (W1x),
Lightweight men’s four (LM4-),
Para-rowing men’s arms-shoulders single scull (ASM1x), mixed coxed four (LTA4+)

Repechages

Men’s single (M1x)

Tuesday 27 August
(10.00 – 14.50 local time)

Repechages

Lightweight men’s pair (LM2-), single scull (LM1x), double scull (LM2x)
Lightweight women’s single (LW1x), double scull (LW2x)
Women’s pair (W2-), quadruple scull (W4x)
Men’s pair (M2-), four (M4-), quadruple scull (M4x)
Para-rowing men’s arms-shoulders single scull (ASM1x), mixed coxed four (LTA4+).

Wednesday 28 August
(10.00 – 11.25 and 12.20 – 13.00 local time)

Repechages

Men’s double scull (M2x), eight (M8+)
Women’s single scull (W1x) double scull (W2x), eight
Lightweight men’s four (LM4-)

Quarter-finals

Men’s single scull (M1x)

B Finals

Para-rowing men’s arms-shoulders single scull (ASM1x), mixed coxed four (LTA4+).

Thursday 29 August
(13.20 – 17.30 local time)

Semi-finals

Lightweight men’s single scull (LM1x), double scull (LM2x)
Lightweight women’s single scull (LW1x), double scull (LW2x)
Men’s four (M4-)

FINALS

Para-rowing men’s arms-shoulders single scull (ASM1x), mixed coxed four (LTA4+).

Friday 30 August
(B finals 11.24 – 11.50 all remaining 13.33 – 16.55 local time)

B Finals

Lightweight men’s pair (LM2-), single scull (LM1x)
Lightweight women’s single scull (LW1x)

Semi-finals

Men’s single scull (M1x), double scull (M2x)
Women’s single scull (W1x), double scull (W2x)
Lightweight men’s four (LM4-)

FINALS

Lightweight men’s pair (LM2-), single scull (LM1x),
Lightweight women’s single scull (LW1x)

Saturday 31 August
(13.30 – 16.40 local time)

FINALS

Women’s pair (W2-)
Men’s pair (M2-)
Lightweight men’s double scull (LM2x)
Lightweight women’s double scull (LW2x)
Men’s four (M4-), quadruple scull (M4x)
Women’s quadruple scull (W4x)

Sunday 1 September
(B final 13.30 – 14.25 all remaining 15.03 – 16.40 local time)

FINALS

Men’s single scull (M1x), double scull (M2x), eight (M8+)
Women’s single scull (W1x), double scull (W2x), eight (W8+)
Lightweight men’s four (LM4-)

*Korea is eight hours ahead of the UK

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CREW LISTS
GB Rowing Team
World Championships, Chungju, Republic of Korea
August 25 – 1 September

Pair

Helen Glover (Minerva Bath/Penzance/17.06.86)/
Polly Swann (Leander Club/Edinburgh/05.06.88)
Coach: Robin Williams

Eight

Beth Rodford (Gloucester RC/Gloucester/28.12.82)/
Zoe Lee (Sport Imperial BC/Richmond, N. Yorks/15.12.85)/
Rower TBC
Melanie Wilson (Imperial College BC/London/25.06.84)/
Jessica Eddie (London RC/Durham/07.10.84)/
Louisa Reeve (Leander Club/London/16.05.84)/
Katie Greves (Leander Club/Oxford/02.09.82)/
Olivia Carnegie-Brown (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Oxford/28.3.91)/
Zoe de Toledo (cox) (Leander Club / London / 17/07/87)
Coach: Paul Thompson / Robin Williams

Single Scull

Victoria Thornley (Leander Club/Wrexham/30.11.87)
Coach: Jane Hall

Double scull

Frances Houghton (Leander Club/Oxford/19.09.80)/
Victoria Meyer-Laker (Leander Club/Premnay/18.03.88)
Coach: Paul Thompson

Quadruple Scull

Rosamund Bradbury (Leander Club/Banstead/17.12.88)/
Kristina Stiller (Tees RC/Yarm/23.06.87)
Monica Relph (Leander Club/Cambridge/15.01.88)/
Lucinda Gooderham (Sport Imperial BC/Bury St Edmunds/09.06.84)/
Coach: Nick Strange

Women’s spares

Katherine Douglas (Leander Club/Midlothian/03.08.89)
Caragh McMurtry (Reading Univ BC/Southampton/22.08.91)

MEN

Pair

Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC/Windsor/05.06.90)/
James Foad (Molesey BC/Southampton/20.03.87)/
Coach: Rob Dauncey

Four

Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell (Univ of London BC/Durham/13.04.88)/
Alan Sinclair (Leander Club/Inverness/16.10.85)/
Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.88)/
Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Shepperton/11.07.90)
Coach: Christian Felkel

Eight

Dan Ritchie (Leander Club/Herne Bay/16.01.87)/
Tom Ransley (Leander Club/Cambridge/16.09.85)/
Alex Gregory (Leander Club/Wormington/11.03.84)/
Pete Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth/27.07.81)/
Mohamed Sbihi (Molesey BC/Surbiton/27.03.88)/
Andrew Triggs Hodge (Molesey BC/Hebden/03.03.79)/
George Nash (Molesey BC/Guildford/02.10.89)/
Will Satch (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/09.06.89)/
Phelan Hill (cox) (Leander Club/Bedford/21.07.79)
Coach: Jürgen Grobler

Single scull

Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers School/Coleraine/09.05.83)
Coach: John West

Double scull

Matt Langridge (Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.83)/
Bill Lucas (London RC/Kingswear/13.09.87)
Coach: Mark Banks

Quadruple scull

Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC/Preston/08.11.88)/
Sam Townsend (Reading Univ BC/Reading/26.11.85)/
Charles Cousins (Leander Club/Willingham/13.12.88)/
Peter Lambert (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/03.12.86)
Coach: Paul Stannard

Men’s Sweep spares

Paul Bennett (Univ of London BC/Leeds/16.12.88)
Matt Gotrel (Leander Club/Chipping Campden/01.03.89)

Men’s Sculling Spare

Jonathan Walton (Leander Club/Leicester/06.10.90)

LIGHTWEIGHTS

WOMEN

Double scull

Kathryn Twyman (Wallingford RC/Oxford/29.03.87)/
Imogen Walsh (London RC/Inverness/17.01.84)
Coach: Paul Reedy

Single scull

Ruth Walczak (Molesey BC/Rochdale/15.09.88)
Coach: Paul Reedy

MEN

Four

Adam Freeman-Pask (Reading Univ BC/Windsor/19.06.85)/
William Fletcher (Leander Club/Chester-le-Street/24.12.89)/
Jonathan Clegg (Leander Club/Maidenhead/14.07.89)/
Chris Bartley (Leander Club/Chester/02.02.84)
Coach: Rob Morgan

Pair

Sam Scrimgeour (Imperial College BC/Forfar/28.01.88)/
Mark Aldred (London RC/London/18.04.87)
Coach: Rob Morgan

Double Scull

Richard Chambers (Leander Club/Coleraine/10.06.85)/
Peter Chambers (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Coleraine/14.03.90)
Coach: Darren Whiter

Single scull

Jamie Kirkwood (Leander Club/Cresswell/30.08.89)
Coach: Darren Whiter

PARA-ROWING

MEN

Arms-Shoulders Single Scull

Tom Aggar (Royal Docks RC/London/24.05.84)
Coach: Tom Dyson

MIXED

Legs-Trunk-Arms Coxed Four

Pamela Relph (Leander Club/Aylesbury/14.11.89)
Naomi Riches (Marlow RC/Harrow/15.06.83)
James Fox (Univ of London/Peterborough/02.05.92)
Oliver Hester (Henley RC/Henley-on-Thames/18.02.90)
Oliver James (cox) (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/05.10.90)
Coach: Mary McLachlan

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