GB Rowing Team Paralympians line up for Indoors
The GB Rowing Team’s Paralympic and World Champions will line up alongside new Military Para rowers for the British Rowing Indoor Championships in February, para-rowing lead coach Tom Dyson announced today.
Tom Aggar and Pamela Relph, Paralympic gold winners in 2008 and 2012 respectively, will be joined at the Olympic Velodrome in London on February 8 by World Champions Grace Clough, James Fox and Dan Brown – although both Relph and Fox will need to prove their fitness in the new year first.
Rachel Morris, a hand-cycling Paralympic champion, whose switch to rowing saw her reach the World Championships final in 2014 in her debut season, will also take part.
“We will attend the event as a squad and are hoping it will be a great opportunity for Para rowers and Rowability rowers alike to get a taste of major competition in an iconic venue”, said Dyson.
Dyson’s squad has some newcomers since the coxed four won World gold and Aggar won silver in Amsterdam in August.
Scott Meenagh and Jordan Beecher, both injured servicemen, have come successfully through the trialling process.
Meenagh, a trunk and arms rower with bilateral above knee amputations, was identified during his rehab through Headley Court and Battle Back and first took up rowing at Strathclyde in Scotland before being invited to join the squad.
Beecher, a former paratrooper and leg-trunks-arms rower with a single below knee amputation, was identified into the sport by an England Talent Pathway Development Coach. He was pointed by the GB Rowing Team Start programme to Marlow Rowing Club where he was also supported by Row2Recovery.
“I am delighted that Jordan has joined the squad”, said Dyson. “He trialled a year ago and didn’t quite make it. But after only 18 months in the sport, he has made huge progress and won his place with us in mid-November”.
Oliver Hester, a World Champion in 2013, and Rose Linden, who both missed out on a seat in the coxed four at the 2014 Worlds, Laurence Whiteley and Sam Murray complete the para-rowing line-up for the event.
Entries are now open and group discounts are available. For groups of 10 or more, the individual adult entry price is only £26. Enter here now: http://indoorchamps.britishrowing.org/enter-now
For further media information about the GB Rowing Team please contact: Caroline Searle in the GB Rowing Team press office: 01225 384211 or [email protected]
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