World Junior Championships squad announced by GB Rowing Team

After success in the recent junior (under-16) international match against France, the GB Rowing Team has announced a nine-boat entry for the World Junior Rowing Championships, taking place in Rio de Janeiro from August 5-9 – one year ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The Championships will double as an Olympic test event and the 36 British rowers selected, part of a 50-strong overall delegation, will get to experience racing on the spectacular Lagoa Rodrigo de Freita, just ten minutes from Ipanema beach with a spectacular backdrop of mountains, the Tijuca Forest and the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue at Corcovado.

Two members of the GB squad, Chris Lawrie and Charlie Elwes, will be making their third successive appearance at the World Junior Championships.

Sir William Borlase’s BC rower Lawrie was in the men’s quad that improved from finishing tenth in Trakai, Lithuania, in 2013 to win silver at the 2014 Championships in Hamburg, Germany.

Lawrie – who also competed at the Youth Olympic Games last year and has won two successive Fawley Challenge Cups with Sir William Borlase’s at Henley Royal Regatta – is joined in the quad for a second year by Sam Meijer (Westminster School BC). Glasgow Academy’s Josh Armstrong and Gavin Horsburgh are also in the crew.

Elwes, of Radley College BC, has competed in the coxed four for the past two years, finishing sixth in 2013 and winning silver in 2014. This year he goes in the coxless four along with Tom Digby (Abingdon School BC), Jonny Naylor (Cranford School BC) and Luke Towers (Pangbourne College BC), the latter a member of the eight which finished fourth last year.

This year’s eight will be coxed by Hugo Marsh (St Edward’s School BC), part of the medal-winning coxed four in 2014, and also includes twins James and Nick Plaut of Westminster School BC.

Susannah Duncan (Tideway Scullers School) and Anna Thornton (Nottingham RC) are named in the women’s quad, a boat they won bronze in at last year’s Championships in Hamburg. They are joined by Kyra Edwards (Nottingham RC) and Molly Harding (Marlow RC).

Another returning member of the 2014 squad is Nuala Gannon (St George’s College BC) – she is once again in the women’s four and is joined this year by Alex Rankin (Glasgow Academy), Georgie Grant (Bewl Bridge RC) and Megan Slabbert (Molesey BC).

Slabbert is one of five rowers who competed in last year’s Coupe de la Jeunesse and has made the step up. The others are Edwards, Rosalind Wilson (Marlow RC), Scott Ozsanlav-Harris (Grange School RC) and Rufus Biggs (Sir William Borlase’s BC).

CREW LISTS

GB Rowing Team for World Junior Championships
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 5-9

JUNIOR WOMEN

Four

Alex Rankin (Glasgow Academy)
Nuala Gannon (St Georges College BC)
Georgie Grant (Bewl Bridge RC)
Megan Slabbert (Molesey BC)
Coach: Helen Taylor (Molesey BC)

Double scull

Sally Downing (York City RC)
Rosalind Wilson (Marlow RC)
Coach: Bret King (Marlow RC)

Quadruple scull

Susannah Duncan (Tideway Scullers School)
Kyra Edwards (Nottingham RC)
Molly Harding (Marlow RC)
Anna Thornton (Nottingham RC)
Coaches: Ade Roberts (GB Rowing Team)

JUNIOR MEN

Pair

Lucas Rodd (Tideway Scullers School)
Oscar Lindsay (Eton College BC)
Coach: Patrick Duggan (Kings College School RC)

Four

Luke Towers (Pangbourne College BC)
Tom Digby (Abingdon School BC)
Charlie Elwes (Radley College BC)
Jonny Naylor (Canford School BC)
Coaches: Richard Boulton (GB Rowing Team), John Gearing (Radley College BC)

Coxed four

Oswald Stocker (Westminster School BC)
Guy Screaton (Abingdon School BC)
Chris Zahn (Hampton School BC)
Alex Balgamie (Westminster School BC)
Vlad Saigu (cox) (St Paul’s School BC)
Coach: Neil Double (Hampton School BC)

Eight

Alex Lindsay (Eton College BC)
Nick Plaut (Westminster School BC)
James Plaut (Westminster School BC)
Freddie Davidson (St Paul’s School BC)
Oscar Bird (Thames RC)
Rufus Biggs (Sir William Borlase’s BC)
David Ambler (St Paul’s School BC)
Gregor Duncan (Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association)
Hugo Marsh (cox) (St Edward’s School BC)
Coach: Mark Woodcock (Pangbourne College BC)

Double scull

Scott Ozsanlav-Harris (Grange School RC)
Matt Swiss (Dart Totnes ARC)
Coach: Matt Jump (Grange School RC)

Quadruple scull

Josh Armstrong (Glasgow Academy)
Gavin Horsburgh (Glasgow Academy)
Chris Lawrie (Sir William Borlase’s BC)
Sam Meijer (Westminster School BC)
Coach: Robin Dowell (Sir William Borlase’s BC)

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