Whiteley and Rowles qualify first GB Rowing Team boat for Rio Paralympics
Persistence has paid off for Yorkshire’s Laurence Whiteley. Today he and newcomer international rower Lauren Rowles made sure that GB will have a para-rowing mixed double scull in Rio by winning their repechage at the World Championships.
Persistence has paid off for Yorkshire’s Laurence Whiteley. Today he and newcomer international rower Lauren Rowles made sure that GB will have a para-rowing mixed double scull in Rio by winning their repechage at the World Championships.
In making the six boat final in style, despite the torrential rain, they made sure of bagging one of the eight qualifying places for the TAMix2x category on offer here. The world final is on Thursday.
Whiteley has ploughed a lonely furrow in training over more than two years whilst he waited to see if a suitably-classified female would come along to race at international level in the mixed double.
Fresh from A Levels at school in her home town of Bromsgrove, teenager Rowles has fitted the bill perfectly. She began rowing earlier this year and picked up the sport quickly. Already a wheelchair track racer who represented England at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year, she also knew how to train and compete with the best.
Ukraine took an early lead in today’s repechage. Whiteley and Rowles were locked in a first half tussle with Poland for second and third places. Just before halfway the GB double moved into second place and began to make ground on Ukraine before going onto win in 4:07.74 – just under two seconds ahead.
Whiteley said: “I’ve spent two and three quarter years waiting for this moment. It does’t matter that it’s raining. Our gaol here was to qualify and it feels great”.
Rowles added: “We have dedicated everything to every session since I started and credit to all the coaches – Nick (Baker) and Tom (Dyson) – and to the physio and to everyone who has supported us and helped us get here.
“When it started raining we thought it was just like so many days at Caversham [the national training cetnre] so it felt just like at home.
“It’a amazing because I haven’t been rowing for very long. It’s incredible”.
Today’s success might not have happened at all but for a chance meeting with Rowles one day when she and GB Rowing Team staff members were both at the world-famous Stoke Mandeville sports centre.
Whiteley, meanwhile, when recovering from bone cancer, wanted to take up sport again. The Northallerton man who was born in Scarborough started with swimming but realised that rowing suited him better. He has raced internationally in the non-Paralympic single scull previously.
Tomorrow’s racing at the World Championships includes a series of repechages, quarter-finals and semis for GB Rowing Team crews. Racing starts at 09.00 UK time when the women’s four take to the water for the first time in a prelim.
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RESULTS
(Events featuring GB Rowing Team crews only. Full results: www.worldrowing.com)
PARA-ROWING
MIXED
Double scull – repechage 2
1. Laurence Whiteley/Lauren Rowles (GREAT BRITAIN) 4:07.74
2. Dmytro Ivanov/Iryna Kyrychenko (Ukraine) 4:09.44
3. Michal Gadowski/Jolanta Pawlak (Poland) 4:17.01
4. Daniele Stefanoni/Anita Hoxha (Italy) 4:36.48
5. Scott Brown/Elizabeth Mitchell (USA) 4:41.87
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CREW LISTS
(bow to stroke plus cox, name, club, hometown)
OPEN
WOMEN
Pair
Helen Glover (Minerva Bath RC/Penzance/17.06.86)
Heather Stanning (Army RC/Lossiemouth/26.01.85)
Coach: Robin Williams
Four
Rebecca Chin (Agecroft RC/Deganwy/11.12.91)/
Karen Bennett (Leander Club/Edinburgh/05.02.89)
Lucinda Gooderham (Leander Club/Garboldisham/09.06.84)
Holly Norton (Leander Club/Johannesburg, SA/01.01.93)
Coach: Jane Hall
Eight
Katie Greves (Leander Club/Oxford/02.09.82)
Louise Reeve (Leander Club/London/16.05.84)
Jessica Eddie (London RC/Durham/07.10.84)
Donna Etiebet (Sport Imperial/London/29.04.86)
Victoria Meyer-Laker (Leander Club/Premnay/18.03.88)
Olivia Carnegie-Brown (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Oxford/28.03.91)
Rosamund Bradbury (Leander Club/Banstead/17.12.88)
Zoe Lee (Imperial College BC/Richmond/15.12.85)
Zoe de Toledo (Cox) (Leander Club/London/17.07.87)
Coach: James Harris
Double scull
Katherine Grainger (St Andrew BC/Glasgow/12.11.75)
Victoria Thornley (Leander Club/Wrexham/30.11.87)
Coach: Paul Thompson
Quadruple Scull
Frances Houghton (Univ of London Tyrian Club/Oxford/19.9.80)
Jessica Leyden (Leander Club/Todmorden/22.02.95)
KrisTina Stiller (Tees RC/Yarm/23.06.87)
Melanie Wilson (Imperial College BC/London/25.06.84)
Coach: Nick Strange
Sculling Spare
Beth Rodford (Gloucester RC/Gloucester/28.12.82)
OPEN
MEN
Pair
James Foad (Molesey BC/Southampton/20.03.87)
Matt Langridge (Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.83)
Coach: Rob Dauncey
Coxed Pair
Nathaniel Reilly O’Donnell (Univ of London BC/Durham/13.04.88)
Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Shepperton/11.07.90)
Henry Fieldman (cox) (Molesey BC/Barnes/25.11.88)
Coach: John West
Four
Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.88)
Alan Sinclair (Leander Club/Munlochy/16.10.85)
Tom Ransley (Leander Club/Ashford/06.09.85)
Stewart Innes (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/25.05.91)
Coach: Christian Felkel
Eight
Matt Gotrel (Leander Club/Chipping Campden/01.03.89)
Constantine Louloudis (OUBC/London/15.09.91)
Pete Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth/27.07.81)
Paul Bennett (Univ of London BC/Leeds/16.12.88)
Mohamed Sbihi (Molesey BC/Surbiton/27.03.88)
Alex Gregory (Leander Club/Wormington/11.03.84)
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: Jurgen Grobler
Sweep Spares:
Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC/Windsor/05.06.90)
Callum McBrierty (Leander Club/Edinburgh/13.08.92)
Single Scull
Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers School/Coleraine/09.05.83)
Coach: John West
Double Scull
John Collins (Leander Club/Twickenham/24.01.89)
Jonny Walton (Leander Club/Leicester/06.10.90)
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, Cambs, 13.12.88)
Peter Lambert (Leander Club/Maidenhead/03.12.86)
Coach: Paul Stannard
Sculling Spare:
Angus Groom (Leander Club/Glasgow/16.06.92)
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Single scull
Imogen Walsh (London RC/Inverness/17.01.84)
Coach: Paul Reedy
Double Scull
Charlotte Taylor (Putney Town RC/Bedford/14.08.85)
Kat Copeland (Tees RC/Ingleby Barwick/01.12.90)
Coach: Paul Reedy
Quadruple Scull
Brianna Stubbs (Wallingford RC/Poole/13.07.91)
Ruth Walzcak (Molesey BC/Rochdale/15.09.88)
Emily Craig (Univ of London BC/Mark Cross/30.11.92)
Eleanor Piggott (Wallingford RC/Bedford/16.05.91)
Coach: Ben Reed
LIGHTWEIGHT
MEN
Pair
Joel Cassells (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Coleraine/15.06.94)
Sam Scrimgeour (Imperial College BC/Kirriemuir/28.01.88)
Coach: Rob Morgan
Four
Jono Clegg (Leander Club/Maidenhead/14.07.89)
Peter Chambers (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Coleraine/14.03.90)
Mark Aldred (London RC/Birmingham/18.04.87)
Chris Bartley (Leander Club/Chester/02.02.84)
Coach: Darren Whiter
Single Scull
Jamie Kirkwood (Leander Club/Cresswell/30.08.89)
Coach: Rob Morgan
Double Scull
Will Fletcher (Leander Club/Chester-le-Street/24.12.89)
Richard Chambers (Leander Club/Coleraine/10.06.85)
Coach: Darren Whiter
Quadruple scull
Jamie Copus (Oxford Brookes Univ/BC/Watlington/30.01.93)
Steve Parsonage (Norwich RC/Norwich/16.01.96)
Sam Mottram (Leander Club/Stoke Mandeville/14.11.94)
Zak Lee Green (Agecroft RC/Cardiff/05.02.91)
Coach: Hamish Burrell
PARA-ROWING
MIXED
Coxed four (LTA 4+)
Grace Clough (Nottingham RC/Sheffield/21.06.91)
Daniel Brown (Upper Thames BC/Reading/29.11.82)
Pamela Relph (Leander Club/Aylesbury/14.11.89)
James Fox (Univ of London/Peterborough/02.05.92)
Oliver James (cox) (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/05.01.90)
Coach: Tom Dyson
Trunk/-arms double scull (TA2x)
Laurence Whiteley (Tees RC/Northallerton/29.08.91)
Lauren Rowles (Marlow RC/Birmingham/ 24.04.98)
Coach: Nick Baker
MEN
Arms/-shoulders single scull (ASM 1x)
Tom Aggar (Marlow RC/Maidenhead/24.05.84)
Coach: Nick Baker
WOMEN
Arms/-shoulders single scull (ASW 1x)
Rachel Morris (Guildford RC/Farnham/25.04.79)
Coach: Tom Dyson
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OUTLINE TIMETABLE
(all times CET, the UK is one hour behind, key to boat classes is at foot of this section. NB – all times provisional, rowing is an outdoor sport. Please follow www.worldrowing.com for up-to-date schedules).
Wednesday 2 September
10.55 – 13.45
Repechages of the: M2+, LM4x, LW4x, W4x, LM4-, W8+, M8+, W2x
Quarter-finals of the: LM1x, M2-, LM2x, LW2x, M1x, W1x
15.55 – 16.51
Semi-finals of the: ASW1x, ASM1x, LTAMix4+
Thursday 3 September
10.14 – 11.59
Semi-finals of the: LM2-, LM1x, LW1x, W2-, M2-, LM2x, LW2x, M4-, M4x
12.11 – 12.46
Quarter-finals of the: W2x, M2x
16.08 – 17.25
B and A FINALS of the: ASW1x, ASM1x, TAMix2x, LTAMix4+
Friday 4 September
09.41 – 10.16
B Finals of the: M2+, LM2-, LM1x, LW1x, LM4x, LW4x
10.23 – 11.40
Semi-finals of the: W2x, M2x, LM4-, M1x, W1x, M8+
11.50 – 13.36
A FINALS of the: W4-, M2+, LM2-, LM1x, LW1x, LM4x, LW4x
Saturday 5 September
12.00 – 13.00
B Finals of the: W2-, M2-, LM2x, LW2x, M4-, W4x, M4x
13.15 – 14.45
A FINALS of the: W2-, M2-, LM2x, LW2x, M4-, W4x, M4x
Sunday 6 September
12.00 – 13:00
B Finals of the: W2x, M2x, LM4-, W8+, M1x, W1x, M8+
13.15 – 14.45
A FINALS of the: W2x, M2x, LM4-, W8+, M1x, W1x, M8+
Key:
M1x, M2x, M4x – men’s single, double and quadruple sculls
M2-, M4-, M8+ – men’s pair, four and eight
W1x, W2x, W4x – women’s single, double and quadruple sculls
W2-, W4-, W8+ – women’s pair, four and eight
LM1x, LM2x, LM4x – lightweight men’s single, double and quadruple sculls
LM2-, LM4-, LM8+ – lightweight men’s pair, four and eight
LW1x, LW2x, LW4x – lightweight women’s single, double and quadruple sculls
ASW1x, ASM1x – arms-shoulders women’s and men’s single scull (para-rowing)
TAMix2x – Trunk-arms mixed double scull (para-rowing)
LTAMix4+ – Legs-trunks-arms mixed coxed four
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