March 13, 2020 News British Rowing NewsBritish Rowing EventsRowing CommunityGB Rowing TeamIndoor RowingRowing & RegattaPartners#YourStoriesArchive Olympic Trials 2020: Day One GB Rowing Team The 2020 Olympic Trials kicked off this afternoon at the Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake in Caversham as the UK’s top rowers battled it out in time trials Jonny Walton races in the men's single sculls. Credit Lucinda Douse Vicky Thornley (Leander Club) and Tom Barras (Leander Club) built on their success from the first assessment back in November as they led the way in the women’s and men’s single sculls. The early result will be a boost for Thornley, who won a fantastic silver medal alongside Katherine Grainger in Rio and last year qualified a women’s single scull spot at the Olympics for GB for the first time in 20 years. Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC), who claimed two silver medals in the 2019 season with double sculls partner John Collins (Leander Club), was hot on the heels of Barras in the men’s singles. Tokyo selection would have particular significance for Thomas, who was selected for the men’s quadruple sculls at the Rio Olympics but had to return to the UK with illness before he could compete.ADVERT Crewmates from 2019’s men’s four, Rory Gibbs (Oxford Brookes Univ. BC) and Matt Rossiter (Leander Club) and Sholto Carnegie (Leander Club) and Ollie Cook (Univ of London BC) took the top two spots in the men’s pairs. The four won European gold in 2019 as well as World Cup silver and World bronze. Cook commented on the time trial: “Those were much better conditions than we’d been practising in which felt good; it was nice to have a run down where you felt you could race the whole way down. It felt pretty good, not perfect, but it’s the first hurdle of the weekend out of the way. It’s always annoying to lose to Rory (Gibbs) though.” Emily Ford (Leander Club) and Polly Swann (Edinburgh Univ. BC/Leander Club) took top billing in the women’s pairs with a time of 6:52.62. Swann, a silver medallist from Rio, made her return to the GB squad in the middle of 2019 and claimed a World Cup bronze medal in the women’s pair with Holly Hill. Ford said of the race: “That felt like a pretty solid run down the track. There’s lots to work on but I’m looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow.” 2019 World Championships bronze medallists Emily Craig (Univ of London BC) and Imogen Grant (Cambridge Univ. Women’s BC) took the top two spots in the lightweight women’s singles, while Sam Mottram (Leander Club) won out in the men’s lightweights. Grant, who this week handed in her Master’s thesis in pregnancy at high altitude, remarked: “Racing so late in the evening made it feel like BUCS, which brought back good memories! That was probably the most cohesive race I’ve put together in a while as it’s taken time to get used to being in the single again. I’m excited to get back to side by side racing tomorrow.” Racing resumes tomorrow at 08:00 – tune in to British Rowing social media channels for the live updates and results. How to follow the action Given the current situation with coronavirus (COVID-19), we have regrettably had to take the decision to restrict any external visitors (including media outlets) to Caversham for the Olympic Trials. We will be working hard to provide live updates, photos and videos across British Rowing social media channels to bring you all the results and reactions from the squad: On Saturday evening we’ll be bringing you an exclusive highlights video of the day’s action – sign up to our mailing list to make sure you’ll receive it hot off the press. Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates including results as they happen Our Instagram profile and our story for the day will help you get a feel of what it’s like down at Caversham Check out our Facebook galleries during the day for photos from our photographer Come back to this page later on for the race report and results Schedule Friday 13 March – Time Trials (1900m) 16:45 – Men’s Pairs 17:00 – Women’s Pairs 17:15 – Lightweight Women’s Singles 17:25 – Men’s Singles and Lightweight Men’s Singles 17:40 – Women’s Singles Saturday 14 March – Side by Side Racing 08:00 to 09:00 – Semi-Finals 16:45 to 17:52 – Finals Entries Men’s Pairs Sholto Carnegie Ollie Cook Jacob Dawson Tom Ford Charlie Elwes Tom George Rory Gibbs Matt Rossiter Stewart Innes Harry Glenister Tom Jeffery Morgan Bolding Sam Nunn Michael Glover James Robson James Johnston George Rossiter Alan Sinclair Will Satch Mat Tarrant Moe Sbihi Ollie Wynne-Griffith Oliver Wilkes James Rudkin Men’s Pairs: Sholto Carnegie Ollie Cook Men’s Pairs: Jacob Dawson Tom Ford Men’s Pairs: Charlie Elwes Tom George Men’s Pairs: Rory Gibbs Matt Rossiter Men’s Pairs: Stewart Innes Harry Glenister Men’s Pairs: Tom Jeffery Morgan Bolding Men’s Pairs: Sam Nunn Michael Glover Men’s Pairs: James Robson James Johnston Men’s Pairs: George Rossiter Alan Sinclair Men’s Pairs: Will Satch Mat Tarrant Men’s Pairs: Moe Sbihi Ollie Wynne-Griffith Men’s Pairs: Oliver Wilkes James Rudkin Women’s Pairs Chloe Brew Rebecca Edwards Oonagh Cousins Holly Hill Alice Davies Heidi Long Susie Dear Natasha Harris White Katherine Douglas Karen Bennett Emily Ford Polly Swann Fiona Gammond Hattie Taylor Rebecca Girling Anastasia Posner Zoe Lee Caragh McMurtry Rebecca Shorten Rowan McKellar Annie Withers Sam Courty Jo Wratten Sara Parfett Women’s Pairs: Chloe Brew Rebecca Edwards Women’s Pairs: Oonagh Cousins Holly Hill Women’s Pairs: Alice Davies Heidi Long Women’s Pairs: Susie Dear Natasha Harris White Women’s Pairs: Katherine Douglas Karen Bennett Women’s Pairs: Emily Ford Polly Swann Women’s Pairs: Fiona Gammond Hattie Taylor Women’s Pairs: Rebecca Girling Anastasia Posner Women’s Pairs: Zoe Lee Caragh McMurtry Women’s Pairs: Rebecca Shorten Rowan McKellar Women’s Pairs: Annie Withers Sam Courty Women’s Pairs: Jo Wratten Sara Parfett Men’s Sculling Women’s Sculling Tom Barras (Leander Club) Jack Beaumont (Leander Club) Matt Brigham (Leeds Univ BC) Jack Burns (Edinburgh Univ BC) John Collins (Leander Club) Jamie Copus (LM) (Oxford Brookes Univ BC) Seb Devereux (Leander Club) Angus Groom (Leander Club) Matt Haywood (Nottingham RC) Pete Lambert (Leander Club) Harry Leask (Leander Club) Sam Meijer (Elizabethan BC/Tideway Scullers School) Sam Mottram (LM) (Leander Club) Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC) Jonny Walton (Leander Club) Maddie Arlett (LW) (Edinburgh Univ BC) Georgie Brayshaw (Leander Club) Saskia Budgett (Tideway Scullers School) Emily Craig (LW) (Univ of London BC) Kyra Edwards (Nottingham RC) Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (Reading RC) Imogen Grant (LW) (Cambridge Univ Women’s BC) Jess Leyden (Leander Club) Laura Macro (LW) (Bath Univ BC) Holly Nixon (Leander Club) Ellie Piggott (LW) (Wallingford RC) Vicky Thornley (Leander Club) Melissa Wilson (Cambridge Univ Women’s BC) Men’s Sculling : Tom Barras (Leander Club) Jack Beaumont (Leander Club) Matt Brigham (Leeds Univ BC) Jack Burns (Edinburgh Univ BC) John Collins (Leander Club) Jamie Copus (LM) (Oxford Brookes Univ BC) Seb Devereux (Leander Club) Angus Groom (Leander Club) Matt Haywood (Nottingham RC) Pete Lambert (Leander Club) Harry Leask (Leander Club) Sam Meijer (Elizabethan BC/Tideway Scullers School) Sam Mottram (LM) (Leander Club) Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC) Jonny Walton (Leander Club) Women’s Sculling: Maddie Arlett (LW) (Edinburgh Univ BC) Georgie Brayshaw (Leander Club) Saskia Budgett (Tideway Scullers School) Emily Craig (LW) (Univ of London BC) Kyra Edwards (Nottingham RC) Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (Reading RC) Imogen Grant (LW) (Cambridge Univ Women’s BC) Jess Leyden (Leander Club) Laura Macro (LW) (Bath Univ BC) Holly Nixon (Leander Club) Ellie Piggott (LW) (Wallingford RC) Vicky Thornley (Leander Club) Melissa Wilson (Cambridge Univ Women’s BC) Coxes Medical Withdrawals Henry Fieldman (Leander Club) Matilda Horn (Univ of London BC) Josh Bugajski (Oxford Brookes Univ BC) Holly Norton (Leander Club) Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne (Univ of London BC) Susannah Duncan (LW) (Tideway Scullers School) Katie Wilkinson-Feller (Tideway Scullers School) Coxes: Henry Fieldman (Leander Club) Matilda Horn (Univ of London BC) Medical Withdrawals: Josh Bugajski (Oxford Brookes Univ BC) Holly Norton (Leander Club) Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne (Univ of London BC) Susannah Duncan (LW) (Tideway Scullers School) Katie Wilkinson-Feller (Tideway Scullers School) Results Men’s Pairs Time Trial Women’s Pairs Time Trial Lightweight Women’s Singles Time Trial Men’s Singles and Lightweight Men’s Singles Time Trial Women’s Singles Time Trial ADVERT