Disappointment for Great Britain on last day of Final Olympic Qualification Regatta

The ‘Regatta of Opportunity’ became the ‘Regatta of Disappointment’ for Great Britain on the last day of racing at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne.  Three boats competed but sadly none finished in the top two places, ending their dreams for Tokyo 2020 qualification

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The women’s double (W2x) of Holly Nixon and Saskia Budgett narrowly missed out on a qualification spot, finishing in third place in the final. The men’s pair (M2-) of Harry Glenister and Morgan Bolding finished in fourth place, having won the semi final earlier in the morning and the lightweight men’s double (LM2x) of Jamie Copus and Samuel Mottram finished fifth in the semi-final after a spirited performance through the heats and repechage on day one.

Brendan Purcell, Director of Performance at British Rowing said: “The athletes put their best out there today and they have done themselves proud, not only today, but in the weeks and months leading up to this. They have represented the GB vest with honour and their commitment, passion and performances have made all of the coaching and support team extremely proud to work and support them.

“This qualification regatta is cut-throat and our crews knew there was no second chance.  They’re all feeling pretty deflated and I really feel for them. However, we will learn from today and help the athletes to reach their full potential in the future so they can learn from this regatta to help shape their careers in a positive way. They are a group of incredibly talented rowers and there’s definitely more to come from them.”

Reflecting on the weekend racing, Jamie Copus (LM2x) said: “We came up short today but I don’t think Sam or I could have given any more than we did. We had two tough races yesterday and have had a hard run in but felt we equipped ourselves well for the task and did as well as we could – we really gave it our all. It feels pretty soul destroying but I’m really proud of us because we couldn’t have done any more out there today.”

2021 World Rowing Final Olympic Qualification Regatta Day Two Results:

Crews and times

Event Crew Round Position Time
Men’s Pair (M2-) Harry Glenister (Leander Club / Princes Risborough), Morgan Bolding (Oxford Brookes University /Withiel) Semi-final 1st 6:51.33
Final 4th 6:41.44
Lightweight Men’s Double (LM2x) Jamie Copus (Oxford Brookes Univ BC / Oxford), Samuel Mottram (Leander Club / Stoke Mandeville) Semi-final 5th 6:50.88
Women’s Double (W2x) Holly Nixon (Leander Club / Enniskillen), Saskia Budgett (Tideway Scullers’ School / Acton) Final 3rd 7:14.05
Event:
Men’s Pair (M2-)
Crew:
Harry Glenister (Leander Club / Princes Risborough), Morgan Bolding (Oxford Brookes University /Withiel)
Round:
Semi-final
Position:
1st
Time:
6:51.33
Event:
--
Crew:
--
Round:
Final
Position:
4th
Time:
6:41.44
Event:
Lightweight Men’s Double (LM2x)
Crew:
Jamie Copus (Oxford Brookes Univ BC / Oxford), Samuel Mottram (Leander Club / Stoke Mandeville)
Round:
Semi-final
Position:
5th
Time:
6:50.88
Event:
Women’s Double (W2x)
Crew:
Holly Nixon (Leander Club / Enniskillen), Saskia Budgett (Tideway Scullers’ School / Acton)
Round:
Final
Position:
3rd
Time:
7:14.05