Bennett was part of a Leander Club crew, along with reigning World Champions Fiona Gammond and Holly Norton, that claimed gold in a well-contested women’s eight competition on Sunday.

“That was a really nice way to start the season,” said Bennett. “It was great fun racing with the girls, they are all up-and-coming rowers and really talented.”

Leander also won the men’s eight title in a new regatta record as they got the better of an experienced Oxford Brookes University crew featuring Olympic champion Scott Durant and fellow Rio 2016 rowers Peter Chambers and Mat Tarrant.

Holly Nixon and Jess Leyden, World Senior and U23 Champions respectively, teamed up with Lucy Burgess and Emily Carmichael to claim a clear-water victory in the women’s quadruple scull.

And their club colleagues at Leander recorded a one-two in the men’s competition, with gold going to the lightweight quad of Ed Fisher, Charles Waite-Roberts, Jonathan Jackson and Samuel Mottram.

The first day of competition saw a 26-year-old record fall as an Isis A crew featuring Ollie Cook took full advantage of the weekend’s tail-winds to win a cracking men’s four final in a new regatta-best time of 6:03.17.

Cook was one of three reigning World Champions to claim gold on Saturday, with Wallingford RC’s Brianna Stubbs and Ellie Piggott continuing their successful partnership by dominating the women’s double competition.

Leander Club’s Nick Middleton and Tom Barras did likewise in the men’s double, while Cambridge University Women’s BC’s A crew of Myriam Goudet, Alice White, Lucy Pike and Melissa Wilson claimed the women’s four title in impressive fashion.

Four aspiring GB para-rowers competed in an open arms-trunk single scull, with Scott Jones (Gloucester Hartpury), Sophie Brown (Sudbury RC) and Ekow Otoo (Marlow RC) winning gold in their respective classifications.

Paralympics legend Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson presented the medals and said: “The inclusive nature of these Championships is really important and great to see. I wish more sports would do it.”

This year’s Championships – sponsored by Visit Sarasota County, hosts of the 2017 World Senior Championships – were the first to include prizes for non-high performance programme clubs and universities. Tideway Scullers School, Lea RC, Kingston RC and Thames RC were among the clubs to take home shields.

More than 1,000 rowers from 100 clubs – 19 of which were composites – raced during a busy and competitive weekend.

Jim Harlow, Chairman of the Regatta, said: “It has been a hugely successful weekend at the British Rowing Senior Championships. We have seen lots of close racing over the course of the weekend, with crews really pushing each other to bring out their best. It is testament to the dedication and hard work that every rower and coach puts in; it’s great to see.

“I would like to personally thank all the outstanding volunteers, without which this event would not be possible. I’m already looking forward to next year!”

Go to to see the results in full and click on the expander boxes below for reports and reaction from the weekend, plus a roll of honour.

The post Record-breaking weekend of racing at Senior Champs 2016 appeared first on British Rowing.

A host of reigning World Champions, at both senior and U23 level, will also be representing their clubs when the two-day competition is staged at the National Water Sports Centre, Holme Pierrepont.

“I love racing at the British Championships”, Scott Durant, Olympic champion

The last time Durant raced, he was part of the Team GB men’s eight that stormed to gold in memorable style on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Two months later, and at the end of a week when the Rio 2016 heroes were celebrated in Manchester and London, he will line up in an Oxford Brookes University eight looking to retain the British title they won last year.

“I’m looking forward to this weekend, I love racing at the British Championships and it should be good fun as always,” said Durant.

“It’s always good to get back into an Oxford Brookes boat and race with the students coming through. Brookes played such a huge part in my rowing development – I was there for six years between leaving school and joining the GB Rowing Team, and I owe so much of my rowing success to them.

“It should be a good competition. There are a lot of guys coming into the GB team who will be racing for the likes of Leander this weekend, so it will be tough but we are hoping to retain our title.”

Also representing Oxford Brookes are double Olympian Peter Chambers, twice World Champion Mat Tarrant, who was a men’s heavyweight spare in Rio, and Joel Cassells, a European Champion and World bronze-medallist in the lightweight men’s pair this year.

Sam Scrimgeour, Cassells’ partner in the boat for both of those races and the lightweight men’s spare at the Olympic Games, races for Imperial College BC this weekend.

The men's eight from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Bennett’s last competitive outing was with the GB women’s eight that won a historic silver medal in Rio. She returns to action as part of a strong Leander Club squad looking to once again secure the Victor Ludorum accolade for top performing club.

“I’m excited to kick-start the season at the British Championships,” said GB Rowing Team Start graduate Bennett, who will compete in a women’s eight field that has attracted an impressive 31 crew entries.

“It’s great to see so many women getting involved and racing. The eight is a very fast but fun boat because you can share all the moments with eight other people.

“It will be the first time I’ve raced since my Olympic final and the scenery will be a bit different but I’m really looking forward to it.

“It’s great to have the opportunity to represent my club. They’ve given me a lot of help over the years so when I was offered the chance to race for them this weekend I couldn’t turn it down.

“It will be tough after the post-Rio break I’ve had but I’m going to go out there and give it my best shot.”

Other rowers with senior GB experience include Becca Chin, Caragh McMurtry, Jamie Copus, Zak Lee-Green and Nick Middleton, who won both the double scull and quadruple scull titles at last year’s British Championships.

There will be plenty of potential Tokyo 2020 stars for rowing fans to look out for this weekend, including several who shone at this year’s combined Senior, U23 and Junior World Championships in Rotterdam.

“It’s fantastic to see such a strong and diverse line-up”, Jim Harlow, Regatta Chairman.

Ollie Cook (University of London BC) and Callum McBrierty (Leander), powered to gold alongside cox Henry Fieldman in the senior men’s coxed pair, while three of the women’s four that won in Rotterdam – Fiona Gammond, Holly Nixon and Holly Norton – will race in Leander colours this weekend.

Lightweight women’s quadruple scull World Champion Emily Craig will represent University of London BC, while Ellie Piggott and Brianna Stubbs – her team-mates in Rotterdam – will race for Wallingford RC.

All six of GB’s reigning U23 World Champions will be in action – Jess Leyden (Leander) and Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (Reading RC) were emphatic winners of women’s double scull gold, while Hugo Coussens (Durham University BC), Ollie Varley (Newcastle University BC), Matthew Curtis and Gavin Horsburgh (both Edinburgh University BC) took the lightweight men’s quadruple scull title in fine style.

Eleven other U23 medallists and eight World Junior medallists will also take their place among the 1,004 rowers from 100 clubs – 19 of which are composites – who have signed up for this weekend’s championships.

Jim Harlow, Chairman of the Regatta added: “It’s fantastic to see such a strong and diverse line-up at this year’s Senior Championships. It is testament to the strength and depth of senior rowing across the UK. Rowing is one of those rare sports where club rowers have the chance to compete alongside GB rowers including returning Olympic champions. After so many inspiring performances on the Lagoa in Rio it is set to be a hotly contested championship.”

Races will take place in nine categories – men’s and women’s double sculls, men’s and women’s fours, men’s and women’s quadruple sculls, men’s and women’s eights, and mixed para-rowing.

Racing is scheduled to begin at 9am on both days and conclude around 4.30pm on Saturday and 4.10pm on Sunday. This year’s championships are the first-ever to include prizes for non-high performance programme clubs and universities.

For more information about the British Rowing Senior Championships, visit .

SCHEDULE FOR A FINALS (ALL SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Saturday

15:30 – men’s double scull

15:48 – women’s double scull

16:06 – men’s four

16:24 – women’s four

Sunday

13:40 – para-rowing

15:06 – women’s eight

15:24 – men’s quadruple scull

15:42 – women’s quadruple scull

16:00 – men’s eight

The post Olympic superstars to race at Senior Championships appeared first on British Rowing.

Ollie Cook, Callum McBrierty and cox Henry Fieldman successfully defended GB’s title in the men coxed pair with a storming victory, while the lightweight women’s quadruple scull of Brianna Stubbs, Emily Craig, Imogen Walsh and Ellie Piggott powered away from Germany to upgrade on last year’s silver medal.

The women’s four of Fiona Gammond, Donna Etiebet, Holly Nixon and Holly Norton also went one better than the silver won by GB in 2015 as they recorded an emphatic clear-water victory, while Joel Cassells and Sam Scrimgeour were edged into bronze-medal position during a thrilling lightweight men’s pair final.

Sir David Tanner, British Rowing’s Performance Director and Overall Team Leader in Rotterdam, said: “We have had a really good day for our senior boats, with three golds and a bronze medal improving on the good results from last year’s World Championships.

“Our rowers have sent out a strong message for next season and beyond – well done.”

Ellie Piggott, Imogen Walsh, Emily Craig and Brianna Stubbs © Peter Spurrier/Intersport Images

McBrierty said: “If we had to define our perfect race, we almost had it down to a tee today. We were relentless with every stroke.”

Walsh, who repeated her 2011 success in the lightweight quad, added: “I have so much trust and respect for these girls and I never doubted we could do it. This is a fitting end to what has been a really fun and exciting project.”

Norton said: “It’s great to be on the podium with these girls, representing this programme and the next generation of rowers coming through.”

Callum McBrierty, Henry Fieldman and Ollie Cook

Sam Scrimgeour and Joel Cassells

The four medals continued a successful week for Britain at the combined World Championships and added to the two gold, three silver and one bronze won by the U23s in their competition.

An action-packed regatta concludes on Sunday with the finals of the Junior World Championships – click here to see how three more GB crews made progress through their semi-finals on Saturday afternoon.

Click on the expander boxes below for full race reports, reaction and results from the Senior World Championships finals

The post Treble triumph as GB top Senior World Champs medal table appeared first on British Rowing.

Cox Henry Fieldman stayed on course for a second successive gold medal after he, Ollie Cook and Callum McBrierty surged through the field to take first place on the line.

As in Monday’s heats, GB concentrated on their own race as the crews around stormed out into early leads. The United States and Ukraine were well clear at 500m, with the Brits a narrow sixth at that stage.

Settling into a powerful rhythm, they pushed past the Italians and reeled in the tiring Ukranians to sit second with 500m to go. They wanted the win, though, and continued to pound away, eventually overhauling the Americans in the last few strokes.

Joel Cassells and Sam Scrimgeour edge clear of Denmark

The lightweight men’s pair of Joel Cassells and Sam Scrimgeour extended their unbeaten record to 11 races but had to work hard to hold off a determined challenge from Denmark.

Emil Espensen and Jens Vilhelmsen had finished runners-up to the British pair at both the European Championships and the Poznan World Cup this year, and the two crews were once again the class of the field.

There was very little to choose between them throughout the race but Cassells and Scrimgeour had their noses in front and were able to respond to any challenge the Danes made.

Both senior pairs are coached by Christian Felkel, who – along with Jurgen Grobler – coached the men’s eight to Olympic gold in Rio earlier this month.

Gemma Hall is making her senior debut at these World Championships and had achieved her main target of the week by reaching the semi-finals of a hotly-contested lightweight women’s single scull competition.

She was in touch with the top three at the 500m mark but a battle for third spot between Russia’s Anastasiia Ianina and Katherine Sauks of Canada took them away from the Brit.

Hall was also passed by Belgium’s Eveline Peleman in the last 250m but gained more valuable senior racing experience and will race in the B final on Saturday.

Day five had began with the repechages for the Junior World Championships, featuring two GB boats.

The men’s coxed four of Matthew Rowe, Alex Green, Seb Newman, Bertie Woodward-Fisher and cox George Cozens were off the race pace in Wednesday’s heats but got off to an excellent start today to put themselves right in the mix for one of the two A final places available.

They were second with 800m gone but Serbia were able to push through and, along with Australia, moved clear. GB had given their all and faded in the last 500m, crossing the line in fifth.

Only two crews progressed in the women’s pair repechage as well and those places were secured early on as Denmark and Germany surged clear.

The British pair of Hope Cessford and Lauren Irwin rowed well, at times matching the pace of the leading crews, but were unable to make up ground and came home in fourth.

The post Well-earned wins keep senior title defences on track appeared first on British Rowing.

Joel Cassells and Sam Scrimgeour made light of the choppy conditions to continue their unbeaten record in the lightweight men’s pair with a composed display.

The men’s coxed pair of Ollie Cook, Callum McBrierty and cox Henry Fieldman – a gold-medallist in the boat last year – also looked strong as they won their heat by clear water.

They progress to Thursday’s semi-finals, while the women’s four of Fiona Gammond, Donna Etiebet, Holly Nixon and Holly Norton booked their place in Saturday’s finals with an impressive win.

Callum McBrierty and Ollie Cook

Henry Fieldman

The lightweight women’s quadruple scull of Brianna Stubbs, Emily Craig, Imogen Walsh and Ellie Piggott – all World silver-medallists in 2015 – also laid down a marker by winning their preliminary race in fine style.

Gemma Hall, in the lightweight women’s single, and the lightweight men’s quad of Charles Waite-Roberts, Jamie Copus, Jamie Kirkwood and Zak Lee-Green will look to progress through the repechages on Tuesday morning.

The U23 World Championships continue either side of those races, with single scullers Tom Barras and Sam Mottram competing in the open and lightweight quarter-finals respectively first thing.

The women's four

The lightweight women's quad

The afternoon session sees six GB crews racing in semi-finals – the women’s double, men’s quad, lightweight men’s quad, men’s four, lightweight men’s four and men’s eight.

They will be looking to join the four crews who have already progressed to the U23 finals – the lightweight women’s quad, women’s four, women’s eight and men’s coxed four.

More than 100 GB rowers are competing on the Willem-Alexander Baan rowing course this week as Rotterdam hosts the combined Senior, U23 and Junior World Rowing Championships. The juniors start their racing on Wednesday.

Click on the expander boxes below for reports, reaction and results from this afternoon’s racing.

The post Defending champions make winning start to Senior Worlds appeared first on British Rowing.

Fiona Gammond, Donna Etiebet, Holly Nixon and Holly Norton will make up the women’s four, while Jamie Kirkwood, Charles Waite-Roberts, Jamie Copus and Zak Lee-Green will contest the lightweight men’s quadruple scull.

Their selections take the number of GB rowers competing on the Willem-Alexander Baan course from 21-28 August up to 113 rowers, with the World U23 and World Junior Championships taking place at the same time.

Norton was in the women’s four that won silver at last year’s World Championships in Aiguebelette, France. Etiebet and Nixon both have senior experience, in the women’s eight and quadruple scull respectively, while Gammond – a double World U23 silver-medallist in the eight – will make her senior debut.

Waite-Roberts is also making the step up having won two World U23 silver medals in 2013 and 2014. Copus and Lee-Green narrowly missed out on a medal in the quad in Aiguebelette last year, while the experienced Kirkwood will be competing at his fourth successive World Championships.

They will join three other senior boats in Rotterdam. Joel Cassells and Sam Scrimgeour will be looking to defend their lightweight men’s pair title; Ollie Cook, Callum McBrierty and cox Henry Fieldman go in the men’s coxed pair; and Brianna Stubbs, Emily Craig, Imogen Walsh and Ellie Piggott will contest the lightweight women’s quad.

Injury has forced a change to the GB women’s quadruple scull for the World U23 Championships, with Ruth Siddorn being replaced by Flo Pickles. She will be line up alongside Lucy Burgess, Georgia Francis and Kyra Edwards.

Reginald Mitchell has also been forced to pull out of the World Junior squad. Matthew Rowe has moved into the men’s coxed four, while Alexander Wythe – part of the GB Juniors team that won the Coupe de la Jeunesse last month – has been called into the men’s pair.

Click here to see the World U23 team announcement and here for the World Juniors team.

The post Women’s four and lightweight men’s quad added to Worlds team appeared first on British Rowing.

Four other medallists from the 2015 championships in Aiguebelette, France, will also compete in this year’s edition for non-Olympic boats, which is taking place alongside the World U23 and Junior Championships from 21-28 August.

That means more than 100 GB rowers will be competing on the Willem-Alexander Baan course in what is effectively the first major international event of the Tokyo 2020 Olympiad, coming just eight days after the Rio regatta concludes.

British Rowing Performance Director Sir David Tanner, who will be Overall Team Leader in Rotterdam, said: “These three, senior boats will want to lay down a marker for the Tokyo Olympic cycle and have a great opportunity to impress.

“We are still assessing the standard of two possible additional boats for the Worlds, a women’s four and lightweight men’s quad, and will decide on those later this week.”

Cassells and Scrimgeour, the latter the lightweight men’s spare for Team GB in Rio, will be looking to continue their excellent unbeaten partnership in the lightweight men’s pair.

The Coleraine/Kirriemuir combination were crowned as World Champions in their first regatta together last year and have continued that impressive form during 2016, winning the European Championships title and World Cup gold in Lucerne and Poznan.

“I am chuffed to be selected again with Sam to defend our title in the pair, we are very excited to get to Rotterdam and start racing,” said Cassells.

“We’ve strived to continue this season where we left off in Aiguebelette and winning that European title and being unbeaten since we first raced together is special. Of course that puts a target on our backs and adds to the expectation but we relish the challenge.

“Being part of a highly-competitive lightweight and women’s squad this year has pushed us both on both physically and mentally. It gives us great confidence when we’re punching up with the likes of our brilliant women’s pair that we’re in a good position to begin racing again.”

Ollie Cook, Callum McBrierty and cox Henry Fieldman won World Cup gold in Poznan

Imogen Walsh

The lightweight women's quad that won silver in 2015

Fieldman guided Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell and Mat Tarrant to the coxed pair World title in Aiguebelette last year. This time he will be joined in the boat by Ollie Cook and Callum McBrierty, the trio having won gold at the Poznan World Cup last month.

“After a successful debut in Poznan, we have been making substantial leaps forward in our rhythm and technical ability and cannot wait to start out assault on the World Championships in Rotterdam,” said Fieldman, who also won a silver medal at the Worlds in 2014.

“The GB coxed pair is now on five wins in a row and we are looking to continue that trend through the upcoming regatta.”

McBrierty, who also helped the men’s four to gold at the Lucerne World Cup as a replacement for the ill Constantine Louloudis, said: “I’m tremendously proud to be selected in the coxed pair for the World Championships.

“Myself, Ollie and Henry are looking forward to putting a marker down at Rotterdam. Having had a great camp in Varese with the Olympic squad, we can’t wait to show our strength at the end of August. There’s plenty more work to do before the event but I’m relishing the opportunity.”

All four members of the lightweight women’s quadruple scull won silver medals at last year’s World Championships. Brianna Stubbs, Emily Craig and Ellie Piggott return to the boat, while Imogen Walsh moves across from the lightweight single.

“I’m really excited to race in the lightweight quad again this year,” said Piggott, who will be competing at her third successive World Championships.

“As individuals we have a lot of experience in this event and from our first session together you could feel that the crew had a real buzz to it.

“We’ve shown good speed in training so far but, with four weeks still to go until Rotterdam, I’m looking forward to adding to that and seeing what we can deliver at the World Championships.”

The finals for the senior World Championships will take place on Saturday, 27 August, a day after the U23s and 24 hours before the Juniors.

The World Junior squad can be found here. The World U23 squad will be announced later this week.

The post Champs return to defend World titles in Rotterdam appeared first on British Rowing.

It was a particularly notable occasion for Jack Beaumont, who claimed a fifth successive Henley title when he teamed up with Leander and international colleague Nick Middleton to win the Doubles Sculls Challenge Cup.

“I couldn’t be happier with how that race went,” said Beaumont after Sunday’s four-and-a-half length win over Gasper Fistravec and Dani Fridman in Sunday’s final.

“We knew we would get a run for our money, but we also knew we could win this. We feel great as a pair and I love rowing alongside my teammate Nick.

“We train on this stretch of the river every single day so to win this cup makes the early mornings and tough training sessions worth it.”

Taking the plaudits in the Princess Grace Challenge Cup were the young GB quartet of Melissa Wilson, Jess Leyden, Holly Nixon and Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne.

Racing as Reading RC and Leander Club, the women’s quad held off a determined challenge from AZS Warszawa & Wisca Grudziadz of Poland – the reigning World U23 Champions – to win by one length.

“That was really good,” said Hodgkins-Byrne, who became the first Reading RC member to win at Henley since 1935. “It was my third time at Henley and the previous two visits were quite stressful but I really enjoyed this one.”

The lightweight GB quad of Brianna Stubbs, Emily Craig, Imogen Walsh and Ellie Piggott – racing as Wallingford RC and London RC – were beaten by the Schuylkill Navy High Performance Center from the United States in the heats.

Both GB development eights reached their respective finals, with the men’s crew – racing as Nautilus RC – pushing the Dutch Olympic eight all the way in an excellent Grand Challenge Cup final, only losing by three-quarters of a length.

It proved a tougher task for the women’s eight in the Remenham Challenge Cup final as GB – racing as a Leander and Tees RC composite – were beaten by four and three-quarter lengths by Princeton Training Centre from the US.

Ollie Cook and Callum McBrierty, racing as University of London BC and Leander, were edged out by French pair Benoit Demey and Edouard Jonville in the semi-finals of the Silver Goblets and Nickalls’ Challenge Cup.

The Leander Club and Oxford Brookes University composite men’s quad of Zak Lee-Green, Charlie Waite-Roberts, Jamie Copus and Jamie Kirkwood – all GB lightweight internationals – also narrowly missed out on a place in the Queen Mother Challenge Cup final as they were beaten by California RC.

The GB development men’s four of James Johnston, Tom George, James Rudkin and Lewis McCue – racing as Newcastle University and Robert Gordon University – also reached the semi-finals of the Stewards’ Challenge Cup, where they lost by a length to eventual overall winners Hollandia Roeiclub of the Netherlands.

You can watch highlights of the finals day below:

The post GB rowers among the winners at Henley Royal Regatta appeared first on British Rowing.

Among the record number of entrants for the 2016 regatta are Jack Beaumont and Nick Middleton, who will be racing in the Double Sculls Challenge Cup under the Leander Club banner.

They will be looking to continue the impressive form they have shown on the international stage this season, where they reached the final at the World Cups in Varese and Lucerne.

Beaumont, from Maidenhead, also won silver as a last-minute sub with the men’s quadruple scull in Lucerne and was victorious in the men’s single scull B final at the Poznan World Cup. He is bidding for a fifth successive Henley title this year.

“Being a local lad I have grown up around Henley Royal Regatta – I used to go and watch every year with my family,” he said.

“I love the traditions and the head-to-head racing. It’s also the only race where all of my friends and family can come and watch which makes it extra special.

“To win at Henley for a fifth successive year would be fantastic.”

Contesting the Silver Goblets and Nickalls’ Challenge Cup are Ollie Cook and Callum McBrierty, fresh from their World Cup victory in the men’s coxed pair with Henry Fieldman in Poznan. McBrierty also helped the GB men’s four claim a dramatic gold at the Lucerne World Cup after subbing in for the ill Constantine Louloudis.

The Queen Mother Challenge Cup for the men’s quadruple sculls features the Leander Club and Oxford Brookes University composite of Jamie Kirkwood, Jamie Copus, Charlie Waite-Roberts and Zak Lee-Green.

All four are experienced lightweight internationals, as are Imogen Walsh, Brianna Stubbs, Emily Craig and Ellie Piggott who will race as Wallingford RC and London RC in the Princess Grace Challenge Cup. Each crew member won a silver medal at last year’s World Championships in Aiguebelette – Walsh in the lightweight single and the others with Ruth Walczak in the lightweight quad.

Also contesting the Princess Grace are the open-weight GB quartet of Jess Leyden, Melissa Wilson, Holly Nixon and Mathilda Hodgkins-Bryne.

“Henley time is so exciting, there’s a real buzz around the town and I love it,” said Leyden, who was part of the winning Princess Grace crew in 2015.

“I can’t wait to race there in front of the crowds. The women’s quad event looks really strong this year and I’ll do all I can to try and defend the title.”

Tina Stiller – who rowed alongside Leyden and Nixon in the GB women’s quad that narrowly missed out on Olympic qualification this summer – will race in the women’s single scull event, the Princess Royal Challenge Cup.

Beth Bryan, Becca Chin, Caragh McMurtry, Donna Etiebet, Jo Wratton, Holly Norton, Fiona Gammond and Katherine Douglas make up the Leander and Tees RC composite women’s eight that will contest the Remenham Challenge Cup. All have GB experience, either at senior or U23 level, and will be coxed by Erin Wysocki-Jones.

Henley will also offer potential World U23 and World Junior rowers another chance to impress the GB selectors ahead of this year’s Championships in Amsterdam.

And there will be more GB Rowing Team interest in the historic regatta on Thursday when the ParalympicsGB rowing squad for Rio 2016 is announced at Henley.

The post “Real buzz” as GB rowers head to Henley appeared first on British Rowing.

Already missing Olympic medallists Constantine Louloudis and Peter Reed from the men’s four and eight respectively – who were recovering at home from a virus – Heather Stanning from the Olympic, World and European Champion women’s pair and Peter Lambert from the men’s quadruple scull succumbed pre-race to a different condition.
There was drama too for the men’s four who came through to take gold in a race where the Australians caught a speed-sapping crab* just a few metres from the line.
“That wasn’t exactly a text book way to win”, grinned Alex Gregory afterwards.  “But it shows how strong our squad is that we can swap in Callum [McBrierty] and still pull out the win. He’s a great guy.”, he added.
“We could have stayed away and trained at home but we didn’t want to shy away from it. This has been invaluable experience’. said Mohamed Sbihi.
Great Britain added a spectacular silver from its women’s eight as they came crashing back towards the World and Olympic champion American crew in the final 500m to fall short by mere fractions of a second.
“That was really exciting and I hope we can get them next time”, said Karen Bennett.
“We showed how effective our rowing can be”, said Melanie Wilson.
The men’s quad went out to race with sub Jack Beaumont on board and took a superb silver behind the Australians.  Beaumont was kept busy later in the day when he raced in the second-ranked men’s double to a sixth place – no doubt making his dad and 1988 Olympian Peter Beaumont proud of his doubling-up feat.
“It was a bit surprising to be up by so much in the early part of the race but we knew the Australians had a good sprint.  In a last minute combination like today there is only so much you can do but we are pleased with the result and there is still a lot more we can do” , said Groom.
Bronze came from Nathaniel Reilly O’Donnell and Mat Tarrant who might also have been awarded silver, so close was the photo-finish with the Dutch at the end of a race which the British crew had led in the early phases and which was won by New Zealand.  Bronze for GB came as an addition to the world cup gold they won in Varese early last month.
There was disappointment, though, for the men’s eight who finished an agonising fourth in a race won by the Dutch rather than the Olympic-champion German eight who had been pre-race favourites.
Britain backed those results with three top six finishes in the morning session, taking fifth in the lightweight men’s double scull and four and the open men’s single scull.
The lightweight men’s double raced here for the first time since Richard Chambers injured his hand and they looked fast in the early phases before showing their lack of race practice in the final quarter of the race.  Chris Bartley, Mark Aldred, Jono Clegg and Peter Chambers made a strong challenge for bronze until the final 250m when they faded.
Alan Campbell showed an upward curve from his European Championships performance to take fifth place in the open men’s single scull in a race won by Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand.
Sir David Tanner, GB Rowing Team Performance Director, said:  “I am very pleased with our medals – all of them high quality in their different ways.  Well done to Callum McBrierty for subbing into the men’s four and Jack Beaumont in the men’s quad.  These two results were great but underneath that there has been the frustration of illness before we came and in Lucerne today.
“Helen and Heather showed in their semi-final their top form but sadly were unable to race today but what a wonderful result from our women’s eight taking silver behind the World Champions from the USA.
“We will take a lot of positives form this but hope to get healthy again very soon to enter our final pre-Olympic racing in Poznan next month”.
For reaction to this report and interview requests please contact the GB Rowing Team press office on site:  comms@gbrowingteam.org.uk or 07831 755351
For pictures please contact:  GBRTPressOffice@GBRowingTeam.org.uk or  07765 071683
If you missed the live BBC coverage today, don’t forget to catch up on i-player.
*When the oar clips the water and flies out of control”.

The post High drama in Lucerne as men’s four win gold and women’s eight take silver appeared first on British Rowing.