The success in 2016 of Moe Sbihi has been recognised by the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards, with the Olympic champion nominated for Sportsman of the Year.

Sbihi, who was born in Britain to a Moroccan father, sealed his rise to the top of British rowing with a gold medal in the men’s four in Rio de Janeiro, alongside Alex Gregory, George Nash and Constantine Louloudis.

The Molesey rower is a practising Muslim and manages his commitments to his faith, including fasting, around his intense training schedule. As well as his success on the water, Sbihi is recognised for his work with the British Rowing Start Programme, of which he is a graduate, and inspiring youngsters from diverse ethnic groups to start rowing.

He received an MBE in the 2017 New Year Honours and is back in training with the elite team in the build up to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Sbihi finds himself in great company on the awards shortlist, with the British indoor record holder up against fellow Rio star Sir Mo Farah, who won two golds at the Games in August, Olympic silver medallist Lutalo Muhammad and England Rugby’s rising star Maro Itoje.

Commenting on being shortlisted for the award, Sbihi said: “I’m honoured and privileged to be among such sporting names. To be nominated alongside athletes that I look to as being the pinnacle of British sport is something that I would never have thought would happen to me. 2016 was an incredible year for me and I am proud to be part of such a successful year for British sport.”

The winner of Sportsman of the Year will be determined by a public vote. You can vote for Moe Sbihi by visiting  and clicking on ‘mobile version’.

Other sports men and women up for awards include Dame Jessica Ennis, Nicola Adams and Haseeb Hameed.

The winners will be announced at the Lycamobile British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards, held at the London Hilton Park Lane Hotel on 18 March.

The post Moe Sbihi shortlisted for Sportsman of the Year at British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards appeared first on British Rowing.

Find out who inspired Moe Sbihi to tears on the morning of his final and what was Zoe de Toledo thinking as the women’s eight entered the halfway mark of the Olympic final in last place.

Be inspired by their stories to follow your dreams and be the best that you can be.

Could you be a future Olympian? Moe Sbihi came into rowing through our Start programme. He had no previous rowing experience. Find out how you could be a rowing star of the future.

If you missed any of our journey to Rio 2016, catch-up on the full series via our channel. Make sure you subscribe to our channel to be the first to see what’s new from British Rowing.

The post Medals: Row to Rio #11 appeared first on British Rowing.

Both the women’s pair and men’s four lived up to their billing as gold-medal favourites by producing truly magnificent performances to dominate their respective finals and write their names into the history books.

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, the outstanding women’s pair of the past five years, became the first-ever British women to successfully defend an Olympic title as they repeated their heroics from Eton Dorney.

Relative rookies back at London 2012, this time the weight of expectation was on their shoulders but they delivered in the style of great champions by leading their race from start to finish.

Glover said: “It’s really difficult to put this feeling into words. To defend your title is something very, very special. The first time we did it, it took a long time to realise we were Olympic champions and it was all new to us. This time round, we crossed the line and we were 2016 champions and we felt like that straight away.”

Stanning added: “It means so much more, we’ve put an awful lot of pressure on ourselves and I’ve been so emotional this week which isn’t me at all.”

Alex Gregory, Mohamed Sbihi, George Nash and Constantine Louloudis found themselves under pressure from Australia at the halfway point of the men’s four final but stuck to the gameplan laid down by coach Juergen Grobler to pull clear and surge to victory.

It was a fifth successive Olympic gold medal for the GB men’s four, breaking the previous record of successive victories in the event held jointly by Britain and East Germany.

Gregory, winning his second gold in the four, said: “The last boat I was in, in London, had some incredible positive parts but this is the most consistent performing boat I’ve ever been a part of.”

Nash added: “I’m really pleased, for these guys and for the whole project really. It’s a great crew to be part of.”

There was disappointment for Alan Campbell who had to settle for fourth place in his men’s single scull semi-final after a stunning finish from Belarussian Stanislau Shcharbachenia, which denied the Coleraine rower a shot at a second Olympic medal.

Will Fletcher and Richard Chambers finished their regatta on a positive note by winning the lightweight men’s double scull B final, while the lightweight women’s double of Charlotte Taylor and Kat Copeland were second in the C final.

Tomorrow GB’s two eights are in action and both are considered medal chances. The women go at 15.04 BST, followed by the men at 15.24 BST.

Click on the expander boxes below for full race reports, reaction and results.

For further information about this report please contact the GB Rowing Team press officer, Caroline Searle, via comms@gbrowingteam.org.uk OR the phone numbers in the contact box below.

The post Thirty minutes, two golds – historic day for GB in Rio appeared first on British Rowing.

Thornley and Grainger turned an indifferent season into a silver lining today, battling all the way down the course with the Polish favourites only to be outdone in the very dying metres of the race.

The silver was a first for Thornley – and one she will cherish – and a fourth for Grainger since 2000 to add to the gold she won in the same event at London 2012.  The tally makes her Britain’s most decorated female Olympian of all time.

Grainger said of the race and their early lead:  “I don’t think you ever feel like you are going to win but we were ahead and it felt good and then you come down very quickly.  It was certainly a dramatic race”.

Thornley added:  “It was a really great race from us and a silver medal is so nice, I think”.

Earlier the open men’s pair of Alan Sinclair and Stewart Innes, and double of Jonny Walton and John Collins produced gutsy performances to finish fourth and fifth respectively. The men’s quad of Jack Beaumont, Sam Townsend, Angus Groom and Peter Lambert also gave everything they had to finish fifth overall – an impressive result after their disrupted build-up to the Games.

Peter Lambert, Angus Groom, Sam Townsend and Jack Beaumont gave their all

Stewart Innes and Alan Sinclair

John Collins and Jonny Walton

Alex Gregory, Mohamed Sbihi, George Nash and Constantine Louloudis produced a dominant performance in their men’s four semi to qualify for tomorrow’s final, leading throughout.

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning were equally impressive in their semi, taking an early and big lead before going on to win comfortably.

Will Fletcher and Richard Chambers emptied the tank giving their all in the lightweight men’s double scull semi but could not get into the top three and qualify for tomorrow’s final.

Alan Campbell will race the final GB semi of the programme tomorrow morning in the men’s single scull.  The men’s four and women’s pair will line up for their finals.

Click on the expander boxes below for full race reports, reaction and results.

For further information about this report please contact the GB Rowing Team press officer, Caroline Searle, via comms@gbrowingteam.org.uk OR the phone numbers in the contact box below.

The post Grainger becomes GB’s most decorated female Olympian appeared first on British Rowing.

Alan Campbell will launch Great Britain’s Olympic rowing campaign this Saturday on Rio’s Estadio de Lagoa at 09.00 Brazilian time (13.00 BST) when he faces opposition from Belarus, Korea, Zimbabwe and Indonesia for a place in Tuesday’s quarter-finals of the open men’s single scull.

The 2012 bronze medal open men’s single sculler, from Coleraine and coached by John West, will lead off a British contingent of 12 boats and 47 rowers in action at these Games at a lake which Team GB Rowing Leader, Sir David Tanner, has described as “one of the iconic venues of the Games”.

Saturday morning’s race-card includes the men’s pair of Alan Sinclair, from Inverness, and Henley’s Stewart Innes, the European silver medal winners (14.40 BST). They have drawn the Dutch crew of Roel Braas and Mitchel Steenman, also multiple medal winners this season, in their opening heat.   A top three finish from the six starters will see them into Tuesday’s semi-finals.

“The guys are excited about racing at their first Games and are fired up because of the support back home”, said their coach Rob Dauncey.

2012 Olympic women’s eight finalist Vicky Thornley, from Wrexham, and five-times Olympian and Glasgow’s defending Olympic champion Katherine Grainger, have a tough opener in the open women’s double scull in which they need a top three placing to progress.

They are drawn to race alongside Lithuania’s 2013 World Champions Donata Vistartaite and Milda Valciukaite in a heat also featuring 2015 World bronze medallists, Germany (15.00 BST).

“It’s a very tasty heat and the women are looking forward to testing themselves”, said coach Paul Thompson.

Leicester’s Jonny Walton and Twickenham’s John Collins will kick off their debut Olympics in a heat of the open men’s double scull, which features current World bronze medallists New Zealand and 2014 silver medallists, Italy (15.30 BST).  A top three finish for the duo, coached by Mark Banks, will see them safely into Tuesday’s semi-finals.

Coleraine’s Peter Chambers and Chester’s Chris Bartley both took silver in the lightweight men’s four in London and return to this boat class in Rio where they race with Olympic first-timers Mark Aldred, from Birmingham and Maidenhead’s Jono Clegg.

In Saturday’s opening heat (16.10 BST) the quartet, who finished the world cup season on a strong note, with world cup bronze in Poland, have drawn 2014 World Champions and 2015 World silver medallists, Denmark.  They also race the Germans whom they beat into fifth place in the final in Poland.   Three crews go through to semi-finals.

‘It will be interesting to see how we run off against the Danes in the opening heat because they are one of the top crews in the world. It will put everyone’s minds at rest to see where we stand”, said coach Hamish Burrell.

Jack Beaumont from Maidenhead has flown out to join the GB men’s quadruple scull crew in the past few days because of illness to Graeme Thomas.  Beaumont, Reading’s Sam Townsend, Glasgow’s Angus Groom, who learnt to row in Guildford, and Henley’s Peter Lambert will close out GB’s first day of racing.

“Australia and Poland are the seeded crews, so it will be a good test”, said coach Paul Stannard of their opening heat (16.40 BST) from which two crews progress to Wednesday’s final and the others to a repechage which provides those crews with a second chance on Monday.

SUNDAY

Sunday’s start-list will see the men’s four, women’s pair and the two lightweight double scull crews in action in their respective opening heats.

Gloucestershire’s defending Olympic Champion Alex Gregory, Surbiton’s Moe Sbihi, George Nash, from Guildford, and Londoner Constantine Louloudis start unbeaten this season in the men’s four. They line up with South Africa, France and Greece in heat three (16.20 BST).

Three crews from each heat will progress to the men’s four semi-finals on Wednesday.  Britain have been Olympic champions in this event at every Games since Sydney 2000.

“Overall the draws are good but there is no easy opposition at Olympic Games level.  We are here to compete and to show how we can perform.  We have prepared well and we are now looking forward to it”, said coach Jurgen Grobler who is coaching at his 11th Olympic Games.

Helen Glover, from Penzance, and Lossiemouth’s Heather Stanning will race a women’s pair heat which includes Denmark and Germany who are both world cup finalists this season (14.10 BST).

Robin Williams, coach to the Olympic, World and European Champion duo, said: “The draw has turned out evenly balanced with the seeded crews missing each other but we have crews in our heats who can race, and race well, so we will be giving them the proper respect”. Three crews progress from this heat.

Tees rower Kat Copeland, like Glover and Stanning, is a defending Olympic Champion. With Putney’s Charlotte Taylor, Copeland won World silver a year ago.

The duo missed the latter part of this season’s world cup racing because of injury but have come through well from two recent good training camps.

Only two crews progress to semi-finals from their heat (14.40 BST). Coach Paul Reedy said:  “We are racing crews that are ranked quite highly so it will be a good first test and we are raring to go”.

Richard Chambers, the elder of the Chambers siblings and a London 2012 lightweight men’s four medallist, races this Games with Games debutant Will Fletcher from Chester-le-Street in the lightweight men’s double scull.

In a somewhat ironic twist the combination, coached by Darren Whiter, are drawn in their heat (15.50 BST) alongside John Thompson and John Smith who were half of South African lightweight four who so narrowly pipped GB to gold in London four years ago.  The top two crews go on to the semi-finals with the remainder to the repechages.

MONDAY

Britain’s two eights open their Games on Monday with heats starting at 10.30 local time (14.30 in the UK).

The men have drawn Holland, Italy and New Zealand.  Germany, the Olympic Champions, are in the other heat.   Scott Durant (Lancaster), Tom Ransley (Ashford), Andrew T Hodge (Hebden), Matt Gotrel (Chipping Campden), Pete Reed (Nailsworth), Paul Bennett (Leeds), Matt Langridge (Northwich), Will Satch (Henley) and Londoner Phelan Hill feature in this line-up.

Christian Felkel, who coaches the eight with Jurgen Grobler, said:  “It was expected that the Germans would be in the other heat because of the seedings. The Dutch, of course, won in Lucerne at the world cup so that will be interesting but we are not worried and we can’t wait to get going”.

The GB European Champion women’s eight are drawn with Canada and New Zealand.

James Harris, coach of the European Champion women’s eight with Paul Thompson, said:  “The seeding meant that we would always face New Zealand in the heats. We’ve traded results with them this season and the Canadians, of course, are the World bronze medallists from last year so it’s going to be a good three-boat fight”.  Only one crew can progress directly to the final, the other two will have a second chance via the repechage.

Katie Greves (Oxford), Melanie Wilson (London) Frances Houghton (Oxford), Polly Swann (Edinburgh), Jess Eddie (Durham), Olivia Carnegie-Brown (Reading), Karen Bennett (Edinburgh), Zoe Lee (Richmond) and cox Zoe de Toledo (London) will race at 10.40 Brazilian time (14.40 in the UK) with the men in action 20 minutes later.

Click here for a full guide to the Games

The post Ready and raring to go in Rio appeared first on British Rowing.

Their perfectly-paced race on Brandenburg’s breezy Beetzee made them one of six GB Rowing Team crews to make tomorrow’s finals and join the seven crews that had already qualified from yesterday’s racing.

Innes said:  “We had a good start and then the middle bit got a bit bouncy but we came through it well – job done and we’re looking forward to the final”.

John Collins and Jonny Walton came through strongly in the second half of their open men’s double semi today to take a third place and move through in a strong field.

Collins said:  “We looked at both semi-finals and thought we had the toughest one but we know we have to race the best at some point. We had quite a strong first half in yesterday’s heats but needed to be a bit calmer in these conditions and I felt we pitched it a lot better today”.

Imogen Walsh

Jamie Kirkwood

Jonny Walton and John Collins

Both GB open quads went through – the men in second place and the women in third in their repechages.  As an inexperienced crew the women did well in the worsening wind and the men were closing on Estonia, who won, in the closing stages.

Jamie Kirkwood grabbed third in a dramatically close finish to his lightweight men’s single semi and Imogen Walsh was second in her repechage to book a place tomorrow.

Meanwhile, It was a difficult day for two 2012 medallists.  Olympic champion Kat Copeland and her partner Charlotte Taylor missed out on a finals spot coming fourth in their light double semi.  Alan Campbell looked out of sorts and finished fifth in his open men’s single.

Conversely fourth place was a significant achievement for 21 year-old emerging talent Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne in the open women’s single at her first regatta at this level in this boat.

End of the Rio Road for W4x. Copyright Intersport Images

The men's quad

The 2016 GB men’s four of Alex Gregory, George Nash, Mohamed Sbihi and Constantine Louloudis, after an eye-catching heats win,  are amongst the seven already-qualified crews.  Despite their comfortable qualification all four feel there is more to be done.

Gregory said:  “For me it feels like it’s been a long winter of training.  There has been a lot riding on trials and getting selected.  So, to finally get a run-out competitively in the heats here was exciting.  It felt great.

“But we have a few things to adjust in our race place and we are looking forward to putting them right tomorrow.  The conditions here are not easy so it’s a test of boatmanship was well as our first international races as a crew”.

Sbihi added:  “Looking ahead to the final, we are not looking at who we are racing but how we are going to improve from yesterday”.

The men’s eight were pleased with their heats win ahead of Poland but are not resting on their laurels.

Scott Durant said:  “We obviously want to win tomorrow but this is the first regatta of the season, so it’s about building on what we have done so far and working towards the goal of Rio. It’s all part of the learning curve”.

The lightweight men’s four also impressed in qualifying yesterday and Peter Chambers said: “It’s been going well for us over the last few weeks, we’ve got our act together and have been moving the four along nicely. We’ve been setting a good high standard and hopefully we can show that tomorrow”.

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning will kick off the Olympic boat class action tomorrow for GB as favourites to win the women’s pair after a blistering heat.  They race at 09.18 UK time in a finals session which has been brought forward by one hour due to predicted strengthening wind conditions later in the day.  The session starts at 07.00 with the B finals. A Finals start at 08.33 and finish at 12.33.

Follow live updates on Twitter – @GBRowingTeam.

GB ROWERS TO RACE EURO FINALS WEARING BLACK RIBBONS

In tomorrow’s European Championships finals, members of the GB Rowing Team will race wearing black ribbons on their vests in memory of the late Ron Needs who sadly died a few days ago.

Ron had been a GB coach since the 1970s, coaching many medal boats and he continued to work with the team until a couple of years ago.

He coached the current GB women’s pair coach Robin Williams to a lightweight world medal in the 1970s and coached alongside current GB Rowing Team Performance Director Sir David Tanner in his days as an international coach.

Ron also coached the first GB crew to win a world gold since the 1940s when they won lightweight eight won in Amsterdam in 1977.

Katherine Grainger said:  “Ron was my first GB Rowing coach and remained a wise counsel and friend to me for 20 years.  His passion for rowing was infectious and his knowledge and understanding of the sport immense”.

For reaction to this report and interview requests on the day please contact the GB Rowing Team press office on site:  comms@gbrowingteam.org.uk or 07831 755351 or 07765 071683.

The post Six more GB crews through to European finals appeared first on British Rowing.

With the European Championships taking place next week in Brandenburg, Germany, British Rowing has updated its team-list.

Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne, winner of the U23 GB Trials recently, joins the entries for the event from 6-8 May as a racing spare in the open women’s single scull. She will also be reserve for the women’s quadruple scull.

Richard Chambers and Will Fletcher have been withdrawn from the light men’s double scull.  They are now fully back in training after Chambers’ hand injury but the decision has been taken to miss the Europeans and focus on the world cup in Lucerne.

GB’s main squad was announced three weeks ago, signalling an intention to be ambitious at the Europeans as part of aiming high in Rio – now 100 days away.

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning were announced in the women’s pair in which they are the reigning Olympic, World and European Champions.

Glover said:  “It’s always fantastic to be selected to represent Great Britain, and never more so than in Olympic year. The European Championships are our first opportunity to test our early season speed against international competition.”

And one of the strongest open men’s sweep* rowing squads in the world has been deployed across the men’s eight and four as well as a new-look men’s pair for the event which takes place in Brandenburg Germany from May 6-8.

Sir David Tanner, GB Rowing Team Performance Director, said: “We are clearly ambitious to do well in Rio and will race and then review the Europeans combinations announced today. We will also enter six crews for the Varese World Cup regatta in ten days’ time.”

Double Olympic men’s four champions Pete Reed and Andrew T Hodge have been selected into the men’s eight in a line-up which includes Scott Durant and 2012 men’s eight medallist Matt Langridge alongside multiple World Champions Paul Bennett, Matt Gotrel, Tom Ransley, stroke Will Satch and cox Phelan Hill. Ransley, Satch and Hill are also 2012 medallists.

Alex Gregory, 2012 gold medallist in the four, returns to that boat and races with his Trials winning partner, Mohamed Sbihi, plus George Nash and stroke Constantine Louloudis. The quartet are all reigning World Champions in the men’s eight.

Gregory said:  “Everything we do aims towards the Olympics and now finally we are starting to form the crews that will make up the Olympic team. With the European Championships as the first test, I can’t wait to get the 2016 racing season underway. It’s a privilege to race for our country and the feeling of pride and excitement never diminishes.”

Having laid down a strong marker with a top four finish at the recent GB Trials Alan Sinclair and Stewart Innes are named as the men’s pair.

Relative rookie Angus Groom has forced his way into the open men’s quadruple scull* in the absence of the injured Charles Cousins, to join 2013 and 2014 World medallists Sam Townsend, Graeme Thomas and Peter Lambert.

Lambert said:  “I am extremely happy with my selection for the Europeans. This regatta is an exciting start to our Olympic season. The men’s quad at the Europeans is an extremely high competition. Out of the eight crews that qualified last year for the Olympics, seven of them are European countries. We are looking forward to it.”

2012 bronze medallist Alan Campbell, whose Trials’ win showed that he is back on form, races the single scull and Jonny Walton and John Collins, contest the double scull – they qualified that boat for Rio at last year’s World Championships.

Four-times Olympic medallist Katherine Grainger is named in the open women’s double scull with Trials winner Vicky Thornley in a reprise of their 2015 partnership which finished its debut season with a place in the World final.

Like Grainger, Frances Houghton, will race a fifth Olympic Games if selected later this summer for Rio.  She has switched from sculling to sweep rowing and has won a seat in the women’s eight that came so close to winning a medal at last year’s World Championships.

Grainger said:  “The idea of ever competing at the Olympic Games was once just a dream and so it was incredible when I made the team in 2000. Now 16 years on and looking to my fifth Games I still have the same excitement I did back then, it’s the most amazing event to be part of and that doesn’t change whether it’s the first time or the fifth.”

Houghton said:  “I feel almost overwhelmed to be selected for the European Championships in the women’s eight. It is the first major step conquered on the way to fulfilling my dream of competing in my fifth Olympic Games.

It has at times seemed like an insurmountable mountain to climb, and now it is just sinking in that all the hard work and deep belief in the darkest of times of illness and injury has paid off”.

Olympians Jess Eddie, Katie Greves and Melanie Wilson as well as 2013 World pair champion Polly Swann, back after a year out with injury, will be joined in the line-up by Zoe Lee, Karen Bennett, Olivia Carnegie-Brown, and cox Zoe de Toledo.

The women’s quadruple scull will be Holly Nixon, Jess Leyden, Tina Stiller and Rosamund Bradbury. They raced recently at the world cup in Varese as the campaign begins to qualify this boat for Rio.

World silver medallists Kat Copeland and Charlotte Taylor will once more race the lightweight women’s double scull having taken the top two spots at the Trials from a strongly contested lightweight sculling group. Imogen Walsh, therefore, races the single in which she won World silver in 2015.

Further post-Trials testing was needed to establish the crews for the light men’s sweep boats.  2012 silver medallists Peter Chambers and Chris Bartley have made the cut and will be joined by Mark Aldred and Jono Clegg, both now experienced internationals.  Sam Scrimgeour and Joel Cassells are GB’s choice in the pair. They won World gold last year.

Jamie Kirkwood, a World finalist last year, takes up the GB slot in the lightweight men’s single once more.

*Sweep = one rower, one oar *Scull = one rower, two sculls

The post Some tweaks have been made to the Europeans team appeared first on British Rowing.

Lightweights Charlotte Taylor, Will Fletcher, Sam Scrimgeour and Jono Clegg all recorded maiden victories at the event with impressive performances in Wednesday’s finals at Caversham.

The races were packed with quality and depth, giving selectors plenty to ponder ahead of the European Championships team announcement in April – and, of course, this summer’s Olympics in Brazil.

Alan Campbell © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images

Alex Gregory and Moe Sbihi © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images

GB Rowing Team Performance Director Sir David Tanner said: “We’ve had an exceptional set of Trials which is suitable for an Olympic year.

“We’ve had some great racing and it was good to see the standard of our Olympians stepping up with some top-level performances.

Sam Scrimgeour and Jono Clegg celebrate © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images

Will Fletcher celebrates © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images

“We still have some questions as we move towards our crew formation. We have good information from these Trials as we start putting together our boats for the European Championships in May and then, later in the year, for the Olympics.”

See below for full race reports, quotes and results.

Heather Stanning and Helen Glover © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images

Vicky Thornley © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images

The post Multiple wins and maiden victories as “exceptional” Trials conclude appeared first on British Rowing.

Sbihi said of their win:  “We had the objective to go hard out of the blocks and stick to doing our own thing. We got the rewards over the first 500m and then were able to settle into a nice rhythm, relax and kick out”.

Olympic medallists Pete Reed and Constantine Louloudis won the opposing semi in a faster time, holding off strong opposition from George Nash and Will Satch, winners of 2012 bronze in this event.

Alan Sinclair and Stewart Innes put in a sizzling performance to take second behind Gregory and Sbihi in a semi which, by contrast, held heartache for 2012 men’s four champion Andrew T Hodge and World silver medallist Matt Langridge.  The duo did not have enough in the tank in the closing 350m to nudge into third place, taken by Tom Ransley and Scott Durant, and will race a B final instead.

The scene is now set not only for a men’s pair final crammed with World and Olympic medallists but some cracking racing across the board as the pressure mounts on potential Olympic places.

Pete Reed and Constantine Louloudis (foreground) won their semi-final © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images

Will Fletcher and Jamie Kirkwood © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images

Angus Groom © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images

Emerging talent Angus Groom and 2012 bronze medallist Alan Campbell look set to lock horns in the men’s single scull final having won their semis today respectively. John Collins, Sam Townsend, Graeme Thomas and Jonny Walton will also fancy their chances as recent World medallists or finalists in sculling events.

Campbell said: “I’m feeling very good and happy with it but it’s all to play for tomorrow”. Both men know that a fit Charles Cousins, winner of the past two trials, would have presented a challenge.  Cousins has recently had back surgery for an injury that has scuppered his chances of racing in Rio but is determined to battle back to fitness and mount a Tokyo campaign.

Another tight contest could unroll in the lightweight women’s single scull. Charlotte Taylor, Kat Copeland and Imogen Walsh were involved in an almost blanket final last time round and with only two seats at the Olympics for this group of rowers the pressure is intense.  Taylor and Walsh won the two semis today.

Imogen Walsh © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images

Frances Houghton and Olivia Carnegie-Brown won their women's pair semi-final © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images

Jess Leyden at the start of the women's single semi-final © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images

Will Fletcher looked the strongest of the lightweight men’s single scullers in winning his semi-final from defending champion Jamie Kirkwood but there is still all to play for tomorrow with Zak Lee Green and Sam Mottram in the mix.

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning were, as expected, consummate winners of their women’s pair semi-final and are certainly strong favourites to win. They had an early run-out against their expected strongest opposition in Jess Eddie and Polly Swann today and the two pairs will clash again tomorrow.

Frances Houghton, trying for her fifth Olympics and having already won two Olympic silvers, was a winner of the first semi today with Olivia Carnegie Brown from Karen Bennett and Melanie Wilson.

Sir David Tanner, Performance Director of the GB Rowing Team, said:  “They have been fantastic conditions to race in today and what we’ve seen is the depth we’ve got in our squads, in most of the events, especially the open weight ones. It’s great to see so many competitive women’s pairs as well as men’s, and the singles on the men’s side are really good. We’ll have an interesting day of finals.

“Having qualified 12 boats for the Olympics it means we have some choices to make. So even if you look down a little bit, in several events down the final, or even not quite in it, they could still make the Games and arguably do well. It’s where we are and it’s competitive stuff.”

The lightweight men’s pair final is a four-boat affair with 2012 silver medalist Chris Bartley and Mark Aldred coming out top in today’s time-trials to “seed” the final.

115 rowers are contesting these trials with just 48 Olympic places on offer.  Tomorrow’s racing takes place from 10-12.00.

The post Rowers have “another gear to go” ahead of crunch Trials finals appeared first on British Rowing.

“There are some very big calls to come in the next few weeks and I try not to think about it,” said Paul Bennett, World Champion in the men’s eight, of this week’s GB Rowing Team Olympic-season trials.

“Everyone here does the same training, we have all worked hard to support each other but some people will not make it.  That’s horrible to think about so I try not to think about it.”

With 115 rowers in action and only 48 Rio seats available later this year and European Championships places at stake in early May, these Trials will be demanding.

17 Olympic medallists and 10 World Champions will be amongst those racing tomorrow and Wednesday.

Sir David Tanner, British Rowing’s Performance Director, said: “This is the event when we test the rowers under pressure in pairs and singles to see who has got what it takes to win.  The tension is never greater than in Olympic year.”

Bennett will be racing with Matt Gotrel in a “stacked” men’s pair field.  GB has won the men’s eight at the World Championships three times since 2013 and 12 of the rowers involved in those wins will be on Tuesday’s start line in the men’s pair.

Olympic Champion Alex Gregory and Mohamed Sbihi are tipped to take a hat-trick of titles since 2014 and victory for Sbihi would be his fourth consecutive win at this event.

Gregory said:  “I would definitely like to keep hold of the title but the racing has got closer and closer over the years and the standard has increased. It’s going to be tough to protect that record.

“We know there or thereabouts where we are in the squad but, from our point of view as athletes, this week can be make or break and the pressure is on.”

Other top pairings include double Olympic Champion Pete Reed and 2012 bronze medallist Constantine Louloudis as well as George Nash and Will Satch who were bronze medallists in the pair at the 2012 Games.

Louloudis said:  “I feel pretty good. We’ve just been on a good training camp and I think the whole team is well prepared but Pete and I have been going pretty well in our pair and I think we’ll do well at the Trials.

“We are conscious, coming into the Trials, that it is more individual now. We are all assessing our own chances looking ahead to selection.”

Double Olympic Champion Andrew T Hodge and Matt Langridge could also be a pair to watch. World silver medallist Langridge is more used to racing with James Foad, who is out recovering from back surgery, whilst Hodge is on the way back after illness.

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning are stand-out favourites to win the women’s pair event. The duo hold the Olympic, World and European titles although Jess Eddie and Polly Swann – the latter a World Champion with Glover in 2013 – could run them close as they did in 2014.

Singular “single” and women’s sweep battles in store

Perhaps more intriguing could be the battle for top honours in the open men’s single scull.

Angus Groom won the December assessment. The young Scot is making his mark after joining the senior squad from the ranks of the U23 World medallists. John Collins, from the 2015 double scull, has also been in good form in recent training.

With Charles Cousins absent through injury, 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Alan Campbell should feel he has a chance to extend his remarkable trials record to nine overall wins.  He won eight titles consecutively from 2005-2012 before Cousins took over the mantle.

Campbell said:  “For myself, this would be my fourth Olympics and I would say every one has been tougher than before. This is definitely the toughest group I have been in and I’m having to race and push myself very hard to come up to the standard required to get into this Olympic team.”

2013 and 2014 World quadruple scull medallists Pete Lambert, Sam Townsend, Graeme Thomas as well as Groom’s erstwhile World U23 medal team-mate Jack Beaumont, who is back on track after last summer’s serious injury, and 2015 double-sculler Jonny Walton are also in the mix and the whole group has everything to play for.

Collins said:  “The trials feel very early. In a way, it’s another box to be ticked but it is the biggest box of all. It’s so important. When the time comes to perform, you have to do the business. You have to step up when it really matters, that’s something you can’t assess on a day-to-day basis.”

At these trials only 2012 Olympic gold medallist Andrew T Hodge can equal the 10 titles won to date by Katherine Grainger, who sits out this week as she is recovering from a minor niggle, leaving Vicky Thornley the favourite to win the open women’s single.

Thornley said:  “It will be good to get racing again. Trials are always a bit nerve-wracking but I am looking forward to getting out there.”

Frances Houghton, a 2008 Olympic silver medallist and multiple winner of these trials in the single, has swapped into a competitive “sweep” group seeking seats in the Rio-qualified women’s eight.

She will race with Olivia Carnegie Brown, who came into the national squad through GB Rowing Team Start – a talent identification and fast-track development programme which identified up to 33% of all London 2012 medallists and provided 49% of the team at those Games.

Houghton said:  “I’m just trying to get through the Trials, if I’m at the Europeans and Olympics afterwards that would be great. I’m not thinking about anything else at the moment. Getting selected is the most important thing and I’ll think about Rio if and when it comes.

“I’ve changed from sculling to sweep, so it’s a really big challenge but it’s exciting. It’s going to be very close at the Trials.”

The women’s sweep field includes, amongst other contenders, Olympian Eddie and former World Champion Polly Swann, Louisa Reeve and Ro Bradbury, Melanie Wilson and Karen Bennett as well as Donna Etiebet and Vicki Meyer-Laker. Zoe Lee has today been withdrawn on medical grounds, which means that her pairs partner Katie Greves now transfers to the single.

Etiebet said: “It’s exciting. There are lots of pairs, much more than last year, which makes the competition that much fiercer but ultimately that is really good for the sweep crew, it’s getting more out of everybody.”

Eddie also summed up the mood in the squad when she said recently:  “The focus right now is purely on selection, that is the big thing weighing on people’s minds.  It’s pretty intense but it’s in our own hands.  If we’re good enough we’ll be in the boat, if we’re not we’ll, miss out.”

Seriously heavy competition for the lightweight titles

Last season’s finals session was marked by a sizzling finale to the lightweight women’s single scull when Olympic Champion Kat Copeland was eased out in a three-boat photo-finish by Imogen Walsh and, then rookie, Charlotte Taylor.

Taylor and Copeland went on to race in the lightweight double for GB in the ensuing season and won World silver in Aiguebelette, France, and Walsh won World silver in the single.

Outside of this triumvirate a new wave of talented lightweights continues to emerge including previous World U23 medallists Brianna Stubbs and Ellie Piggott.

Stubbs talked of the strength in depth of the lightweight women’s squad when she said:  “Everyone knows roughly how well everyone else is doing in training but you just have to leave that behind you when you sit on the start line.

“I have so much respect for everyone I train with, I see how hard they have all been working and the standard of the group is probably the best and deepest of any lightweight women’s squad in the world. Seven of us won silver medals at the last World Championships and it is a privilege to be part of that. All I can do is my best on the day and see where that puts me”.

This week’s trials will feature both a single and a pairs event for the lightweight men as selection is honed down to the two Olympic boats – the light four and double.

Richard Chambers and Will Fletcher won World silver in the double last September. Fletcher remains a strong contender for this week’s light single title alongside twice previous winner Jamie Kirkwood and Zak Lee-Green but Chambers has a hand injury which will keep him on the sidelines.

Fletcher said:  “This is it, the final test to show our winter’s work and to prove ourselves. There are only a handful of seats in the Olympic boats and you want to make sure you are in one.

“It is pretty stressful. We are all mates and we are about to race against each other for a place at the Olympics.”

Kirkwood said:  “I’m looking forward to it, there should be some good, fierce racing. I’m hoping to defend my title in the single. No doubt it will be very tough but I will give it my best shot.”

In the pairs event Joel Cassells – from the same town, Coleraine, as 2012 Olympic medallists Alan Campbell, Peter and Richard Chambers – will seek to impress in his continuing rise from recent student rowing days.

He races with Peter Chambers in what looks likely to be a small but tight event with World lightweight men’s pair Champions Sam Scrimgeour and Jonno Clegg as well as previous World medallists Mark Aldred and Chris Bartley racing against relative newcomers like Jamie Copus, Sam Mottram and Charles Waite Roberts.

Four coxes are also amongst those attending the invitation-only event. They are Phelan Hill, Henry Fieldman, Zoe de Toledo and Matilda Horn.

· The GB Rowing Team is supported by the Lottery through UK Sport and has Science in Sport as a supplier.  SAS Analytics is the Official Analytics Partner of British Rowing and the GB Rowing Team. Follow Britain’s rowers on the Road to Rio via Twitter – @GBRowingTeam – and at www.facebook.com/GBRowingTeam.

===========================================

RACING TIMETABLE

Racing will take place as follows:

Time-trials (heats) – 09.45 – 11.00 on Tuesday 22 March

Semi-finals – 15.00 – 16.25 on Tuesday 22 March (first A/B semi at 15.22)

Finals – 10.00 – 12.00 Wednesday 23 March

All times of racing are subject to the weather and members of the media should check with the press officer on 07831 755351 before travelling to the event, particularly if there are high winds.

Any updates to schedules will be posted on twitter:  @GBRowingTeam and on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/gbrowingteam

===========================================

ENTRY LIST

(As at Monday 21 March) Pairs listed from bow to stroke,

* denotes U23

OPEN

MEN

Single

Tom Barras (Leander Club/Staines/07.01.94)* MED – withdrawn

Jack Beaumont (Leander Club/Maidenhead/21.11.93)

Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers School/Coleraine/09.05.83)

Frazier Christie (Leander Club/Bath/11.01.93)

John Collins (Leander Club/Whitton/24.01.89)

Angus Groom (Leander Club/Glasgow/16.06.92)

Peter Lambert (Leander Club/Maidenhead/03.12.86)

Rowan Law (Leander Club/Nottingham/01.12.96)*

Harry Leask (Leander Club/Edinburgh/16.10.95)*

Nick Middleton (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/12.08.88)

George Stewart (Molesey BC/Esher/14.04.95)*

Jon Stimpson (Nottingham RC/Gex, France/18.07.90)

Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC/Preston/08.11.88)

Sam Townsend (Reading Univ BC/Reading/26.11.85)

Sam Twine (Reading Univ BC/Tavistock/06.01.94)*

Jonny Walton (Leander Club/Leicester/06.10.90)

Pair

Chris Boddy (Leander Club/Thornaby-on-Tees/16.11.87)/Thomas Ford (Leander Club/Holmes Chapel/03.10.92)

Timothy Clarke (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/07.04.91)/Phil Congdon (Leander Club/Bury St Edmunds/06.06.89)

Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC/Windsor/05.06.90)/Callum McBrierty (Leander Club/Edinburgh/13.08.92)

Rory Gibbs (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lane End/03.04.94)*/Matthew Aldridge (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Christchurch/11.03.96)*

Alex Gregory (Leander Club/Wormington/11.03.84)/Mohamed Sbihi (Molesey BC/Surbiton/27.03.88)

Michael Glover (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Burnham/03.06.95)* /Morgan Bolding (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Withiel/13.05.95)*

Matt Gotrel (Leander Club/Chipping Campden/01.03.89)/Paul Bennett (Univ of London BC/Leeds/16.12.88)

Matt Langridge (Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.83)/Andrew T Hodge (Molesey BC/Hebden/03.03.79)

Luke Moon (Molesey BC/Deal/25.03.93)/Chris Heywood (Molesey BC/Ascot/29.05.94)*

George Nash (Molesey BC/Guildford/02.10.89)/Will Satch (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/09.06.89)

Adam Neill (Leander Club/Peterborough/29.05.90)/Cameron Buchan (Leander Club/Dunipace/03.12.92)

Tom Ransley (Leander Club/Ashford/06.09.85)/Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.88)

Pete Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth/27.07.81)/Constantine Louloudis (Oxford Univ BC/London/15.09.91)

Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell (Univ of London BC/Durham/13.04.88)/Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Shepperton/11.07.90)

George Rossiter (Leander Club/Newbury/09.03.92)/Barnaby Stentiford (Leander Club/Ippleden/06.02.91)

James Rudkin (Newcastle Univ BC/Northampton/07.07.94)*/Lewis McCue (Robert Gordon Uni/Aberdeen/26.12.94)*

Alan Sinclair (Leander Club/Inverness/16.10.85)/Stewart Innes (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/20.05.91)

William Warr (Leander Club/Tunbridge Wells/12.03.92)/Matt Rossiter (Leander Club/Newbury/25.09.89)

WOMEN

Single

Emily Carmichael (Leander Club/Cheltenham/29.05.92)

Sam Courty (Reading RC/Alnwick/07.01.93)

Debbie Flood (Leander Club/Guiseley/27.02.80) MED – withdrawn

Georgia Francis (Imperial College BC/Newbury/18.08.94)*

Katherine Grainger (St Andrew BC/Glasgow/12.11.75) (injured) MED  – withdrawn

Lucinda Gooderham (Leander Club/Garboldisham/09.06.84)

Katie Greves (Leander Club/Oxford/02.09.82)

Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (Reading Univ BC/Hereford/01.10.94)*

Jessica Leyden (Leander Club/Todmorden/22.02.95)

Holly Nixon (Leander Club/Enniskillen/07.12.93

Tina Stiller (Tees RC/Yarm/23.06.87)

Victoria Thornley (Leander Club/Wrexham/30.11.87)

Melissa Wilson (Cambridge Univ BC/Edinburgh/10.06.93) MED – withdrawn.

Pair

Karen Bennett (Leander Club/Edinburgh/05.02.89)/ Melanie Wilson (Imperial College BC/London/25.06.84)

Rosamund Bradbury (Leander Club/Banstead/17.12.88)/Louisa Reeve (Leander Club/London/16.05.84)

Beth Bryan (Tees RC/Stockton-on-Tees/23.04.93)/Jo Wratten (Tees RC/Middlesbrough/23.03.92)

Rebecca Chin (Agecroft RC/Deganwy/11.12.91)/Caragh McMurtry (Southampton Coalporters/Southampton/22.08.91)

Jess Eddie (London RC/Durham/07.10.84)/Polly Swann (Leander Club/Edinburgh/05.06.88)

Fiona Gammond (Leander Club/Bicester/19.10.92)/Holly Norton (Leander Club/Johannesburg, SA/01.01.93)

Helen Glover (Minerva Bath RC/Penzance/17.06.86)/ Heather Stanning (Army RC/Lossiemouth/26.01.85)

Zoe Lee (Imperial College BC/Richmond/15.12.85) MED – Withdrawn

Frances Houghton (Univ of London Tyrian Club/Oxford/19.09.80)/Olivia Carnegie-Brown (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Henley-on-Thames/28.03.91)

Vicki Meyer-Laker (Leander Club/Premnay/18.03.88)/Donna Etiebet (Imperial College BC/London/29.04.86)

LIGHTWEIGHT

MEN

Single

Richard Chambers (Leander Club/Coleraine/10.06.85) (injured) MED – Withdrawn

Will Fletcher (Leander Club/Chester-le-Street/24.12.89)

John Hale (Imperial College BC/Cambridge/28.02.88)

Jonathan Jackson (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/02.06.95)*

Jamie Kirkwood (Leander Club/Newcastle/30.08.89)

Zak Lee-Green (Agecroft RC/Cardiff/06.02.91)

Samuel Mottram (Leander Club/Stoke Mandeville/14.11.94)*

Sam Tuck (Molesey BC/Peterborough/26.07.93)

Pair

Chris Bartley (Leander Club/Wrexham/02.02.84)/Mark Aldred (London RC/Birmingham/18/04.87)

Joel Cassells (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Coleraine/15.06.94)*/Peter Chambers (Oxford Brookes Univ/Coleraine/14.03.90)

Sam Scrimgeour (Imperial College BC/Kirriemuir/28.01.88)/Jonathan Clegg (Leander Club/Maidenhead/14.07.89)

Charles Waite-Roberts (Leander Club/Basingstoke/06.11.92)/Jamie Copus (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Oxford/30.01.93)

WOMEN

Single

Maddie Arlett (Edinburgh Univ BC/Selkirk/07.06.94)*

Kat Copeland (Tees RC/Stockton-on-Tees/01.12.90)

Emily Craig (Univ of London BC/Mark Cross/30.11.92)

Gemma Hall (Wallingford RC/Wargrave/10.04.92) MED – withdrawn

Robyn Hart-Winks (Edinburgh Univ BC/Kirriemuir/07.10.93)

Ellie Lewis (Agecroft RC/Marlow/14.04.94)

Eleanor Piggott (Wallingford RC/Bedford/16.05.91)

Fran Rawlins (Leander Club/Uckfield/08.07.86)

Brianna Stubbs (Wallingford RC/Poole/13.07.91)

Charlotte Taylor (Putney Town RC/Bedford/14.08.85)

Imogen Walsh (London RC/Inverness/17.01.84)

COXES

MEN

Henry Fieldman (Molesey BC/Barnes/25.11.88)

Phelan Hill (Leander Club/Bedford/21.07.79)

WOMEN

Zoe De Toledo (Leander Club/London/17.07.87)

Matilda Horn (Univ of London BC/Windsor/16.

·      The GB Rowing Team is supported by the Lottery through UK Sport and has Science in Sport as a supplier.  SAS Analytics is the Official Analytics Partner of British Rowing and the GB Rowing Team. Follow Britain’s rowers on the Road to Rio via Twitter – @GBRowingTeam – and at www.facebook.com/GBRowingTeam.

The post Some “big calls” to come at Trials appeared first on British Rowing.