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Victoria Win Kings Cup - Tomkins makes it 15 |
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Victoria have won the Kings Cup, for the Interstate men's eight
on the final day of the Australian Rowing Championships at Lake Barrington in
Tasmania. The margin was one of the smallest ever in the history of the race a
mere 0.09 seconds win to Victoria over Western Australia. In the epic battle
down the 2000 metre course the lead changed a number of times between the two
crews. No more than half second separated the two crews at any one time. With
less than 100 metres to go it seemed that Victoria would be beaten, but James
Tomkins, going for his 15th Kings Cup lifted his crew to take out the Kings Cup.
Tomkins, 37 said "that was the toughest by far, it was just a fantastic race,
the whole way down at the most two seats difference, they got out a little bit
out of the start, then we came back, we got a little bit on them, then at 500
to go it was dead level, 250 to go it was dead level, then we basically went
bananas at the end." When asked if that was the sweetest victory of the 15 he
said: "they are all fanstatic in their own right, I struggle trying to remember
some of them." Mike McKay who rowed with Tomkins in the Oarsome Foursome
acknowledged the fine performance of Western Australia: "They did a fantastic
row and we knew they were going to be on the ball, it is a fight, fight to
get over the line."
In the women's eight NSW held off a fast finishing Victoria to take out the
Queens Cup. Western Australia lead early, but where unable to maintain the
pace and had to settle for third. Julia Wilson who rowed in the NSW crew
said: "it was good we have a lot of team spirit and that is what gets us
over the line."
Perhaps the greatest victory of the day was that of the local Tasmanian crew
in the lightweight men's four. Down half length with 500 metres left, the
Tasmanians who were going for their fifth straight win, lifted as the home
crowd cheered them on. The Tasmanian's stroked by Olympic silver medallist
Simon Burgess passed the Western Australian crew in the last 50 metres of
the race. Burgess 35 said: "just listening to the crowd helped us to win
here. In front of everyone it creates a little bit of history."
Duncan Free won the President's Cup for single scull for the sixth time.
There were cheers when local Tasmanian Brendan Long finished second. Free
is not sure how long he can keep on winning "who knows I take it year by
year." The women's single scull went to defending champion Amber Bradley
from Western Australia. Tasmania also picked up silver in this event with
Kerry Hore finishing second.
World champions Amber Halliday & Sally Causby rowed in the lightweight quad
scull for South Australia they won by well over two lengths.
The youth eights went to Western Australia for the women and NSW for the men.
The overall pointscore was won by NSW.
That concludes the last race of the chmapionships.
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