Day VIII: Sunday 30 August
Lightweight Women’s Double Scull – A FINAL – 11.33am (7.33pm AEST)
Alice McNamara (VIC) and Bronwen Watson (NSW) enter the final of the lightweight women’s double scull after two good performances in their heat and semi-final.
McNamara and Watson, who have been crowned world champion twice as part of the lightweight women’s quad scull, will aim for a medal in their first appearance in this boat class.
Great Britain, Greece and Germany hold the middle lanes for the final while Australia will row from Lane 6. Other crews to feature are Poland and Canada.
Men’s Quad Scull – A FINAL – 12.33pm (8.33pm AEST)
Dan Noonan (NSW), David Crawshay (VIC), Jared Bidwell (QLD) and Nick Hudson (NSW) face a tough challenge in a red hot field for the men’s quad scull title.
They have improved with each race this week after finishing fourth in the heat. They turned this around with a win in their repechage and then finished second behind world and Olympic champion Poland.
Poland will enter the final as favourite to retain their title but this field is very talented with the young Croatian crew also eager to taste success.
Australia will race from Lane 2, while Germany, Italy and France are also in the final.
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David Polglase on +48 787 676 639
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Day VII: Saturday 29 August
Adaptive Men’s Single Scull – A FINAL – 10.18am (6:18pm AEST)
Ben Houlison (NSW) will enter the final of the adaptive men’s single scull as a genuine medal chance in his first world championships.
Houlison finished third in his heat, following this up with a win in his repechage to move through to the main final.
Great Britain’s Paralympic and World champion Tom Aggar is the overwhelming gold medal favourite, while Houlison will fancy his chances against Ukraine’s rower who only just pipped him in the heat on the opening day.
Houlison will row from Lane 5, while also contesting the final are USA, New Zealand and Italy.
Adaptive Mixed Coxed Four – A FINAL – 11.03am (7.03pm AEST)
The Adaptive mixed coxed four have raced a good regatta to date and secured their place in the A Final with a second place finish in their repechage on Tuesday.
Henry Macphillamy (NSW), Peter Siri (QLD), Carol Cooke (VIC) and Alexandra Green (NSW), coxed by Lisa Brown (VIC), will row from Lane 1 in the final, in which Paralympic champions Italy will enter as favourite.
Reaching the A Final has been a good result for this crew and they will look for a complete row in the final, which will also feature Germany, Great Britain, Canada and Ukraine.
Women’s Four – A FINAL – 11.18am (7.18pm AEST)
The women’s four has only had one row this week due to six entries for this event and in their race for lanes on Tuesday finished in third place.
Emily Rose (WA), Libby Alderman (WA), Laura Osti (SA) and Sophia Robson (VIC) are all making their world championships debut and rowing from Lane 5 will aim for a medal in the final.
The Netherlands will enter the race as favourites, containing four members of the Dutch women’s eight, while USA are also in the race for a medal after a second place finish in the race for lanes.
The crew will improve on their first row and will also face Germany, Canada and Belarus in the final.
Women’s Pair – A FINAL – 11.33am (7.33pm AEST)
Sarah Cook (ACT) and Kim Crow (VIC) raced a much improved semi-final on Thursday which will have given them a good boost of confidence heading into the final on Saturday.
Cook and Crow have been the Australian women’s pair for three seasons now and have the potential to challenge for medals in the final.
The USA and New Zealand won the semi-finals and will hold the middle lanes for the final, while Germany, Great Britain and Romania all boast crews that are capable of challenging for a medal.
Cook and Crow will row from Lane 5 as they look to improve on their fourth place finish from the 2007 World Championships.
Women’s Double Scull – A FINAL – 12.03pm (8.03pm AEST)
The women’s double scull final could be one of the most even final finishes if the semi-final races are anything to go by.
Pippa Savage (QLD) and Sally Kehoe (QLD) won their heat on Sunday and then placed second in the semi-final on Thursday to position themselves as a genuine medal chance on the weekend.
They have only been rowing as a combination now for nine weeks and while they do not possess the experience of other crews have an excellent base speed in the boat.
Great Britain is a very strong crew, while Poland and the USA have also been in excellent form throughout the regatta. The Czech Republic rounds out the field in what is a good quality final.
Men’s Four – A FINAL – 12.33pm (8.33pm AEST)
This final is shaping as a two horse race between Great Britain and Australia and is creating a lot of excitement around the Malta Regatta Course.
The Australian crew of Francis Hegerty (NSW), Cameron McKenzie-McHarg (VIC), James Marburg (VIC) and Matt Ryan (NSW) claimed silver in Beijing behind Great Britain, after leading the World Champions for the first 1800 metres of the race.
Despite Great Britain boasting a new crew, with all four members coming from the men’s eight crew that won bronze in China, there is still talk of gaining one back on the British from the Olympic Games.
Great Britain has dominated this event over the last 10 years and Australia will look to end their domination.
The Czech Republic, Belarus, France and Slovenia round out the field for the final.
Men’s Eight – B FINAL – 4.12pm (12.12am AEST)
The Australian men’s eight will aim to bounce back from their disappointment of missing the A Final with a good final row in the B Final.
Richard Allsop (NSW), Fergus Pragnell (NSW), Sam Loch (NSW), Bryn Coudraye (SA), Tom Swann (VIC), Mitch Estens (NSW), Josh Dunkley-Smith (VIC) and Tom Larkins (NSW), coxed by Toby Lister, only missed the A Final by 0.05 seconds in their heat, before a fourth place finish in the repechage left them short.
The young crew will be confident of rounding out their regatta with a good row as they continue their development for the future.
They will race from Lane 3, with Russia, USA and Ukraine also contesting the B Final.
For more information please call
David Polglase on +48 787 676 639
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Day VI: Friday 28 August
Men’s Lightweight Four – Final C – 11am (7pm AEST)
Angus Tyers (VIC), Ross Brown (WA), Tom Bertrand (VIC) and Darryn Purcell (QLD) will target a win in the C Final after producing another improved row in their race on Thursday.
The young crew has shown significant signs of development not just across the course of the year, but also during the regatta, and will want to end their campaign with a flourish.
They will race from Lane 3 in the C Final and will be joined in the race by China, New Zealand, Great Britain, Belarus and Russia.
Women’s Lightweight Double Scull – Semi Final 2 – 2.13pm (10.13pm AEST)
Alice McNamara (VIC) and Bronwen Watson (NSW) will row from Lane 4 after winning their heat on Monday gave them a seeding for the semi-final.
McNamara and Watson have been pitted against the fast starting Greek and Canadian crews which will offer them a different challenge, but one they are more than capable of rising to.
Also contesting the semi-final are the United States, Cuba and Hungary, with the top three crews progressing to the final.
Men’s Quad Scull – Semi Final 1 – 2.53pm (10.53pm AEST)
The men’s quad scull faces a difficult semi-final in one of the more evenly contested events of the World Championships.
After winning their repechage on Wednesday, Dan Noonan (NSW), David Crawshay (VIC), Jared Bidwell (QLD) and Nick Hudson (NSW) will row from Lane 6 in the semi-final which includes Olympic champions Poland and fellow favourites for the gold medal, Croatia.
The crew will look for the experience of Olympic gold Crawshay and member of the 2008 Olympic quad scull Dan Noonan to shine through, coupled with the skill and youthful exuberance of Bidwell and Hudson.
Also racing in the semi-final are Ukraine, Slovenia and Estonia, with the top three crews to qualify for the final.
For more information please call
David Polglase on +48 787 676 639
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Day V: Thursday 27 August
Men’s Lightweight Four – C/D Semi-Final – 12.48pm (8.48pm AEST)
The men’s lightweight four of Angus Tyers (VIC), Ross Brown (WA), Tom Bertrand (VIC) and Darryn Purcell (QLD) will chase a place in the C Final.
After finishing third in their repechage on Wednesday it will be a big effort for these boys to lift themselves up, but they are a courageous crew and will look for another improved row.
They will face New Zealand, China and Indonesia with the top three progressing to the C Final.
Women’s Pair – Semi-Final 2 – 1.41pm (9.41pm AEST)
Sarah Cook (ACT) and Kim Crow (VIC) will contest the semi finals of the women’s pair and look to repeat their final appearance from the 2007 World Championships in Munich, Germany.
Cook and Crow have shown they have the potential to compete at the highest level and will advance if they execute a good race.
They will contest the semi-final against Croatia, Argentina, Romania, USA and Russia. Romania and USA have the centre lanes following heat times, while Australia will row from Lane 6 as they chase a top three place.
Women’s Double Scull – Semi-Final 1 – 2.05pm (10.05pm AEST)
The Toowoomba duo of Sally Kehoe and Pippa Savage will row from Lane 4 in their semi-final of the women’s double scull after winning their heat last Sunday.
Savage and Kehoe will need to be mindful of the very strong British crew, who entered the regatta as one of the strongest crews.
Also in the Australian semi-final will be Belarus, Germany, Czech Republic and Ukraine, but expect most of the action to come from the middle of the course, with the top three advancing to the final.
Men’s Four – Semi-Final 2 – 2.45pm (10.45pm AEST)
Francis Hegerty (NSW), Cameron McKenzie-McHarg (VIC), James Marburg (VIC) and Matt Ryan (NSW) also occupy lane 4 and will chase their second win of the regatta in the men’s four semi-final.
The Beijing silver medallists have avoided the equally strong British crew who will row in the other semi-final but still must not be complacent.
Spain, Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic and Greece line up against Australia with the first three progressing to the final.
For more information please call
David Polglase on +48 787 676 639
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Day IV: Wednesday 26 August
Men’s Lightweight Four – Repechage 2 – 10.54am (6.54pm AEST)
Angus Tyers (VIC), Ross Brown (WA), Tom Bertrand (VIC) and Darryn Purcell (QLD) finished fourth in their heat in what is always a very competitive boat class.
Chris O’Brien is doing a fantastic job with this young crew and from Lane 5 in their repechage they will give the semi finals a great crack.
Switzerland will be expected to advance given the times rowed in the heats, which will leave Australia in a battle with Canada and Belgium for the remaining place.
Men’s Quad Scull – Repechage – 11.06am (7.06pm AEST)
Dan Noonan (NSW), David Crawshay (VIC), Jared Bidwell (QLD) and Nick Hudson (NSW) finished fourth in their heat on Monday.
Their heat was the quickest and the challenging head wind was a good lesson for the Australian crew who will bounce back in their repechage.
Five crews will race the repechage, with three of these to secure a place in the semifinals. Estonia, Great Britain, USA and Ireland will join the Australians in the repechage, with USA and Estonia the other favoured crews to progress with Australia.
Men’s Eight – Repechage – 11.18am (7.18pm AEST)
The Australian men’s eight crew came within a whisker of direct qualification for the A Final, pipped by the British crew on the line by 0.05 seconds.
It was a great learning experience for the young Australian crew and now they will need a top two finish in their repechage to progress to the final on Sunday.
Coxed by Toby Lister (NSW), the crew featuring Richard Allsop (NSW), Fergus Pragnell (NSW), Sam Loch (NSW), Bryn Coudraye (SA), Tom Swann (VIC), Mitch Estens (NSW), Josh Dunkley-Smith (VIC) and Tom Larkins (VIC) will need to be mindful of the challenge to be thrown down by Russia, Ukraine and USA.
For more information please call
David Polglase on +48 787 676 639
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Day III: Tuesday 25 August
Adaptive Men’s Single Scull – Repechage 2 – 9.50am (5.50pm AEST)
Ben Houlison rowed a solid heat on Monday and now finds himself in the repechage on Tuesday morning.
Houlison finished third in his heat behind Paralympic champion Tom Aggar, but with the first four rowers all rowing quicker than the winner of Heat 2, Houlison will be confident of his chances of progressing to the A Final.
He is the quickest qualifier in his repechage and will race from lane 2. The top two will qualify for the final.
Adaptive Mixed Coxed Four – Repechage 1 – 10.30am (6.30pm AEST)
Henry Macphillamy (NSW), Peter Siri (QLD), Carol Cooke (VIC) and Alexandra Green (NSW), coxed by Lisa Brown (VIC), finished second in their heat on Monday with an excellent row leaving them only behind the Paralympic champions from Italy.
They have been drawn in the first repechage against Poland, Russia, Canada and Ireland.
Canada rowed a time quicker than the Australian crew in their heat, but with two crews to progress to the final, Australia has the ability to advance.
Women’s Four – Race for Lanes – 11.00am (7.00pm AEST)
With only six entries for the women’s four category, a race for lanes in the A Final will take place on Tuesday, with the times then deciding who will get the middle lanes for the final.
Sophia Robson (VIC), Libby Alderman (WA), Laura Osti (SA) and Emily Rose (WA) face an open field in the race for medals in the women’s four. The Netherlands and Germany are always strong in this category.
Australia will race from lane 2.
For more information please call
David Polglase on +48 787 676 639
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Day II: Monday 24 August
Adaptive Men’s Single Scull – Heat 1 – 9.40am (5.40pm AEST)
Ben Houlison will compete at his first world championships during a season where he has continued to improve rapidly.
Houlison gained selection in April before finishing third in the Gavirate regatta in Italy during the first week of May.
His heat holds the potential to feature all three final medallists and is highlighted by the reigning Olympic champion, Tom Aggar of Great Britain. Korea, USA, Poland and Ukraine will also row in Houlison’s heat.
The winning boat from each heat will qualify directly for the final.
Adaptive Mixed Coxed Four – Heat 1 – 10.20am (6.20pm AEST)
This Australian crew was the last to be selected for the 2009 World Championships, getting the nod in early July.
Henry Macphillamy (NSW), Peter Siri (QLD), Carol Cooke (VIC) and Alexandra Green (NSW), coxed by Lisa Brown (VIC), have improved with every row in 2009 and will be aiming for a berth in the final in what is a very open field.
Australia has been drawn against France, USA, Russia, Poland and Italy, with the first boat heading straight to the A Final, with the remaining rowing a repechage.
Lightweight Women’s Double Scull – Heat 3 – 11.24am (7.24pm AEST)
Alice McNamara (VIC) and Bronwen Watson (NSW) head into their first world championships as the women’s double scull. The duo has won the gold in the women’s lightweight quad scull for the past two years.
McNamara and Watson have been drawn in the third heat alongside Cuba, Great Britain, USA and Portugal.
Great Britain has been the form crew in 2009 and is unbeaten to this point with Hester Goodsell and Sophie Hosking. The United States crew of Kristin Hedstrom and Michelle Trannel are also a crew to watch.
The first two boats from each heat will progress to the semi-finals, with the remaining to row repechages.
Lightweight Men’s Four – Heat 2 – 12.00pm (8pm AEST)
The lightweight men’s four has suffered a disrupted campaign with Chris Bigg (VIC) withdrawing only two weeks ago after injuring his back during the pre –departure camp in Penrith.
His place was taken in the crew by young Victorian Tom Bertrand, who joins Angus Tyers (VIC), Ross Brown (WA) and Darryn Purcell (QLD).
Australia will race in the second heat with Spain, the Czech Republic, China and Great Britain. The Czech Republic won bronze in the final world cup this year and will be a crew to watch throughout the regatta, while Great Britain can never be discounted.
A top two place would earn the Australian crew a semi-final berth.
Men’s Quadruple Scull – Heat 2 – 12.36pm (8.36pm AEST)
The men’s quad scull of Dan Noonan (NSW), David Crawshay (VIC), Nick Hudson (NSW) and Jared Bidwell (QLD) has been drawn in Heat 2 alongside Olympic champions Poland.
The Australian crew will be eager to test their form against the Olympic champions early in the regatta, but must also be wary of Slovenia, who won two bronze medals during the world cup season.
Also drawn in the Australian heat are Estonia and France, with the top three crews earning qualification for the semi finals.
Men’s Eight – Heat 1 – 1pm (9pm AEST)
The Australian men’s eight, while lacking the experience of some of their rivals, have shown great potential during the build up to the world championships.
Coxed by Toby Lister (NSW), the crew features Richard Allsop (NSW), Fergus Pragnell (NSW), Sam Loch (NSW), Bryn Coudraye (SA), Tom Swann (VIC), Mitch Estens (NSW), Josh Dunkley-Smith (VIC) and Tom Larkins (VIC). Loch is the only remaining member of the Beijing men’s eight crew, while Pragnell is the only other to experience a senior world championships.
The Australian crew will race against Germany, USA, Ukraine and Great Britain in their heat with the top two to progress straight to the final.
The German eight won world cups 2 and 3 this year as they eye success in London in 2012. They will be favoured heading into the heat, while the USA and Great Britain are always crews to watch.
For more information please call
David Polglase on +48 787 676 639
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Day I: Sunday 23 August
Today marks the eve of the 2009 FISA World Rowing Championships and all 10 Australian crews have wrapped up their preparations ahead of the start of the regatta.
Australian reserve Matt Bolt finished second in the men’s single scull spare race on Saturday, while all 10 crews went for either one or two paddles on the Malta Regatta Course in Poznan.
Matt has been a superb part of the squad and has filled in for both the sweep and sculling boats. A number of Australian crews and coaches followed his row today for the length of the course showing their full support for the South Australian.
There was a change in weather that swung through on Friday evening that brought cooler and windy conditions on Saturday morning. The first day of racing is expected to bring a tail breeze, while that again is expected to switch back to a head breeze for the second day of racing.
Three Australian crews will find themselves in heats on Sunday.
Women’s Pair – Heat 2 – 10.48am (6.48pm AEST)
The women’s pair of Sarah Cook (ACT) and Kim Crow (VIC) is the first Australian crew in action.
They have been drawn against Great Britain, Belarus, Portugal and USA in their heat, with the top three crews moving through to the semi-final.
The British crew of Olivia Whitham and Louisa Reeve medalled twice in the world cup season, with a gold medal at Banyoles in World Cup 1 and bronze in World Cup 3 at Lucerne. USA’s Susan Francia and Erin Cafaro, gold medallists in Beijing in the women’s eight, won selection in the pair for 2009 and will also provide a stiff challenge. Belarus can also never be discounted after winning a bronze medal in this class in Beijing.
Cook and Crow have shown they have the pace to race at this level with a world cup win in 2007, as well as a fourth place finish in the 2007 World Championships.
Women’s Double Scull – Heat 2 – 11.24am (7.24pm AEST)
Next on the water will be the Queensland combination of Pippa Savage and Sally Kehoe in the women’s double scull. Pippa and Sally, who both herald from Toowoomba, came together in a double for the first time in 2009 and will be a crew to watch across the course of the regatta.
They have been drawn alongside the USA, Germany and Ukraine. The USA double of Megan Kalmoe and Ellen Tomek carry good form into the world championships after winning Lucerne.
The German crew provides an unknown factor with their strength being focused on the women’s quad.
The top three crews will progress to the semi-finals.
Men’s Four – Heat 3 – 12.06pm (8.06pm AEST)
Francis Hegerty (NSW), Cameron McKenzie-McHarg (VIC), James Marburg (VIC) and Matt Ryan (NSW) will look to build on their fantastic 2008 with a medal at the 2009 World Championships.
The Beijing silver medallists have been included in the same heat as Germany, New Zealand, Belarus and India, with the top two crews advancing to the semi-finals.
In Australia’s absence during the world cup season, Germany performed strongly, while the New Zealand Under 23 crew has a lot of untapped potential.
Once again the main challenge will come from the British, drawn in a separate heat.
National High Performance Director Andrew Matheson says the crews are looking forward to the start of the regatta.
“Everyone is quite relaxed actually, pretty calm and ready to race,” Matheson said.
“It’s a good draw. Overall we’ve got some good racing here. I think the pair looks pretty good. We need to have a bit of a look at the Belarusians’ and the British team.
“The women’s double is good. From previous race the USA have been the form horse so it is good to be up against them and a strong test on how we are going.
“The men’s four is a little bit interesting. Not too sure about the Germans, the New Zealand crew is a young crew that won the under 23’s in a reasonably good time so we will see if they can step up.”
For more information please call
David Polglase on +48 787 676 639
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