Day VII: Sunday 11 March
States clash for national bragging rights
Day 7 of the Australian Rowing Championships is headlined by the interstate regatta that brings out the passion inside every rower.
Having made it through the first leg of the Australian selection trials the interstate regatta offers the rowers the opportunity to soak in the occasion and pull on their state colours.
In the Men’s and Women’s Single Scull Australian national champions Pippa Savage and David Crawshay will head into the event as favourites after claiming gold earlier in the week. Queenslander Savage also won the Double and Quad Sculls during the selection series but will face stiff competition from Tasmania’s Kerry Hore and Western Australia’s Amber Bradley amongst others.
Victoria’s Crawshay will be fending off the opposition from South Australia’s James McRae as the duo battle it out for the President’s Cup. Crawshay, multiple winner in the King’s Cup, has never won the interstate Single Scull so he will be determined to add this trophy to his growing cabinet.
The Men’s and Women’s interstate eights race will provide the conclusion to the week long regatta. Victoria will enter both events as favourite.
Victoria have won the King’s Cup on a record 64 occasions and have won 18 of the last 22 races contested. Five times Olympian James Tomkins is the only change to the 2006 winning crew and he replaces David Crawshay who is focusing his attention on the President’s Cup. NSW have entered a very young and talented crew and will be confident of pushing the Victorians to the finish line whilst Queensland will be led by world champion Duncan Free and future star Sam Conrad.
Victoria will enter the 9th Queen’s Cup as firm favourites and will be looking for their 6th title. Kim Crow, Robyn Selby Smith and Sarah Heard have been in excellent form all week and will lead the crew down the field. Tasmania are sure to feature in the finish with Kate Hornsey stroking the crew and Double Scull champion Kerry Hore working hard from the number 6 seat.
The Men’s Coxless Four, Women’s Lightweight Quad Scull and Men’s and Women’s Youth Eights will also be contested in the interstate regatta.
The finals of the school events will provide a prelude to the interstate regatta on Sunday morning with most attention likely to feature on the final of the Schoolboy and Schoolgirl Single Scull. The winner of each event will be awarded a single scull boat which has generously been donated by Sykes Racing in conjunction with the AIS Breaking the Drought Program.
The day guarantees excitement, drama and state rivalry with the Rowing Australia Cup to be awarded to the champion state.
Media Contact
David Polglase
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Day VI: Saturday 10 March
Rowers Ready for a Big Weekend
Day 6 of the Australian Rowing Championships will see more finals featuring all age groups and schools as the Australian Rowing Championships moves into the weekend.
All eyes will be on the Men’s Coxless Four final, the first national title to be offered on Saturday. The big question will be whether anybody can beat the red hot favourites Drew Ginn, Duncan Free, Sam Conrad and James Tomkins. Ginn and Free are world and now national champions in the Coxless Pair after their dominant victory on Wednesday, and their combination with five time Olympian Tomkins and Conrad will be one to watch.
After upsetting world champions Elizabeth Kell and Brooke Pratley in the Women’s Double Scull final, Pippa Savage and Kerry Hore will attempt to retain the upper hand as the pairs line up against each other again in the final of the Women’s Quad Scull in what will be a tightly fought contest. The Men’s Quad Scull also promises to be a close race, with successful single scullers spread throughout the field. The seemingly unstoppable David Crawshay will be out to win his third title of the week with his Mercantile Rowing Club crew.
Saturday afternoon will also see a special medal presentation to the Australian 2006 world championship Australian Women’s Quad Scull team. Crew members Sally Kehoe, Sonja Mills, Dana Faletic and Catriona Sens will be presented with a silver medal by AOC President John Coates. This follows the disqualification of the gold medal winning Russian crew due to a failed drug test. The Open Women’s Coxed Eight will be a major feature of the afternoon, along with some interesting semi finals of Four and Eight schoolboy and schoolgirl events, with each school vying for a finals berth on Sunday.
Media Contact
David Polglase
0401 453 041
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Day V: Friday 9 March
Friday Finals ready to go
More hotly contested finals are ready for racing on Day Five of the Australian Rowing Championships.
The race for national titles will be begin with the Open Men’s Double Scull, with the so far unstoppable David Crawshay and team mate Chris Morgan will be looking to outpace second fastest qualifiers James Gatti and David Kelly. In the women’s, Pippa Savage will be looking to add another gold medal to tally as she partners Kerry Hore. Amber Bradley and Sarah Outhwaite, and Elizabeth Kell and Brook Pratley will provide tough competition.
Later on in the morning, a strong women’s field will do battle for the national Coxless Four title. Coxless Pair champions Kim Crow and Sarah Cook, along with Victoria Roberts and Natalie Bale are early favourites, although the combination of Sarah Outhwaite, Amber Bradley, Joanna Lutz and Sally Robbins should not be underestimated. Immediately afterwards will be a tightly contested Open Men’s Coxed Four final.
Adaptive rowing finals for athletes with a disability also make an appearance on Day Five, with the Men’s Single Scull Category 2B, Sliding Seat Single Scull Category 1B and Double Scull Category 3 on show. The Double Scull features 2006 Australian World Championships representatives in the Adaptive Coxed Four Ben Vines and Gene Barrett, this time competing against each other.
During the afternoon, the schoolboys and schoolgirls will get their chance on the water in heats of single events right through to the Eights.
Media Contact
David Polglase
0401 453 041
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Day IV: Thursday 8 March
Big boats take to the water
Wednesday marked the end of the smaller boat Australian selection trials and after a full day of racing the program is almost back on track after an interrupted first afternoon. On Thursday morning a number of semi finals are being held in the men’s and women’s larger boat categories.
2006 World Champions Brooke Pratley and Liz Kell will suit up in the semi finals of the Women’s Double Scull. They will not have it all their own way however and will be challenged by the newly crowned single scull champion and runner up, Pippa Savage and Kerry Hore.
In the Women’s Open Lightweight Double Scull world championship silver medallists Amber Halliday and Marguerite Houston will enter the event as firm favourites. Halliday is fresh off her gold medal in the single scull and will be determined to win the double.
The Men’s Double Scull semi final will be a closely contested affair with Brendan Long and Scott Brennan headlining a strong field following their 3rd placing in the New Zealand national championships. Single Scull champion David Crawshay will partner Chris Morgan in a crew that has the potential to finish on top of the medal dais.
Thursday will also see the final of the Men’s fixed seat Single Scull for athletes with a disability. The field is headlined by 2005 and 2006 World Champion Dominic Monypenny, but he will be challenged by returning dual gold medallist Peter Taylor. Paralympian John Maclean is contesting his first nationals having turned to rowing in 2007. Maclean was also the first athlete with a disability to swim across the English Channel.
Media contact
David Polglase
Rowing Australia
0401 453 041
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Day III: Wednesday 7 March
Big morning of finals on Day Three
Day three of the Australian Rowing Championships will be the first day featuring several finals races, 12 in all.
Most anticipated will be the final of the Open Men’s Coxless Pair, with a field boasting Olympians and world champions. 2006 world champions Drew Ginn and Duncan Free will be very hard to beat after qualifying fastest from the semi finals. Not to be underestimated, however, are five time Olympian James Tomkins and Sam Conrad, who qualified less than a second slower than Ginn and Free.
“Let me tell you when I line up against Ginn there’s going to be fireworks,” Tomkins said. Christian Ryan and Karsten Forsterling, and James Marburg and Cameron McKenzie-McHarg are also crews to watch after strong semi final performances.
The Women’s Lightweight Single Scull will also be hotly contested, with New South Wales’ Tara Kelly attempting to defend her title against the fastest qualifiers for the final Amber Halliday and Marguerite Houston of South Australia.
Halliday and Houston will be keen to beat their younger rival and impress national selectors. “Tara is a very talented rower but I feel as though Marguerite and I still have a lot to offer,” Halliday said.
Sarah Cook and Kim Crow will be looking to convert their fastest qualifying time in the Women’s Coxless Pair, but will face stiff competition from Robyn Selby-Smith and Sarah Heard.
Finals of the Single Scull will be competed tomorrow in men’s and women’s open and lightweight categories, in Open’s and Under 23s. Other finals include the Coxless Pair in these categories as well. Racing is scheduled to begin at 8:00am.
Media contact
David Polglase
Rowing Australia
0401 453 041
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Day II: Tuesday 6 March
Day two to make up for lost time
Day two of the Australian Rowing Championships will pick up where day one’s cancelled afternoon session left off.
Racing will begin at 8:00am with the semi finals of the Under 23 Women’s Single Scull. The Single Scull, Coxless Pair and Lightweight Single Scull are all day two semi final events, in men’s and women’s opens and under 23s.
Tuesday also sees the start of the Open Men’s Double Scull, Open Women’s Lightweight Double Scull and a range of individual and team underage races.
All eyes will be on the Men’s Coxless Pair, with all of the favourites making it through to the semi finals. Crews will be striving to gain the best lane for the final, due to the fluctuating whether conditions on the course.
Sam Beltz will enter the final of the Men’s Lightweight Single Scull after two strong performances in the heats and semi finals. He will, however, face competition from Michael McBride and Rod Chisholm amongst others.
Amber Halliday qualified fastest for the semi finals of the Women’s Lightweight Single Scull ahead of South Australian team mate Marguerite Houston and defending champion Tara Kelly.
All rowers will want to make the most of the predicted calmer conditions as they look to impress the national selectors.
For all the results of day one and the draw for day two visit www.rowingaustralia.com.au
Media contact
David Polglase
Rowing Australia
0401 453 041
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Day I: Monday 5 March
After months of training, racing and general preparation the Australian Rowing Championships are finally here! 1576 athletes have converged on Nagambie Lakes, Victoria and are ready for the biggest rowing regatta in Australia.
Monday and Tuesday are the first selection trials for small boat events for those with the ambition of representing Australia at the World Championships in Munich later in the year. The final trials will be held in April at the Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith. The U23’s will also take to the water in the first two days and will provide the Australian selectors with a good opportunity to see our future rowing stars in action.
There will be heats and semi finals for each small boat event on Monday with the Men’s Open Lightweight Single Scull the only final being contested.
Tasmanian’s Sam Beltz and Tom Gibson will go into the Men’s Lightweight Single Scull as joint favourites after both enjoying a successful 2006 season. The pair finished 4th in the Men’s Double Scull at the 2006 World Championships. Gibson is the current Australian Champion in the Lightweight Single Scull and Beltz won the final selection trial last year.
Roderick Chisholm, who has made a successful move over from Great Britain will be keen to make an impact and will push the favourites the whole distance. Anthony Edwards, who has represented Australia internationally, is capable of producing a big time performance.
The heats and semi finals of the Women’s Coxless Pair will be a notable highlight of the opening day with up to nine crews fighting for the six final spots. Sarah Cook and Kim Crow will be the slight favourites entering the event but will face stiff competition from 10 other former world championship medallists. Among those challenging Cook and Crow will be the combinations of Sally Kehoe and Kate Hornsey, Joanna Lutz and Sally Robbins, Victoria Roberts and Natalie Bale, and Robyn Selby-Smith and Sarah Heard.
The Men’s Coxless Pair will feature the defending World Champion’s Duncan Free and Drew Ginn. They will be attempting to wrestle the national title away from Cameron McKenzie- McHarg and James Marburg. 5 times Olympian James Tomkins will partner Sam Conrad, who is in line to be a 3rd generation Olympian after his father and grandfather also represented Australia.
The day promises nerves, excitement and excellent racing as crews aim to make the finals on Tuesday morning. Bring on the racing!
Media contact
David Polglase
Rowing Australia
0401 453 041
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