Six winners were crowned at the Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake yesterday on the final day of the 2020 GB Rowing Team Olympic Trials. Rory Gibbs (Oxford Univ. BC) and Matt Rossiter (Leander Club) took the first win of the day in the men’s pairs A final after a close battle with second placed Moe Sbihi (Molesey BC) and Ollie Wynne Griffith (Leander Club). Jacob Dawson (Leander Club) and Tom Ford (Leander Club) battled through to cross the line in third.
A delighted Gibbs said: “When I came off the water, I kind of wanted to shout with joy but of course you have to keep it down for everyone else. I’m just so chuffed to come away with the win in Olympic year. Hats off to the whole team; everyone has stepped up for the whole weekend and delivered. Now I’m really looking forward to what comes next.” Rossiter added: “I feel quite speechless, really. I just can’t stop grinning.” The A final for the women’s pairs was another close one-two, with Rebecca Shorten (Imperial College BC) and Rowan McKellar (Leander Club) battling it out with Emily Ford (Leander Club) and Polly Swann (Edinburgh Univ. BC/Leander Club) to cross the line in first place.
Shorten commented on the weekend’s racing: “The semi-final was OK but we learned a lot from it that we were able to take into the final. In the previous race we were pipped right on the line so today we were focused on staying ahead and staying calm.” A delighted McKellar added: “We’re really happy to finish this part of the season on a high.” Beccy Girling (Molesey BC) and Anastasia Posner (Leander Club) put in another storming performance to take third place, an especially impressive result given the fact that Posner sprained her ankle after the semi-final. She remarked afterwards: “I first took up rowing because I kept spraining my ankle playing other sports and my dad suggested I try rowing instead.
Here I am at Olympic rowing trials, still spraining my ankle.” Media release Imogen Grant (Cambridge Univ Women’s BC) won in the lightweight women’s single sculls, with Emily Craig (Univ. of London BC) close behind in second. There was a heated battle for the third spot between Maddie Arlett (Edinburgh Univ. BC) and Ellie Piggott (Wallingford RC), with Piggott putting in a strong finish to finish ahead. Craig said: “I’m really pleased with the weekend – the time trial was a great result and in the side-by-side racing I knew I had some decent raw speed but Imogen’s obviously incredibly talented and experienced when it comes to racing in the single. We had some decent tussles; I’m a bit disappointed I didn’t manage to turn her over, but given that I was having a wrist operation this time last year it’s just great to be back.”
Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC) continued his fine form from the weekend to take his second ever GB Olympic Trials win in the men’s single sculls, with Leander scullers Harry Leask in second and Jack Beaumont third. Thomas reflected: “This weekend has ended in a win so I’m happy. I have to pay respect to the opposition; it’s a really tough gig in the single scull and everyone out there has a lot of experience. Harry pushed me for a long, long way today and thankfully I just had a good sprint at the end.
I’m the first to admit that I’ve not had a great winter by my standards but to do the business today shows I’m on the right track.” Rio silver medallist Vicky Thornley (Leander Club) continued her domination of the women’s singles, crossing the line in first place ahead of Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (Reading RC) who pushed her all the way to the line. Kyra Edwards (Nottingham RC), who made the step up to the senior squad from U23s last summer, took the third spot. Speaking after the race, Thornley said: “It’s good to get a win again at trials. There’s always big pressure with it being Olympic trials but it’s good to get the job done and we’ve had some decent conditions out here on the water.
To qualify the single for the Games last year was amazing – it was ‘job done’ and I’m aiming to be at my fastest come July.” Cambridge Women’s Boat Club alumni Oonagh Cousins (Univ. of London BC) and Holly Hill (Isle of Ely BC) took the win in a fantastic B final for the women’s pairs. Zoë Lee (Imperial College BC) and Caragh McMurtry (Southampton Coalporters ARC) battled hard with Chloe Brew (Leander Club) and Rebecca Edwards (Molesey BC) who put in a strong performance for the whole length of the race; Lee and McMurtry dug deep for a final sprint finish to cross the line in second.
Tom Jeffery (Leander Club) and Morgan Bolding (Oxford Brookes Univ BC) won their B final for the men’s pairs, closely followed by George Rossiter (Leander Club) and Alan Sinclair (Leander Club) in second with Stewart Innes (Leander Club) and Harry Glenister (Leander Club) in third. Sam Meijer (Elizabethan BC/Tideway Scullers School) brought out his trademark final sprint in the B final for the men’s and lightweight men’s single sculls, moving past Angus Groom (Leander Club) in the final 500m to take the win.
Sam Mottram claimed third place to win the lightweight men’s category, while Georgie Brayshaw won the B final of the women’s single sculls after Saskia Budgett caught a crab in the final stretches. Jack Burns took the win over Matt Brigham in the C final for the men’s single sculls. British Rowing Director of Performance Brendan Purcell said: “This Olympic Trials has been the first opportunity for our squad to race over 2000m side by side since last year’s World Championships and they’ve shown how much they’ve stepped on through the winter training block.
The performances through the weekend have been outstanding and the standard has really been set for the rest of the summer.”
Rankings Men’s pairs (A final) 1. Rory Gibbs (Oxford Brookes Univ. BC) and Matt Rossiter (Leander Club) 6:26.48 2. Moe Sbihi (Molesey BC) and Ollie Wynne-Griffith (Leander Club) 3. Jacob Dawson (Leander Club) and Tom Ford (Leander Club) 4. Sholto Carnegie (Leander Club) and Ollie Cook (Univ. of London BC) 5. Charlie Elwes (Leander Club) and Tom George (Leander Club) 6. Oliver Wilkes (Oxford Brookes Univ. BC) and James Rudkin (Newcastle Univ. BC)
Women’s pairs (A final) 1. Rebecca Shorten (Imperial College BC) and Rowan McKellar (Leander Club) 7:10.70 2. Emily Ford (Leander Club) and Polly Swann (Edinburgh Univ. BC/Leander Club) 3. Rebecca Girling (Molesey BC) and Anastasia Posner (Leander Club) 4. Annie Withers (Leander Club) and Sam Courty (Leander Club) 5. Fiona Gammond (Leander Club) and Hattie Taylor (Leander Club) 6. Katherine Douglas (Leander Club) and Karen Bennett (Leander Club
Lightweight women’s single sculls (A final) 1. Imogen Grant (Cambridge Univ. Women’s BC) 7:40.12 2. Emily Craig (Univ. of London BC) 3. Ellie Piggott (Wallingford RC) 4. Maddie Arlett (Edinburgh Univ. BC) 5. Laura Macro (Bath Univ. BC)
Men’s and lightweight men’s single sculls (A final) 1. Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC) 6:50.36 2. Harry Leask (Leander Club) 3. Jack Beaumont (Leander Club) 4. Seb Devereux (Leander Club) 5. Matt Haywood (Nottingham RC) 6. Jonny Walton (Leander Club)
Women’s single sculls (A final) 1. Vicky Thornley (Leander Club) 7:34.18 2. Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (Reading RC) 3. Kyra Edwards (Nottingham RC) 4. Holly Nixon (Leander Club) 5. Jess Leyden (Leander Club) 6. Melissa Wilson (Cambridge Univ.
Women’s BC) Men’s pairs (B final) 1. Tom Jeffery (Leander Club) and Morgan Bolding (Oxford Brookes Univ. BC) 6:24.80 2. George Rossiter (Leander Club) and Alan Sinclair (Leander Club) 3. Stewart Innes (Leander Club) and Harry Glenister (Leander Club) 4. James Robson (Leander Club) and James Johnston (Leander Club) 5. Will Satch (Leander Club) and Mat Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ. BC) 6. Sam Nunn (Oxford Brookes Univ. BC) and Michael Glover (Oxford Brookes Univ. BC)
Women’s pairs (B final) 1. Oonagh Cousins (Univ. of London BC) and Holly Hill (Isle of Ely BC) 7:19.89 2. Zoë Lee (Imperial College BC) and Caragh McMurtry (Southampton Coalporters ARC) 3. Chloe Brew (Leander Club) and Rebecca Edwards (Molesey BC) 4. Alice Davies (Leander Club) and Natasha Harris-White (Leander Club) 5. Susie Dear (Leander Club) and Heidi Long (Leander Club) 6. Jo Wratten (Leander Club) and Sara Parfett (Univ. of London BC)
Men’s and lightweight men’s single sculls (B final) 1. Sam Meijer (Elizabethan BC/Tideway Scullers School) 6:55.46 2. Angus Groom (Leander Club) 3. Sam Mottram (LM) (Leander Club) 4. Pete Lambert (Leander Club) 5. Jamie Copus (LM) (Oxford Brookes Univ BC)
Women’s single sculls (B final) 1. Georgie Brayshaw (Leander Club) 7:41.51 2. Saskia Budgett (Tideway Scullers School) Men’s and lightweight men’s single sculls (C final) 1. Jack Burns (Edinburgh Univ. BC) 7:07.21 2. Matt Brigham (Leeds Univ. BC)
