Inverness Rowing Club members perform well in the first World Cup Regatta of 2013 in Sydney, Australia
posted by Roy Sinclair - 4 Apr 2013, 9:31 a.m.
2010 World Champion quadruple sculler Imogen Walsh from Inverness and two
times Henley Royal Regatta winner Alan Sinclair from Belmaduthy in Ross-shire
were members of Team GB which raced in the very first World Rowing Cup regatta
in the southern hemisphere held at the end of March in Sydney, Australia.
Imogen raced in the women's lightweight double sculls event along with
her crewmate and fellow world champion Kathryn Twyman. Imogen and Kathryn used
good middle race pace to move from fifth to third place behind convincing
winners New Zealand. Stroke by stroke they took up the task of hauling in
Australia's Alice McNamara and Maia Simmonds. 150m from the line it
looked as if they might edge into silver but just ran out of steam. So their
first world cup medal in the Olympic women's boat category, having won
World gold in the non-Olympic lightweight women's quad, is a bronze in
7:01.02.
Walsh said: "I am relatively pleased with that. I think it's a fair
representation of where we are at this time of the year. It's a good
basis, a platform we can build from. Twyman added: "We had a really good
middle thousand today. We knew that was possible and if our first 500 or our
last 500 had come good, too, that would have been a bonus. Now I'm
excited to see what will happen from here".
In the men's coxless fours final, Australia took a one-two much to the
delight of the home crowd. Behind them GB was lying fourth with 500m to go
before turning on the after-blasters to try and catch New Zealand before the
line. It was close and the surge was spectacular but Nathaniel Reilly
O'Donnell, Scott Durant, Matt Tarrant and Alan Sinclair just missed out
on the bronze medal by two feet to take fourth in 6:01.20.
Congratulations to both north athletes on their fine performances which augers
well for future success in the next World Rowing Cup regatta which will be
held on Dorney Lake, Eton from 21st to 23rd June. :)