Weekend Wrap: Rowing Action at Home and Abroad
This past weekend saw Ontario rowers compete at home and across the Atlantic as the summer regatta season continued in full swing.
Two big international regattas were contested over the weekend as top university rowers throughout the world competed at the FISU World University Rowing Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands and the Henley Royal Regatta took place from its home at Henley-on-Thames, UK. Canada sent an impressive lineup to both events and delivered equally impressive results.
In Rotterdam, five Canadian crews earned podium finishes including the women’s pair of Sally Jones and Eliza Dawson who claimed the gold medal. The men’s four with Julian Black, Axel Ewashko, Sam Stewart (Western University), and Aidan Della Siega, earned silver after a close race with Italy, while Giancarlo Di Pompeo also took home the silver in the men’s lightweight single. The Women’s Eight, which featured three Ontario athletes – Ceilidh MacDonald (Queen’s University), Rachel Weber (Western), Gabrielle Yarema (Western) secured bronze in a tight race and Brock University’s Connor Dodds and Charles-Etienne Tabet claimed bronze in the men’s lightweight double. Overall Canada sent a team of 12 boats and 34 athletes to the event and were led by coaches from across the country.
In Henley-on-Thames, seven Canadian crews featuring national team athletes competed and excelled in dual-style racing. The Canadian women’s four, composed of Piper Battersby, Lea Till, Shaye dePavia, and Morgan Rosts, triumphed over the Leander Boat Club ‘A Boat’ to win the Town Challenge Cup.
In another highlight, the women’s quad, featuring Shannon Kennedy, Grace Van den Broek, Marilou Duvernay-Tardif, and Katie Clark, claimed victory in the Princess Grace Challenge Cup. They outpaced the quad from Lausanne-Sports Aviron, Switzerland/Shawnigan Lake School, Canada. Notably, the boat they beat included Carling Zeeman, a two-time Canadian Olympian. It was a unique and exciting race, as some of the Canadian team members had recently competed alongside Zeeman at the Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta, adding an interesting dynamic to the competition.
On the home front, the CORA Welland Regatta took place from the South Course of the Welland International Flatwater Centre on Saturday. A total of 17 clubs competed in the event with a total of 337 entries. The St. Catharines Rowing Club totalled the most entries with 49, followed closely by the Argonaut Rowing Club with 46. There will not be a long wait for the next CORA regatta as the CORA Championships take place from Martindale Pond in St. Catharines on Saturday, July 13.
For more information on the CORA Welland Regatta visit RegattaCentral
For full results from the FISU World Rowing Championships visit FISU WUCR
For full results from the Henley Royal Regatta visit HRR
Photo is property of the Leander Boat Club
