3,000 Brits go indoor for rowing

Indoor rowing machines ? 120 of them ? line the arena. Sir Steve Redgrave signs autographs and keeps an eye on the team challenge in his name. The entire British national team warm up ready for their turn. The British Indoor Rowing Championships got the indoor season off to a roaring start in Birmingham, Great Britain with nearly 3,000 ergsters taking on the 2,000 metre distance last Sunday.

The event was compulsory for all members of Great Britain’s national rowing squad and times reflected this high calibre attendance with 16 of the open men going under six minutes. This compares to just five competitors going under six minutes last year. Former non-specialist rower and last year’s winner, Graham Benton led the way finishing in a personal best time of 5.46 and knocking a huge five seconds off his former best time.

Benton started off as a non-rower, using the indoor rowing machine solely as part of his gym workout. He is now part of Sport England’s world class start scheme which identifies potentially talented young athletes. Benton, 32, rowed for the first time this year and is looking to take up the water-side of the sport.

Starting out at 1:10 (minutes per 500 metre) splits, Benton got an early lead and was never caught by British national team members. Finishing second and third respectively, Matt Langridge and Alan Campbell clocked 5.51 and 5.52. Both Langridge and Campbell raced in Great Britain’s quad this year.

A separate event featuring Oxford University versus Cambridge University demonstrated the depth of rowing talent at these universities. Jamie Schroeder, Athens Olympian for the United States and now studying at Oxford, had the lead from the start and finished 5.44 minutes later. Schroeder was followed into second place by Thorsten Engelmann, a member of the German men’s eight since 2001, now at Cambridge University. Great Britain’s Sydney gold medallist, Kieran West finished a fraction behind Engelmann. West also studies at Cambridge.

The Oxford ? Cambridge duel had 11 competitors going the distance in under six minutes and with almost an even split of top rowers from the two universities making it into the first 11 spots, the interest in next year’s Boat Race continues to mount. 

British lightweight record-holder Jo Hammond came off second best in the lightweight women’s category after a battle with national squad member Naomi Hoogesteger. Hoogesteger stroked the lightweight quad for Great Britain this year and with a finishing time of 7.03 on the indoor rowing machine, Hoogesteger pushed Hammond into second place and a time of 7.05. Hoogesteger’s quad teammate Lorna Norris came home in third (7.08).

The lightweight men had Mark Hunter and Tim Male going head-to-head. Hunter, who rowed in the lightweight double at this year World Rowing Championships for Great Britain, came off best clocking 6.09. Male finished second ahead of this year’s silver medallist in the lightweight single, Zac Purchase. All three are members of the British national team.

Sarah Winckless led the open women’s race from the start taking off at 1.38 splits. Winckless was a member of this year’s gold medal quad at the World Rowing Championships and also holds the British record for indoor rowing. She finished with a time of 6.37, three seconds ahead of Annie Vernon, with Laura Gater in third.

Indoor rowing racing now moves to Copenhagen for the Euro Open on 3 December 2005.

Related Links
The MAD side of rowing
2004 Euro Open
Overseas racers crash indoor champs party

For a full list of results please go to: www.concept2.co.uk/birc/

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