07 Dec 2011
Canada’s national team go local
Usually the Canadian Henley is out of the question for Canada’s national team as at this time of the year they would typically be in Europe preparing for the World Rowing Championships. But with the world champs moving to the end of October, from the regular time of the end of August, and being held in the Southern Hemisphere, in New Zealand, preparation methods have altered.
Although final selection of the Canadian national team will take place on September 15th, the majority of the national team that raced at the Canadian Henley will be the ones showing up at this year’s World Rowing Championships.
Times were fast with the men’s eight going 5:21 in some current and tail wind conditions. This is just two seconds off the World Best Time. The last time a national team men’s eight raced on this course was in 1999 for the World Rowing Championships. In the same race Canadian lightweight men’s eight finished fourth in a time of 5:33, three seconds off the World Best Time.
The women’s eight, who won at the third Rowing World Cup in July, recorded a time of 5:55.52, putting them 2/100th of a second outside of the World Best Time. Similarly the women’s pair of Ashley Brzozowicz and Krista Guloien won in a time of 6:53.83, just 3/100th of a second slower than the World Best Time.
"It was a great weekend. We were honoured to race at Henley," said Rowing Canada Aviron High Performance Director Peter Cookson in Rowing Canada’s press release. "I'm happy with how our crews conducted themselves and with their performances here."
The Canadian Henley is huge. Raced in St Catharines, Ontario, it attracts 3,000 competitors from more than 150 clubs, some of them international, and the whole city gets behind the event. St Catharines has also hosted the World Rowing Championships twice, in 1970 and 1999.
For full results: www.henleyregatta.ca
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