Youth, Olympics and rowing

By Melissa Bray

Making the most of the 2000 Olympic rowing course, Sydney, Australia opened itself up to over 2,000 junior athletes for the Australian Youth Olympic Festival. As one of the 16 sports rowing attracted athletes from as far away as China.

Temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius forced a change in schedule to an hour earlier, to 7am, hoping for cooler temperatures. This must have been a shock for crews travelling from their northern hemisphere winter conditions. But teams appeared to be well acclimatised including Great Britain who arrived 10 days before the racing and went on to top the rowing medals table.

Racing was designed in a unique multi-racing system over two days. Each country entered a team of 16 athletes – eight women, eight men – who raced in three events each.

A clean sweep for Great Britain in the women’s quad, four and eight meant two golds each for the athletes and for some, more. Stephanie Mottram, Rachael Jeffries, Emma Steel, Frances Fletcher, Jacqui Round, Vicky Bryant, Stephanie McDowell and Rosanna Collings won two golds each. Newcomer Mottram finished as the best performer after making a clean sweep, scoring a third gold in the women’s single. Mottram got her first taste of international competition when she raced in the Coupe de la Jeunesse last year and looks to be going from strength to strength since her start as a 14-year-old.

Presenting a taste of how their sport is developing Great Britain tallied up a total of six golds, five silvers and a bronze. Their squad included a number of international junior champions like Thomas Lucy and Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell, winners of the Youth Olympics men’s pair.

Australia, divided into crews by state, finished second in the overall tally with their national team members mixed up into home-state crews. International junior champion Jono Hookway teamed up with fellow Tasmanian, Jarrod Matthews to win gold in the men’s lightweight double.

The Australian Youth Olympic Festival is designed as a stepping stone towards participating at the Olympic Games and is open to athletes under the age of 20. This year was the fourth time that it has been held. Sydney hosts the event making the most of the venues built for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Results summary:
Women’s single
Stephanie Mottram, GBR, 8:04.65

Men’s single
Cunming Li, CHN, 7:15.28

Women’s pair
Emily Rose, Elizabeth Alderman, Western Australia, 7:45.41

Men’s pair
Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell, Thomas Lucy, GBR, 6:49.52

Women’s lightweight double
Carly Cottam, Ella Flecker, Tasmania, 7:31.02

Men’s lightweight double
Jonothan Hookway, Jarrod Matthews, Tasmania, 6:47.94

Women’s Quad
Mottram, Jefferies, Steel, Fletcher, GBR, 6:55.38

Men’s Quad
Scott, Milne, Storey, Uru, NZL, 6:10.59

Women’s four
Bryant, Collings, McDowall, Round, GBR, 7:03.67

Men’s four
Beech, Shihi, Lucy, Reilly-O’Donnell, GBR, 6:15.60

Women’s eight
Mottram, Jefferies, Steel, Collings, Bryant, Round, McDowall, Fletcher, De Toledo (cox), GBR, 7:11.48

Men’s eight
Freeman, Woods, Matthews, Neuhaus, Conolly, Estens, Clarke, Spencer, Lister (cox), New South Wales, 6:19.70

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