British big names out racing

World and Olympic Champion in the women’s pair, Helen Glover, set herself up as Great Britain’s current top women when she headed off an impressive field in the single sculls. This is the first time that Glover has won this event and she did it by holding off Katherine Grainger by 14 seconds.

“I think that’s what surprised me the most,” Glover said in the British Rowing press release. “It didn’t feel like fireworks or anything special but I know that, except for a few small things that might have meant marginal gains, that was my best performance. I laid it all out there.”

Grainger, Great Britain’s most medalled woman rower, won gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games before taking time out from the sport. A former regular winner of this trials race, Grainger stayed out of competitive rowing for nearly two years before announcing her comeback in late 2014. Grainger is now aiming for Rio 2016.

In the men’s single sculls Charles Cousins finished first ahead of Alan Campbell. Cousins comes out of the 2014 silver medal winning men’s quadruple sculls while Campbell, the bronze medallist from the London Olympics in the men’s single, has been Great Britain’s top single sculler for a number of years. Campbell lost his spot in 2014 after underperforming, but is back to face the 2015 season.

Mohamed Sbihi and Alex Gregory teamed up in the men’s pair to win their trial. Sbihi and Gregory come out of the 2014 World Champion men’s four. In second Pete Reed and Constantine Louloudis were four seconds back. Reed and Louloudis were both members of the 2014 World Champion men’s eight.

Charlotte Taylor is a new name to the British national team. This did not stop her from joining with the front runners and finishing first in the lightweight women’s single sculls. Taylor has had one year on the national team and despite her relative freshness, she held off Olympic Champion from the lightweight double sculls, Katherine Copeland. Taylor finished nine seconds ahead of Copeland.

Then in the men’s equivalent lightweight event, Richard Chambers was first by 20 seconds over Jamie Kirkwood.

The next British national team trials will take place March with the team then being selected for World Rowing Cup I that will take place in Bled, Slovenia from 8-10 May.

Results

WOMEN

Single scull

1.  Helen Glover 20:16.45
2.  Katherine Grainger 20:30.70
3.  Kristina Stiller 20:39.88
4.  Frances Houghton 20:41.44
5.  Melanie Wilson 20:49.29
6.  Louisa Reeve 20:50.62
7.  Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne 20:56.86
8.  Polly Swann 20:59.19
9.  Jessica Leyden 20:59.57
10. Heather Stanning 21:03.73

MEN

Pair

1.  Alex Gregory/Mohamed Sbihi 17:04.04
2.  Pete Reed/Constantine Louloudis 17:09.29
3.  Alan Sinclair/Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell 17:41.00
4.  Tom Ransley/James Foad 17:46.05
5.  Barnaby Stentiford/Callum McBriertey 18:05.06
6.  James Rudkin/Oliver Knight 18:05.36
7.  Francis Highton/Sam Arnot 18:09.03
8.  George & Matt Rossiter 18:09.93
9.  Chris Boddy/Matthew Whaley 18:14.26
10.  Thomas Ford/Timothy Clarke 18:17.62

Single scull

1.  Charles Cousins 18:23.34
2.  Alan Campbell 18:41.10
3.  Sam Townsend 18:43.41
4.  Peter Lambert 18:47.10
5.  Stewart Innes 18:50.49
6.  John Collins  18:52.54
7.  Angus Groom 18:53.84
8.  Jonathan Walton 18:56.17
9.  Nick Middleton 19:11.29
10. Frazier Christie 19:18.92

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Single scull

1.  Charlotte Taylor  21:26.75
2. Kat Copeland 21.35.83
3.  Eleanor Piggott 21:37.23
4.  Emily Craig 21:38.60
5.  Gemma Hall 21:57.88
6.  Brianna Stubbs 22:08.69
7.  Flo Pickles 22:24.41
8.  Maddie Arlett  22:24.88
9.  Ellie Lewis 22:29.34
10.  Amelia Carlton  22:33.75

MEN

Single scull

1.  Richard Chambers 19:08.07
2.  Jamie Kirkwood 19:28.98
3.  Zak Lee Green 19:34.44
4.  Jonathan Clegg 19:40.98
5.  Adam Freeman-Pask 19:47.62
6.  Samuel Mottram 19:48.02
7.  Jamie Copus 19:57.22
8. John Hale 20:01.20
9.  Hugh Gallie 20:02.98
10.  Charles Waite-Roberts 20:05.31