Australia picks its 2015 team

Surprises were few amongst the 2014 medallists with Kim Crow retaining the spot in the women’s single scull. Crow has medalled in this boat class for the last three years including bronze at the London Olympics, followed by a World Championship title in 2013 and a silver in 2014. Fellow scullers, Olympia Aldersey and Sally Kehoe make up the women’s double sculls for the second year running and Alice McNamara and Ella Flecker remain as the lightweight women’s double sculls combination. Aldersey and Kehoe won bronze last year while McNamara and Flecker finished fourth.

The 2014 gold medal winning para-rowing crews have remained the same with Erik Horrie retaining his spot in the para AS men’s single sculls boat and Kathryn Ross and Gavin Bellis staying with the para TA mixed double sculls boat.

Three-time Olympian, and one of the most experienced members of the squad, Kerry Hore has held her place in the women’s quadruple sculls with the crew retaining the 2014 line-up in tact of Jennifer Cleary, Jessica Hall and Madeleine Edmunds. This promising crew finished fourth at the World Rowing Championships in 2014.

Returning to the elite squad after a post-London Olympic break is Karsten Forsterling. Forsterling won bronze at the 2012 Olympics in the men’s quadruple sculls and he has worked his way back into the quad helping to alter the 2014 line-up. This year’s crew will now be Forsterling, David Watts, Cameron Girdlestone and 2008 Olympic Champion David Crawshay.

The 2014 bronze medallists from the men’s double sculls, James McRae and Alexander Belonogoff have remained together for another season, while the bronze medalled men’s four has altered two of its crew. Spencer Turrin and Alexander Lloyd will be joined by William Lockwood and Alexander Hill.

The crews will race at the World Rowing Cup II in Varese, Italy, World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland and the 2015 World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette, France. 

2015 Australian Rowing Team

Lightweight men’s Four
Darryn Purcell
Nicholas Silcox
Perry Ward
Timothy McDonnell

Men’s Four
William Lockwood
Alexander Lloyd
Spencer Turrin
Alexander Hill

Men’s Eight
Fergus Pragnell
James Chapman
Joshua Dunkley-Smith
Joshua Booth
Matthew Ryan
Nicholas Purnell
Samuel Hookway
Scott Laidler
Coxswain – David Webster

Men’s Pair
Jack Hargreaves
Nicholas Wheatley

Men’s Double Sculls
James McRae
Alexander Belonogoff

Men’s Quadruple Sculls
Cameron Girdlestone
David Crawshay
David Watts
Karsten Forsterling

Women’s Pair
Molly Goodman
Genevieve Horton 

Women’s Eight (Squad – subject to further trialling)
Hannah Vermeersch
Renee Chatterton
Katrina Bateman
Alexandra Hagan
Charlotte Sutherland
Sophie Sutherland
Meaghan Volker
Rosemary Popa
Jessie Allen
Lucy Stephan
Coxswain – Sarah Banting

Women’s Single Sculls
Kim Crow

Women’s Double Sculls
Olympia Aldersey
Sally Kehoe

Women’s Lightweight Double Sculls
Ella Flecker
Alice McNamara

Lightweight Women’s Quadruple Sculls
Sarah Pound
Laura Dunn
Maia Simmonds
Georgia Miansarow
Georgia Nesbitt

Women’s Quadruple Sculls
Kerry Hore
Jennifer Cleary
Jessica Hall
Madeleine Edmunds

Para AS Men’s Single Sculls 
Erik Horrie

Para TA Mixed Double Sculls 
Kathryn Ross
Gavin Bellis

Para LTA Mixed Coxed Four (LTAMix4+ – Squad)
Cameron Crombie
Kathleen Murdoch
Jeremy McGrath
Kathleen O’Kelly-Kennedy
Sara Waitzer
Coxswain – Josephine Burnand