Graham Croker
Sydney University rowers came home with silver and bronze medals from the 2010 World Rowing Championships held on Lake Karapiro, New Zealand, over the past week.
The University’s Sarah Cook crewed with Sarah Heard, Pauline Frasca and Kate Hornsey to win silver in the women’s four, while Francis Hegarty, Nick Purnell, Sam Loch and Toby Lister were members of the men’s eight who won bronze,
The Netherlands were too strong in the final stages to win gold in the women’s four in 7min 21.09sec, with Australia collecting silver in (7: 23.99, ahead of the United States (7: 24.56).
Germany won the men’s eight in 5:33.84, with Great Britain taking the silver in 5:34.46, and Australia (William Lockwood, Matthew Ryan, Francis Hegarty, Cameron McKenzie-McHarg, James Marburg, Sam Loch, Nicholas Purnell, Joshua Dunkley-Smith and coxswain Toby Lister) taking the bronze in 5:35.96.
It was the first time an Australian men’s eight has won a World Championship medal since 1997. Australian eights have won two Olympic medals since then.
Sydney University’s other representatives at the World Championships were Sally Kehoe in the women’s quad and Nick Hudson in the men’s double scull.
Kehoe crewed with Kerry Hore, Brooke Pratley and Kim Crow to make the final of the women’s quad where they finished fourth in 7:19.81 behind Great Britain (7:12.78), Ukraine (7:14.95) and Germany (7:15.26).
Hudson crewed with Jared Bidwell to finish fifth in the final of the men’s double scull, with New Zealand taking home the gold medal.
With Lake Karapiro turning on the best conditions of the week on the final day of the regatta, Australia won medals in the women’s double scull, the lightweight men’s eight and the men’s eight to take their medal tally to eight (one gold, four silver and three bronze), the most an Australian team has ever won at a World Championships.
Great Britain topped the medal count with 11, ahead of hosts New Zealand (10), Germany (9) and Australia (8).
Men’s eight cox Toby Lister said winning a bronze medal was a special feeling.
“We put together a good performance but the Germans were just a bit too quick out of the blocks,” Lister said. “We’re really happy to be on the podium and it is the start of something good.
“We have a couple more years to the Olympics and there’s been an awesome feeling in the boat the whole campaign. All of the team has a great feeling about it right through to the support staff. I’m really happy to be a part of it.”
