The Sydney University Boat Club (SUBC) will contribute nearly one quarter of the Australian men’s Rowing Team competing at the first Samsung World Rowing Cup for 2013, after eight starters and a reserve were selected in the national team for the Sydney based event to be held in late March.
Following on from their strong performance at last weekend’s NSW Rowing Championships, where Sydney University claimed their ninth successive Elite Men’s Eights title, all nine athletes who were selected to trial for the Australian World Cup Team were this morning named in the final team.
Tom Sacre, Nick Wheatley, Kit Cunningham-Reid, Jack Hargreaves (men’s coxed eight), Sasha Belonogoff, Ryan Edwards (men’s double scull), Nick Purnell (men’s quad scull), Ed de Carvalho (men’s lightweight double scull) and Hamish Playfair (reserve for men’s sculling crew boats) have been selected in the 41 strong men’s team for the Samsung World Rowing Cup 1.
Sacre (B. Arts), Cunningham-Reid (B. Science), Belonogoff (B. Applied Science {Exercise & Sport Science}), Edwards (M. Commerce) and Hargreaves are all part of the SUSF Elite Athlete Program (EAP) scholarship program. Wheatley, de Carvalho and Playfair are all former EAP scholarship holders.
SUBC Deputy President and Rowing Program Coordinator Chris Noel was delighted with the team that was named. “It’s great to have such a good number of Boat Club rowers selected in Australia’s squad for the Rowing World Cup,” said Noel.
“What is particularly pleasing is the selection of five of our younger rowers (Under 21 and U23’s) into senior ranks for the first time.”
Sacre, Wheatley, Cunningham-Reid, Hargreaves and Playfair (reserve) have been selected to make their senior national rowing debuts. All of these athletes competed on the SUBC Tour to Canada in July and August of 2012, where the SUBC eight finished second in the Championship Eights at the prestigious Canadian Henley Regatta.
Men’s and women’s crews from Great Britain, Germany and New Zealand, who topped the medal ranks at the London 2012 Olympic Rowing Regatta, have confirmed their attendance at the Samsung World Rowing Cup 1, as well as strong rowing nations such as Canada, China and the USA.
Great Britain and New Zealand will have the biggest teams with 60 athletes arriving in mid-March, including many of their London 2012 Olympians and Olympic medallists. Smaller teams will amongst others come from Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Estonia and France – the latter including their 2012 Olympic silver medal winning men’s pair Germain Chardin and Dorian Mortelette.
Samsung World Rowing Cup 1 will take place at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith from March 22-24, 2013 as part of the Sydney International Rowing Regatta.
The Regatta combines the Samsung World Rowing Cup 1, the Australian Open Rowing Championships, the Australian Open Schools Championships and the premium domestic events, the King’s and Queen’s Cup Interstate Regatta, into a weeklong festival.
In further good news for Sydney Uni rowing, 23 Sydney Uni athletes and four coaches have been announced in the 55 member New South Wales 2013 Rowing Team to contest the King’s and Queen’s Cup Interstate Regatta.
