Australian Rowing Team for World Champs Announced as the Hunt for Tokyo Begins

The Australian team for the 2019 Rowing World Championships in Linz, Austria has been confirmed, with four Western Australians to compete at the Tiles across August 25 – September 1.

 

Annabelle McIntyre will be the busiest of the selected WA talent, with the sweep rower set to combine with Victoria’s Jessica Morrison in the women’s pair, before both women double up as members of the Australian women’s eight.

 

That eight boat will also boast Bronwyn Cox with the team looking to protect or better its third place finish at the 2018 titles, which netted the crew a bronze medal.

 

McIntyre and Morrison could walk away as dual medallists – with the duo having enjoyed a productive world cup series where they split two A-Finals against their closest rival New Zealand.

 

Based on those results having been most recently contested, it is reasonable to assume the two nations will again be favourites for the title in Austria.

 

David Watts and the Australian men’s quad scull crew will be looking for a lift from their last world cup regatta – where they slipped from the podium, having won a silver medal earlier in the international season.

 

The quad scull competition depth however, is elite with little separating the top four, notwithstanding Poland’s consistency in having taken gold in each race that they’ve lined up for in 2019.

 

The field will see the Australian crew of Watts, Cameron Girdlestone, Hamish Playfair and Campbell Watts fighting it out with Germany and the Netherlands for the medals, with Poland deserved favourites for the title.

 

2017-18 world champion Josh Hicks is set for a fresh challenge in 2019, with the sweep rower named to line-up with Sam Hardy in the men’s pair.

 

At July’s World Cup III in the Netherlands, the pair won the B-Final, but they’ll be aiming for a berth and strong result in the A-Final in Austria.

 

In addition to world championship medals and bragging rights, the 2019 World Titles will also give the Australian Rowing Team its first opportunity to secure boats for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 

In all, Australia will chase selection in 12 of 14 Olympic events, and two of four Paralympic events. The crews containing WA athletes, are all well placed on existing international form to help Australia achieve that goal across their individual events, as referred to above.