Grant Claims President’s Cup Win

Published On: 21 March 2016

Western Australian rower Rhys Grant won the men’s single scull at the Interstate Rowing Regatta in Penrith over the weekend as he prepares for an international season that could culminate with a debut at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

The WAIS scholarship athlete claimed the President’s Cup win ahead of fellow Australian Rowing Team member Karsten Fosterling (Vic) with South Australian Chris Morgan rounding out the top three, in a fast final.

Grant won the race in 6:46.32mins to narrowly edge Fosterling in 6:46.72 with Morgan (6:48.47) not much farther off the pace.

Grant has been selected in the senior Australian representative team to contest this year’s world cup series in Europe, which will see the 29 year-old attempt to qualify Australia’s berth in the men’s single scull for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

With Fosterling pushing Grant right to the line, the Western Australian admitted he was relieved and delighted to get the win, which adds to the 2013 President’s Cup title he had previously won.

“It was a tight finish, and it was quite rough out there. I was just trying to tap out (of the Finish) and stay clean, but I’m really happy with that. The plan was to do a push at the one kilometre but the others started to go earlier than that, so I just went with them.”

Victoria claimed bragging rights in the King’s and Queen’s Cups underlining their supremacy in the men’s and women’s eights. Western Australia was fifth in both finals.

WAIS athlete Perry Ward was part of the Western Australian men’s lightweight four that claimed silver in the Penrith Cup behind Queensland – who secured a fourth straight success. In the women’s race, WA finished fifth.

WAIS Olympian Alex Hagan was fourth in the final of the women’s single scull, won by Kimberley Brennan (Vic) ahead of Sally Kehoe (Qld).

 

Paralympic hopeful Brock Ingram picked up a silver medal in the LTA single scull, finishing behind NSW’s Kevin du Toit, who overhauled the former international level kayaker in the closing stages, after the West Australian had led for a large part of the race.