Junior Rowing World Championships Set to Begin

The Australian Junior Rowing Team tonight will commence its 2011 World Junior Rowing Championships campaign at Eton Dorney, England.

The regatta, which runs from August 3 – 7, aside from showcasing the world’s finest junior talent will also serve as the official test event for 2012 London Olympic Games.

The Australian junior crews competing consist of the junior men’s quad scull, junior men’s coxed four, junior men’s four, junior women’s quad scull and junior women’s four.

WAIS will be represented by scholarship holder Natasha Gay, who will compete in the women’s four alongside fellow West Australian Lilly Tindale, Eleanor Wilson (Qld) and Georgie Gotch (NSW).

Australia will contest five of the six events that they did at last year’s World Junior Rowing Championships in the Czech Republic where they walked away with 2 bronze medals.

After completing their final preparation at the Sydney International Regatta Centre, the team has been training at Eton for the past week.

Rowing Australia National High Performance Director, Andrew Matheson, says the event is important from a number of aspects.

“This event is the highlight of every year for our talented crop of junior rowers as they battle it out against the world’s best,” Matheson said. “Our program has focused on these boat classes in the last couple of years and it is a structure that we believe will reap dividends both now and in the future.

“The regatta also gives London the chance to showcase its Olympic venue and everyone involved is excited to be part of the official test event.”

Australia’s junior men’s four and junior women’s quad scull will row their heats this evening, before the junior men’s quad scull, junior women’s four and junior men’s coxed four contest their heats on Thursday evening.

-Rowing Australia