Repechage Required for Simmonds at Rowing World Champs

WAIS athlete Maia Simmonds and her women’s lightweight double scull partner Alice McNamara have begun their campaign at the Rowing World Championships in Chungju, Korea.

Simmonds and McNamara raced together in heat 1 of the women’s double scull, knowing that the first two boats would automatically qualify for the semi-finals.

The new combination started strongly and held an early lead towards the first 500m marker before being overtaken by crews from Italy and Germany.

Despite a solid effort, the Australian duo was unable to regain a top two finish, and will now progress to the repechage round in a bid to win its way through to the semi finals.

The pair is coached by Western Australian Institute of Sport head rowing coach Lincoln Handley.

The 2013 World Rowing Championships run til September 1, and will also feature WAIS athletes; Hannah Vermeersch and Alex Hagan in the women’s eight, Tom Gatti in the men’s eight and Perry Ward in the men’s lightweight quad scull.

The Australian team spent the past week acclimatising to the hot and humid conditions but were pleasantly surprised by the cooler temperatures on Day 1 of the World Championship regatta.

The Australian Rowing Team had two crews qualify directly for the next round competition with the men’s four squad and men’s single scull competitor Nick Purnell both progressing out of their heats.