Vermeersch on Target for World Juniors
Australia’s next crop of rowers will be under the spotlight at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra this week, as the first Australian Junior camp of 2010 commences.
28 of Australia’s finest young rowers will converge on the nation’s capital to take part in the four day camp, with all aiming to further their chances of selection on the 2010 Australian Junior Team, which will compete at the Junior World Rowing Championships in the Czech Republic.
Selectors will choose five crews at the end of the National Junior Selection Trials (April 23 – April 25), with further success expected following an excellent 2009 regatta, that saw Australian crews make four out of five finals, with all four boats winning medals.
West Australian Institute of Sport athlete Hannah Vermeersch is the sole remaining member of the women’s four that won gold in 2009, with the other three members of the crew moving up to the Under 23 category in 2010.
Angus Moore (ACT) will contest selection again following a silver medal in the men’s coxed four in 2009 and is in strong form after winning the Under 19 men’s pair with fellow Canberra Grammar School rower Matthew Barnier (ACT) at the 2010 Australian Rowing Championships. Moore’s crew mate from the 2009 silver medal winning crew, Thomas Amies (QLD), is also aiming to make his second consecutive Australian Junior Team.
Queenslander Cameron Smith from the 2009 Aust Jun Men’s Quad is also in a strong position to make the team again after winning the national U19 single scull title recently in Nagambie, VIC.
Australian Sports Commission National Talent and Identification and Development program (NTID) Senior Coordinator Wayne Diplock says there is a talented group of athletes coming through the system.
“Following the establishment of the NTID program we have been fortunate to have gained further access to the rowing talent in the junior age groups,” Diplock said. “Aside from the talented collection of young athletes we have here this week, we also ran a specific NTID camp last weekend, with a group of athletes for whom we also hold high hopes.
“While a lot of the current attention falls on our senior rowers, we are making great progress with our next generation of rowers and we are happy with their development to date. Most of this group have a long road ahead of them, but the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro should be a long term goal for them.”
The camp will commence on Thursday 8 April and conclude on Sunday 11 April.
The Junior World Championships (Racice, Czech Republic) will be held from 5-8 August 2010, with the team announcement to take place on April 26.
– Rowing Australia