WA Rowers Win Junior World Championship Bronze

Western Australian athletes Ben Gerrard and Hamish Henriques have earned a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in the Czech Republic as members of the Australian men’s coxed four crew.

The WA duo were joined by Queenslanders Logan Ullrich and Miller Eagle-Rowe with the boat coxed by Isaac Schmidt. The crew were coached by WAIS rowing coach Jamie Hewlett.

The crew secured their medal with a gutsy performance in the final that saw Italy power home for gold ahead of the USA, leaving behind a spirited race for third.

The Australians got out to a solid early tempo and held the bronze position at the first 500m marker. They saw that position change at the halfway point however, with a Czech Republic crew moving past with a parochial home support.

But as the Aussies upped their stroke rate, the Czech Republic crew waned, leaving Australia to improve their advantage in the closing stages for an excellent third place finish.

Germany would eventually finish fourth, with Spain also overtaking a tiring Czech outfit.

Ullrich, from the KAND Rowing Club in Queensland said the medal had been a fitting result for the team.

“That was an unreal race, really insane! We had a well-executed plan today and it’s a great step up being at the Junior World Championships.

“It really feels fantastic to represent Australia and I’m so happy to be here.”

Photo: © Rowing Australia