British rowing hits a twenty year high at the World Championships in Slovenia
Last updated 9/4/2011 5:46:57 PM
British rowing hits a twenty year high at the World Championships in Slovenia
Great Britain confirmed that they are the best rowing nation in the world with the greatest depth at the World Championships in Slovenia.
Years of success has built great strength in depth in all events and at the end of the regatta in Bled Britain have won three Olympic class golds in Slovenia and qualified places for 13 out of 14 boats in London 2012.
Britain also topped the medal table with a massive haul of 14 medals including seven gold, three silver and four bronze, the best ever haul.
On the final day Great Britain's men's lightweight double and men's four stormed to gold with Olympic champions Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter defending their title, beating New Zealand in a thrilling final and Tom James, Richard Egington, Alex Gregory and Matthew Langridge producing a faultless performance to finish ahead of Greece and Australia.
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Matthew Pinsent, who won his first gold medal at the 1991 World Championships in Vienna, claimed that this was the strongest result of any country in the last 20 years.
Remarkably Purchase and Hunter had not raced together since they failed to win a medal at the Munich World Cup regatta in May after Purchase came down with a virus.
The lightweight double started strongly, holding a lead of 0.43 secs over the 2009 world champions Storm Uru and Peter Taylor of New Zealand.
Uru and Taylor kept the pressure on but Purchase and Hunter held firm to win their second world title together.
The men's four missed out on a medal last year when they were without James but since the Olympic champion returned in May, the crew have remained unbeaten.
The British crew started slowly in Bled with Australia and Greece leading the way after the first 500m but the quartet upped the stroke rate to assume the lead at half distance and powered clear to win by over two seconds.
Gregory said: "That was our biggest win of the year. I'm so happy that we've managed to keep our unbeaten record this season and improve on the unfortunate issues last year. It's so good."
Despite their success, there's a chance the four could be broken up to accommodate men's pair Pete Reed and Andy Hodge into the crew for 2012. That is the strength of British rowing – not even being the best in the world guarantees a place in the Olympic team
There was a further medal on the final day in the women's lightweight double when Sophie Hosking and Hester Goodsell, who won the overall World Cup series earlier this year, won bronze.
Earlier Britain's mixed adaptive coxed four eased to gold ahead of Canada and Germany.
Britain's Frances Houghton finished fourth in the single sculls 'B' final to miss out on qualification for London 2012.
The 30-year-old has endured an injury-ravaged season which has seen her switch from the quad to the single scull boat as she gets back to full fitness.
But not all is lost as Houghton is expected to return to the quad boat, a class in which she has won silver at the last two Olympic Games, for 2012.