GB Rowing News - Great Britain scoop four golds at Lucerne World Cup
Last updated 7/10/2011 5:26:56 PM
GB Rowing News - Great Britain scoop four golds at Lucerne World Cup
Great Britain continued their surge to the 2012 Olympic Games in London when they took 10 medals at the Lucerne World Cup event.
Probably the most satisfying of the four golds was Katherine Grainger, reunited with double sculls partner Anna Watkins who was back after injury, winning in brilliant style, crushing the fancied Australians in dominant style.
Women's pair Helen Glover and Heather Stanning also recorded a special result when they beat world champions New Zealand.
The men's heavyweight and lightweight fours also won gold on a great day in the preparations al though there was disappointment when men's pair Andy Hodge and Pete Reed were seven seconds behind Kiwi arch-rivals Hamish Blair and Eric Murray.
It could cause a rethink in the build up to London when Britain will be looking to the oarsmen and women to bring in a big haul.
The Lucerne event is the last international regatta before the World Championships in Slovenia at the start of September and presented the British team of important impetus after missing the second regatta of the series in Hamburg last month because of fears over E.coli.
There were silver medals for women's lightweight double scullers Hester Goodsell and Sophie Hosking, and the GB men's and women's quadruple sculls.
The men's eight, featuring 1992 Olympic champion Greg Searle, were pipped by the Netherlands in a sprint for second place behind world champions Germany and there was also bronze for the men's double.
GB performance director David Tanner said: "It was fantastic to see the women's pair to kick off the regatta as they did when they are still rookies really.
"The women's double, because of injury, is still a work in progress and to win was significant.
"The open men's four were outstanding in dominating their field and what a sub in Peter Chambers to help the lightweight men's four win by their biggest ever margin at this level of event."
Only two crews missed out on medals: the women's eight finished fourth after a tough route through qualifying for the final while
Olympic champion Mark Hunter came second in the B final of the lightweight doubles with stand-in Adam Freeman-Pask, as his usual partner Zac Purchase is ill.
Single sculler Alan Campbell also missed the event through illness.