Start rowers to take on Olympic Champions at British Rowing Indoor Championships
Seven members of the GB Rowing Team Start Programme at the University of Bath will be rubbing shoulders with Olympic and World Champions when they compete in this weekend’s British Rowing Indoor Championships (BRIC).
Izzy Maddock and Alex Pfeiffer-Brown – who are both new recruits to the talent ID programme – will take part in the 500m sprint race when the Championships take place at Lee Valley VeloPark in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Saturday.
Fellow University of Bath students Jack Williams, a Dual Career athlete, and Chloe White will take on the Olympic-distance 2k challenge, as will Minerva Bath Rowing Club’s Alika Molloy.
She is raising money for the WellChild children’s charity at the event – anyone wishing to sponsor her can find more information at www.justgiving.com/Alika-Peach-Molloy.
The Bath Start contingent will be completed by Minerva Bath junior rowers Jens Hullah and Marcus Whiteley, who will compete in the J16 and J18 categories respectively.
Hundreds of rowers of all ages and experience will be competing at BRIC including Olympic and World champions Pete Reed and Alex Gregory, as well as other members of this year’s dominant GB men’s eight.
Meanwhile, the University of Bath Boat Club enjoyed success when they took part in the South West heats of the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) University Indoor Rowing Series.
Two coachloads of student rowers travelled to the University of Bristol for the event, which saw Rachel Scanlan win the women’s 2k competition and Josh Poat finish third in the lightweight men’s category. That put them 16th and 13th in the overall national standings.
There were four Bath students in the top ten of the men’s South West event, with Tom Grinstead second, Joe Edgerley third, Alex Clark fifth and Henry Young ninth.
Grinstead and Young are both on the Bath Start Programme, as is University of Bristol student Matt Jenner who won the men’s category. He was fourth in the overall national standings, one place ahead of Grinstead.
More than 1,800 students across the country took part in the BUCS University Indoor Rowing Series this year. Results from the GB Rowing Team trials, which included Goldsmith Sporting Scholar Nick Bell, have yet to be added to the final list.
