Report and results by Nigel Mayglothling, Chairman of BUSA.
The British men's lightweight coxless four won at Sixth World University Rowing Championships in Posnan on Sunday to become World University Rowing Champions.
Following a win in their semi-final, the GB crew of Simon Jones, Tom Johnstone, John Warnock and Nick English took an early lead in the FInal and controlled the race to the line. They become only the second GB crew to win at these championships, the others being the '98 2- of Fred Scarlett and Steve Williams.
With all GB crews making their respective finals, medal success also came for Simon Cottle and Ian Lawson with Bronze in the M2x behind World Cup crews from Hungary and France, and quite outstandingly from the Mens Hwt 4- from Oxford Brookes. Tom Burton, Jonno Devlin, Dan Marrett and Joe von Maltzahn were last at five hundred gone and still clear water behind third place with 750 to go, but a phenomenal charge for the line took them to third behind the Poles and Rumanians . "We'd have had them all if it was Henley length" was Joe's verdict when he could eventually speak!
The single scullers also both made their A Finals. Becky Romero made the transition back to sculling from her U23 sweep gold, but was never quite quick enough out to head off world-class scullers from Poland, Gremany and the Czech Republic. Her fourth place was an excellent result given the quality of the field and her preparation time. Nick Wakefield had by far the hardest task of any of the GB crews, with three of the top four scullers from the Zagreb World Champs racing, making lightweight singles a real quality event. Nick sculled well to make the final, and although sixth, was in contact with the fastest field of the Championships, an excellent achievement.
M2x HUN 6.22.35 FRA 6.30.51 GBR 6.32.39 EST 6.36.59 POL 6.40.76 CZE 6.40.80 LWT 4- GBR 6.17.68 FRA 6.19.61 POL 6.19.63 NED 6.23.78 CZE 6.26.86 AUT 6.35.10 W1x POL 7.46.97 GER 7.51.18 CZE 7.54.03 GBR 7.59.86 ROM 8.04.68 NED 8.15.83 M4- POL 6.06.91 ROM 6.07.37 GBR 6.09.12 FRA 6.13.29 EST 6.44.98 MLwt 1x CZE 7.07.09 POL 7.09.10 FRA 7.10.25 SVK 7.11.15 SUI 7.18.98 GBR 7.27.89
With the next Championships likely to be in Britain in 2002 and the probablity of an European Cup being held in alternate years starting in Brive in 2001, the future for International University rowing appears excellent.