Posted: 26 August, 2019

The last three of the eight Scottish rowing athletes involved in this week’s World Rowing Championships in Linz Ottensheim, Austria, start their campaigns on Tuesday.

Edinburgh’s Melissa Wilson races in the second heat of quadruple sculls, in a field that includes Australia, China, New Zealand and Russia, with only the race winners making direct progress to the final.

Later, Edinburgh’s Olympic silver medallist Karen Bennett and Glasgow’s Rowan McKellar are in the British eight that will face Canada, China, Germany and New Zealand in their opener, again with only the race winners qualifying direct for the final.

With Edinburgh’s Harry Leask involved as men’s spare, the other four Scots competing have already raced, with mixed results.

On Sunday’s first day of racing, Shotto Carnegie stroked the men’s four to a strong win over Germany, France and New Zealand in their opening heat to grab the only available semi-final spot.  Other semi-final qualifiers were Italy, Australia and Poland.

Also progressing direct to the semi-final was Edinburgh University’s lightweight single sculler Maddie Arlette when she finished second behind Japan in her opener.

By contrast, Edinburgh University’s Olympic silver medallist Polly Swann  finished third behind the Netherlands and Denmark in her opening heat of coxless fours to now depend on Tuesday’s repechages to make progress, as does Glaswegian Angus Groom who was in the British men’s quadruple sculls crew that finished fourth in the heat, behind Australia, Germany and Norway.

Report by Mike Haggerty