News

Posted: September 30, 2017

Scotland’s Gavin Horsburgh led Britain’s lightweight men’s quadruple scull (LM4x) to the team’s first medal of the 2017 World Rowing Championships after winning silver on the opening day of finals in Sarasota-Bradenton.

The quad of Horsburgh (Edinburgh Univ. BC/Lochwinnoch), Peter Chambers (Oxford Brookes Univ. BC/Coleraine), Ed Fisher (Leander Club/Nottingham) and Zak Lee-Green (Agecroft/Cardiff) were edged on the line by France, who clinched gold by just 0.17 seconds with Greece back in third.

The medal comes on the first of three days of finals in Florida, with British crews set to line up in 11 medal races over Saturday and Sunday.

Twenty year old Horsburgh has now won an impressive three medals in successive world championships – gold in the 2015 junior Worlds, and gold in last year’s under 23 competition.

“We went out there three days on the trot and committed ourselves each time and showed our best form,” said Horsburgh.

“In the final we didn’t quite get the result we wanted but we couldn’t have asked for more effort.

“It’s a fantastic feeling to win a medal but to also win Britain’s first here; we couldn’t have asked for more. It’s my first senior Worlds and we set a high bar for ourselves and I wouldn’t be sat here without three incredible teammates.”

In the other A finals, there was a narrow fourth place finish for lightweight men’s pair (LM2-), Scotland’s Sam Scrimgeour (Molesey BC/Kirriemuir) and Joel Cassells (Oxford Brookes Univ. BC/Coleraine), who ended their championships just behind Brazil in the hunt for bronze.

Scots Maddie Arlett (Edinburgh Univ. BC/Selkirk), like Horsburgh a fellow member of the successful Edinburgh University Boat Club, and former Edinburgh Alumni, Robyn Hart-Winks (Univ. of London BC/Kirriemuir), were part of the women’s lightweight quadruple sculls (LW4x) which finished the A final in fifth as Italy, Australia and China claimed the medals.

In the day’s earlier semi-finals, it wasn’t to be for the men’s double (M2x) of Angus Groom (Leander Club/Glasgow) and Graeme Thomas Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC/Preston) after they ended their final in fourth, just one place shy of an A final spot. Groom and Thomas, competing for the first time at a senior regatta in over a year following their return from injury, will contend the B final on Sunday.

British Rowing Performance Director Sir David Tanner said: “As a Team we’ve had an excellent first six days here in Florida and my congratulations go to the lightweight men’s quad on winning our first medal after an impressive week for the four of them.”

Day 6 results:

PR1 men's single scull semi-final (Three progress to A final)
1. Australia, 10:20.54
2. Great Britain (Andy Houghton), 10:30.62
3. Brazil, 10:41.52

Men's double scull semi-final (Three progress to A final)
1. France, 6:15.39
2. New Zealand, 6:16.33
3. Lithuania, 6:17.04
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4. Great Britain (Graeme Thomas and Angus Groom), 6:20.21

Men's single scull semi-final (Three progress to A final)
1. Great Britain (Tom Barras), 6:49.97
2. Croatia, 6:51.36
3. Germany, 6:51.94

Women's single scull semi-final (Three progress to A final)
1. Great Britain (Vicky Thornley), 07:31.720
2. Netherlands, 07:34.090
3. Canada, 07:34.530

Men's coxed pair A final
1. Hungary, 06:54.80
2. Australia, 06:56.60
3. Germany, 06:58.37
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4. Great Britain (Tim Clarke, Tom Ford and Harry Brightmore (cox)), 07:01.610

Lightweight men's pair A final
1. Ireland, 06:32.42
2. Italy, 06:34.20
3. Brazil, 06:35.30
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4. Great Britain (Joel Cassell and Sam Scrimgeour), 06:37.56

Lightweight men's quadruple scull A final
1. France, 05:51.850
2. Great Britain, (Gavin Horsburgh, Peter Chambers, Ed Fisher and Zak Lee-Green), 05:52.020
3. Greece, 05:53.640

Lightweight women's quadruple scull A final
1. Italy, 06:33.970
2. Australia, 06:35.470
3. China, 06:36.330
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5. Great Britain (Maddie Arlett, Robyn Hart-Winks, Eleanor Piggott and Gemma Hall), 06:47.940