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Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist Polly Swann continued her impressive return to rowing after topping the rankings at the GB Rowing Team 1st Assessment in Boston, Lincolnshire on Sunday.

The 30-year-old medical student from the University of Edinburgh was the fastest female sculler down the 5 kilometre course on the River Witham just under a second ahead of Leander Club’s Ruth Siddorn.  Fellow Edinburgh University student Lucy Glover finished in fourth place.

 

Last month Swann had made a winning return to competitive rowing following a prolonged injury when she and Glover won the women’s double scull title at the British Rowing Senior Championships.

Swann wasn’t the only Scot to lead the way in Boston with Edinburgh alumna Robyn Hart-Winks the quickest women’s lightweight sculler, nearly 15 seconds ahead of Reading Rowing Club’s Flo Pickles.  Two-time world champion Imogen Walsh, from Inverness and representing Upper Thames Rowing Club, finished in ninth position after her own extended break from the sport.

Edinburgh University Boat Club boasted two of the top four lightweight men’s scullers with James Temple third ahead of leading Under 23 athlete Gavin Horsburgh by just over a second.  Edinburgh’s James Stevenson, representing Newcastle University Boat Club, came home in seventh place.

 

There was further success for the Edinburgh students in the women’s pair race with the top two Under 23 boats coming home in baby blue.  GB Under 23 internationals Alex Rankin and India Somerside took third, just one place ahead of Jane Hardie and Lydia Currie.

In the men’s pair race, the leading Scot was Edinburgh’s Callum McBrierty (Leander Club) finishing in fourth place with partner Barnaby Stentiford.  Cameron Buchan and James Robson, representing Leander Club, finished in seventh place, one ahead of Sholto Carnegie (Leander Club) rowing with Morgan Hellen.

2018 Under 23 world champion Josh Armstrong finished fifth overall in the men’s single scull and second ranked Under 23 with fellow Edinburgh University athlete Jack Burns one place back in sixth.

 

3rd (1st U23) – Alex Rankin / India Somerside (Edinburgh University) 20:58.98
4th (2nd U23) – Jane Hardie / Lydia Currie (Edinburgh University) 21:05.49
11th (5th U23) – Elizabeth Cooper / Flora Blake-Parsons (Edinburgh University) 21:32.27

1st – Polly Swann (Edinburgh University) 21:38.92
4th (1st U23) – Lucy Glover (Edinburgh University) 21:51.56
11th – Fiona Bell (Queen’s University Belfast) 22:13.70
24th – Iona Riley (Molesey Boat Club) 22:49.37

1st – Robyn Hart-Winks (University of London) 21:39.07
9th – Imogen Walsh (Upper Thames Rowing Club) 22:33.38
13th (6th U23) – Sophie Parsons (Edinburgh University) 22:44.26

4th – Callum McBrierty (Leander Club) [with Barnaby Stentiford] 17:54.65
7th – Cameron Buchan / James Robson (Leander Club) 17:58.91
8th – Sholto Carnegie (Leander Club) [with Morgan Hellen] 18:01.67
28th (13th U23) – Philip Nesom (University of York) [with Thomas Worthington] 19:11.98

 

5th (2nd U23) – Josh Armstrong (Edinburgh University) 19:05.33
6th – Jack Burns (Edinburgh University) 19:11.10
19th (12th U23) – Jake Offiler (Edinburgh University) 19:54.91

3rd – James Temple (Edinburgh University) 18:52.27
4th (1st U23) – Gavin Horsburgh (Edinburgh University) 18:53.64
7th (4th U23) – James Stevenson (Newcastle University) 19:29.83
15th – Jack Plummer (Doncaster Schools Rowing Association) 20:01.57
27th – Ben Parsonage (Strathclyde University) 20:22.26

 

For full results see: https://www.britishrowing.org/2018/11/comeback-wins-for-charles-cousins-and-polly-swann-at-gb-rowing-team-first-winter-assessment/