Rowing’s Golden Day at the Olympics!!
Australia has arguably had its best Olympic day in history bringing home 2 gold and 2 bronze medals and WA rowers were thick in the medal action.
Kicked off by our own Annabelle McIntyre stroking the Women’s Four that crossed the line 0.34 seconds in front of the Netherlands, the flood gates then opened with another gold added by the Men’s Four and bronze in the Mens Quad Scull, featuring WA’s Jack Cleary, and the Womens Quad Scull. A total of 4 rowing medals in the space of one hour.
WA rower Josh Hicks racing in the mens pair semi final and Annabelle backing up in the womens pair semi-final both narrowly missed qualifying for the A Finals, finishing 4th in their respective races, with only the top three qualifying for the A Final.
WA rowers Bronwyn Cox and Giorgia Patten helped guide the Australian Womens eight into the A Final, finishing fourth in their repechage. This result was echoed by the Australian Mens eight, both crews to race in A Finals on Friday.
The vibe at Rowing WA HQ this morning was nothing short of electric. Over 150 rowers past and present, friends, family and the Consul-General Suzuki from the Japanese Consulate gathered to witness WA rowing history, with our first ever Olympic Champion crowned, Annabelle McIntyre.
The families of all the WA Olympians were present to encourage and support each other and their children in a truly unforgettable display of Australian rowing. Obviously hard for these families to not be in Tokyo now, it was very special to have them join the wider rowing community to ride the highs and lows of international racing.
Rowing stalwart, Olympic Silver medallist & Olympic Coach Tony Lovrich cranked up his Olympic inspired fire pit and cooked up some snags for everyone to celebrate the occasion. It was truly a celebration for the ages!!
The media also jumped on the rowing bandwagon with Channel 7 covering the full days action from Rowing HQ and Channels 9, 10, ABC and several radio outlets conducing interviews with family and coaches. This coverage can only increase the profile of our amazing sport and hopefully encourage the next generation of kids to learn to row!!
Here’s hoping for more great results over the final two days of the rowing program in Tokyo!!
Daniel Tackenberg
CEO, Rowing WA
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