As the club completed its second week of preseason, the members of the squad delighted in being able to watch the alumni racing at the World Championship and welcome esteemed boatclub alumnus, Sophie Hosking MBE (above), to be inducted into Team Durham’s Hall of Fame. It is inspiring to watch those that have trodden the same paths as you, go on to such success. It allowed everyone in the club the opportunity to reflect on the incredible achievements of DUBC athletes past and present throughout the international summer and inspires us to press on harder into the new season.
A summary of that success:
This summer has seen many Durham athletes, both past and present, compete at the highest level possible in our sport and produce some incredible results. With current athletes representing their country at U23 World and European Championships, as well as DUBC alumni putting on a show at the World Rowing championships over the past week, it is clear that this has been one of DUBC’s most successful international summers.
U23 World Championships:
In July, 5 members of DUBC were selected to represent GB, at the U23 World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. This is the largest number of DUBC athletes selected for these championships in many years. DUBC had athletes competing in 4 different events over the course of the week: Andrew Mettrick was selected for the Men’s eight, Evelyna Davies and Anna Grace were selected for the Women’s eight, Philippa Emery was selected for the Women’s four and Izzy Sellers for the Women’s lightweight double.
With athletes in the A final of both men’s and women’s eights, the women’s four and with the lightweight women’s double winning the B final in a time that would have placed them 4th in the A final, DUBC showed both the strength and depth of its current athletes. The women’s eight and four suffered brutal races, each culminating in a still brilliant 4th place, and the men’s eight achieved a fantastic gold, meaning that all three levels of GB men’s eights; junior, u23, and senior, took victory in the world championships – a first in international rowing. This was just the beginning of the summer for Durham athletes at an international level.
U23 European Championships:
August saw three members of DUBC represent GB at the U23 European Championships in Krefeld Germany. Evelyna Davies was once again selected to represent GB, but this time in the Women’s four and Gus John and George Reed were selected for the Men’s eight. Both boats would race in their respective A finals.
On finals day, the Women’s four was the first boat from GB to race. Coming into the last 500m in last place, a blistering final quarter from Evelyna’s crew saw them storm to victory making her a European Champion. In a very tight race that also came down to the last few hundred metres, the GB Men’s eight held off surges from the competition to finish 2nd. This brought the total for the summer to 2 golds, 2 silvers, 3 fourth places and a seventh: one of the most successful years in memory for current DUBC athletes.
World Rowing Championships:
Then it was the turn of the DUBC alumni to demonstrate their prowess. Three of our alumni were selected to represent their country at the highest level possible in the sport. Lauren Irwin and Tash Morris were selected for the Women’s eight and George Bourne for the Men’s quad.
Just like their younger counterparts, both boats put in strong performances in their respective qualifying races, ensuring all DUBC alumni would race in their A finals on the weekend.
The finals were kicked off by the Men’s quad. In a race that was hard fought all the way to the line, George and the rest of the Men’s quad narrowly missed out on the medals finishing 4th by 0.73s. The final day of racing saw the final of the Women’s eight. The final was yet another race that was hard fought all the way to the finish. After a strong performance the eight also finished 4th overall and missed out on the podium by just over a second. Nonetheless, both crews secured qualification for the upcoming Olympics, a monumental achievement for all involved. All of the athletes taking part in preseason watched the races closely and it was inspiring to see the alumni of our club competing at such a high level.
A total of 10 members of DUBC past and present represented their club and country over the course of the summer, making it one of the most successful international campaigns ever for DUBC as we near our 150thanniversary. It is testament to their hard work and dedication throughout not only the year, but their whole rowing career. Each of these athletes has played a huge part in the ethos of DUBC and helped to drive the standards of the club by providing an example to all aspiring athletes within the club. They have all done DUBC proud and the club looks to continue their successes into the future.