Issue 22 October 2012

Transcription

1 Issue October olympic GAMES Meet the Olympic Champions p. Firsts for women in London p. 8 Joie de vivre for South Africa s lightweight men s four p. Alone together rowing for Portugal p. Bond of brothers Martin & Valent Sinkovic p. 4 Quintessentially English the success of Leander Club p. 6 paralympic games Fast times in Paralympic rowing p. 8 One goal for Oksana Masters p. rowers of the future Germany s golden girl Julia Lier p. UNIVERSITY ROWING A generation inspired p. 5 heroes of the past A lifetime for rowing: Ricardo Ibarra p. 8 health M e m ories f rom Lon don Competitive in the face of cancer one rower s story p. 9

2 World Rowing Partners & Suppliers World Rowing Partners World Rowing Licencing Partners World Rowing Service Providers Fisa Strategic Alliance World Rowing Suppliers WORLD ROWING AND WWF PARTNERS FOR CLEAN WATER World Rowing Broadcasting Partners Issue October

3 Meet the Olympic Champions -) Women s Quadruple Sculls (W4x) w/ Harry Ho Getty Images Women s Pair (W Kateryna Tarasenko (l), Nataliya Dovgodko, Anastasiia Kozhenkova and Yana Dementieva (r) of Ukraine sing their national anthem on the podium after winning Olympic gold. Harry How/Getty Images Olympic Games and Helen Glover (l) (r) of Heather Stanning e first th e ar in ita Br Great wers to win British female ro Olympic gold. Men s Eight (M8+) Issue October as Kuffner, Filip Adamski (b), Andre Reinelt, ilian xim Eric Johannesen, Ma eller, Mu kas Lu t, mid Sch d Richar (s) ke Wil f sto Kri Florian Mennigen, any rm Ge of er Sau rtin Ma and cox y regatta racing on the Eton Dorne Olympic on nd Lo the course at soon to re we y Games where the win gold.

4 >> Meet the Olympic Champions Men s Double Sculls (Mx) 4-) en s Four (LM es ag Meyer/Getty Im Damien aw Ezra Sh /Getty Images Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Lightweight M Women s Eight (W8+) Issue October Armando Franca/Getty Images pions Olympic Cham (r) and an lliv Joseph Su from (l) Nathan Cohen off ow sh d an New Zeal al. ed m ld go r ei th u (s), Lawrence Ndlov ew Brittain and th at M John Smith, (b) celebrate on ps om Th James a s first ever ric Af h winning Sout al ed in rowing. Olympic gold m The United States women s eight celebrate winning Olympic gold after an Olympiad of unbroken wins. Harry How/Getty Images Olympic Games 4

5 Men s Pair (M-) >> Meet the Olympic Champions Karl Schulze (b), tz Schoof Phillipp Wende, Lauri of (s) nn and Tim Grohma ssing cro e rat leb ce y German n s me the line first in the quadruple sculls at the. tta ga Re Olympic Rowing Unbeaten on the international stage since 9, Eric Murray (l) and Hamish Bond (r) of New Zealand claim gold at the Olympic Rowing Regatta. Phil Walter/Getty Images Olympic Games Men s Quadruple Sc ulls (M4x) Harry How/Getty Images Women s Double Sculls (Wx) Great Britain s most medalled female rower, Katherine Grainger (r), finally wins Olympic gold with crewmate Anna Watkins. Issue October 5

6 omen s Lightweight W (LWx) alter/g Phil W Phil Walter/Getty Images Men s Four (M4-) Double Sculls >> Meet the Olympic Champions etty Images Olympic Games Alex Gregory (b), Pete Reed, Tom Jam es and Andrew Triggs Hodge (s) claim the fourth Olympic victory in a row for Great Britain in the men s four. eland (s) and Katherine Cop itain (b) of Great Br Sophie Hosking ing Olympic m celebrate beco Eton Dorney. at s on pi m ha C Phil Walter/Getty Images Men s Single Sculls (Mx) Five-time World Champion Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand adds Olympic gold to the Olympic bronze medal he won in Beijing. Issue October 6

7 en s Do Lightweight M Phil Walter/Getty Images >> Meet the Olympic Champions uble Sculls (L ussen (b) ijing, Mads Rasm pic gold at Be in ze on br After winning ark win Olym uist (s) of Denm and Rasmus Q London. (Wx) Issue October Harry How/Ge tty Ima ges Women s Single Sculls After years of international competion, Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic finally win s her first Olympic medal gold - at London. Rank =7 =7 9 = = = = =5 =5 =5 =5 Olympic Rowing Regatta Medals Table by Placing Country Gold Silver Bronze GBR 4 NZL GER DEN CZE USA RSA UKR AUS CAN CHN CRO FRA ITA NED GRE POL SLO Rank =4 =4 =4 =7 =7 =9 =9 =9 =9 =9 =9 =9 =9 =9 =9 Olympic Rowing Regatta Medals Table by Total Country Gold Silver Bronze GBR 4 AUS NZL GER DEN USA CZE CAN RSA UKR CHN CRO FRA ITA NED GRE POL SLO Mx) Olympic Games Total Total

8 Harry How/Getty Images Olympic Games Firsts for women in London The London Olympic Games marked the tenth time that women have rowed at the Olympic Games. At the Montreal Olympics in 976 women s rowing was seen for the first time with six rowing events on the Olympic programme. Today the number of events remains the same but with the lightweight women s double sculls and the women s quadruple sculls replacing the four and the coxed quadruple sculls. In London a number of firsts were achieved in the female boat classes. The Olympic host nation Great Britain led these achievements. Harry How/Getty Images When Heather Stanning and Helen Glover crossed the line first in the women s pair they had won the first ever Olympic gold medal for Great Britain in women s rowing. Thus began a run of unprecedented success for British female rowers. The following day, the British women s double sculls of Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins also won gold. Grainger is Great Britain s most medalled female rower at Olympic and World Championship levels and in London her quest for Olympic gold finally came to fruition. On the last day of Olympic finals, the British lightweight women s double sculls of Katherine Copeland and Sophie Hosking made the British women s gold medal tally equal three. This helped place Great Britain at the top of the Olympic rowing medals table. It also signalled the progression of the female British rowing squad, with the men s squad winning only one Olympic gold medal in comparison. Greek rowing has come a long way in recent years. At the 4 Athens Olympics the lightweight men s double sculls became local heroes when they scored the first Olympic rowing medal ever for Greece, a country that prides themselves in their extensive rowing history. Two Olympic Games later, at Eton Dorney, Greece s Christina Giazitzidou and Alexandra Tsiavou pulled off a first for Greece when they medalled in the lightweight women s double sculls. Tsiavou and Giazitizidou had achieved the first ever Olympic rowing medal for Greek women. Katherine Copeland (s) and Sophie Hosking (b) of Great Britain on their way to winning gold in the lightweight women s double sculls at the Olympic Rowing Regatta. The Czech Republic has had varying Olympic success with most of it surrounding Vaclav Chalupa and Ondrej Synek in the men s single sculls. The Czechs, however, had never won an Olympic medal in women s rowing. That all changed on the waters of Eton Dorney through a woman named Mirka Knapkova. Not only > Alexandra Tsiavou (r) and Christina Giazitzidou (l) of Greece on the podium with their bronze medal at the Olympic Rowing Regatta. Issue October 8

9 >> Firsts for women in London (s) won Great Britain s first Helen Glover (b) and Heather Stanning medal in rowing at London. When Poland crossed the finish line at the London Olympics in the women s double sculls, Julia Michalska and Magdalena Fularczyk did not hide their delight. The duo had become the first Olympic medallists for Polish women s rowing in years and the second medal ever. Michalska and Fularczyk had followed in the footsteps of Malgorzata Dluzewska and Czeslawa Koscianska, the 98 Olympic silver medallists in the women s pair. For Michalska and Fularczyk their bronze medal turned out to be the sole medal for Polish rowing at the London Olympic Games. Issue October ever Olympic gold Yana Dementieva, foreground, Anastasiia Kozhenkova, Nataliya Dovgodko and Kateryna Tarasenko of Ukraine celebrate their Olympic win in the women s rowing quadruple sculls at the London Olympic Games. Ukraine has had a rocky history when it comes to Olympic rowing, but this was all put behind them when they won the women s quadruple sculls. Ever since independence in 99 Ukrainian rowing has chosen to focus on the quad. They began by finishing second at the Atlanta Games in 996, then fourth in. In Beijing, they finished fourth again. But Olympic gold had only been a matter of time: at Eton Dorney the quad of Kateryna Tarasenko, Nataliya Dovgodko, Anastasiia Kozhenkova and Yana Dementieva scored their nation s first ever Olympic rowing gold. Harry How/Getty Images > did Knapkova make Czech history by scoring the first ever medal in Olympic women s rowing for her country, but she ensured that the medal was extra special by making it gold. After years of international competition in the prestigious women s single sculls, Knapkova had finally made the Olympic podium. Natacha Pisarenko - IOPP Pool Streeter Lecka/Getty Images / Getty Images Olympic Games There are always many stand-out moments at the Olympic Games and Eton Dorney will be remembered for many unique moments including those of rowing s female athletes. Melissa S. Bray Udby Erichsen Czech Republic, silver medallist Fie Gold medallist Mirka Knapkova of the the women s of ium pod the on tralia Aus of Crow of Denmark and bronze medallist Kim single sculls at Eton Dorney. 9

10 Olympic Games FISA Joie de vivre for South Africa s lightweight men s four There is nothing like the thrill of a tight finish, especially when it s the final at the Olympic Games and especially when the unanticipated occurs. This was the vibe when South Africa s Lawrence Ndlovu, Matthew Brittain, James Thompson and John Smith flew over the line first in the lightweight men s four in London. The crew has since made numerous celebrity television appearances and their medals have accompanied them. Ndlovu can list Miss Earth, Top Billing and SuperSport not to mention racing Ferraris for a TV show. South Africa s lightweight men s four racing their heat at the Olympic Games. Most eyes were not focused on the South Africans, instead most had been trained on three other boats the Danes, hoping to defend their Olympic title, the home favourites Great Britain and the Australian reigning World Champions. But as the South African head coach Roger Barrow and lead coach of the four Paul Jackson followed the race on their bicycles, their eyes were firmly fixed on the green and yellow suited crew. At the finish the crew paused. They had just achieved the first ever Olympic rowing gold for South Africa. As the crew sat in their boat enjoying the moment little did they realise that a storm had erupted in South Africa. The nation, buoyed by the gold medal result was going wild in a way normally reserved for their national rugby team. We were completely blown away, says Barrow. The crew had been on the front page of every paper in the country. And on their return the interest had not diminished. There was massive media interest at the airport when we got back to South Africa. There were thousands of people at the airport; we needed a police escort, says Barrow disbelievingly. The media interest in the guys is ongoing. It hasn t stopped. We brought the airport to a standstill, adds Smith, the youngest member of the crew at age and otherwise known as Bean. I could not believe the amount of people. My neck was so chafed from the strap that I think it nearly bled, says Brittain. I wore my medal for a night and my neck has not been the same since! adds Smith. The crew were given safety deposit boxes for their medals but Brittain admits it hasn t spent much time there. People are so excited to see it that I usually just keep it in my pocket so that if they ask to see it I can show them. I don t really see the point of keeping it in pristine condition locked away somewhere. This fairytale Olympic ending, however, may have been hard to envisage during the lead up to London. > Issue October

11 >> Joie de vivre for South Africa s lightweight men s four > Barrow explains: My plan has been to develop a lightweight men s four ever since 9. I decided that in the lightweight men s double we were too far off the pace. In I approached Paul (about coaching the four) as he s much more experienced [than me]. He became involved as the lead coach of the boat. He would say, don t take yourself too seriously, explains Smith. To us it meant, let s get out and go have some fun. The Olympics is a circus attached to a normal regatta, says Brittain. It was still,m long and against the usual opposition so I didn t make it bigger than that. But that didn t stop me from nearly throwing up in the bus from nerves every time we arrived at the venue. The pool of rowers started as eight and ended up as six with the final crew selecting itself because of injuries. Matthew had to have surgery in, then Lawrence had a problem of tendonitis in his For the final each crew member experienced the wrist, explains Barrow. The most experienced race in their own unique way. member of the crew, Ndlovu, has had to battle illness and injury throughout his rowing career. I always knew we had a chance (to medal), says As well as needing an operation for tendonitis Brittain. It was the greatest moment of my life Ndlovu was diagnosed with asthma ten years to look up at the scoreboard and see. RSA. ago and has also had back problems. Coming into the last m, Matthew behind The Olympic line-up was only formed six months me was screaming, Yes! Yes! Yes! I thought to before London. The crew then raced at the myself we have this thing by half a length, but Memorial D Aloja in Italy where they won all of after watching the race later it was on the line, their races. The line-up was thus set. says Smith who will never forget feeling like a god at the end of the race. Barrow designed the preparation for London to be as problem-free as possible. He thus set a number I knew we had a chance at getting a medal, says of training camps not only for the training but to Ndlovu, who attributes his start in rowing to his also keep them away from other people and the mentor and former principal, the late Tom Price. potential for illness and to monitor their training When we came into the last 5m I believed we were going to get gold. to reduce the chance of injury. The impact of the results of these four men in South Africa has been phenomenal. The number of to 4 year olds [wanting to row] has tripled at rowing schools, says Barrow. The four all plan to keep rowing. Earning a gold medal also earned each of the crew a traditional South African gift - a cow. Smith and Thompson chose to turn their cows into biltong dried beef strips. It s a lot of meat, says Smith. Ndlovu has named his cow Missy and he plans to keep her and have more. Brittain has called his cow London and plans to barbeque her in a couple of years, hopefully after she has had a couple of calves, he adds. Melissa S. Bray Lawrence Ndlovu (s), John Smith, Matthew Brittain and James Thompson (b) of South Africa s lightweight men s four celebrate winning their nation s first ever Olympic gold medal in rowing at the Olympic Rowing Regatta. Damien Meyer/Getty Images Olympic Games As the crew were all first-time Olympians, We knew they had a good sprint, says Barrow. Barrow and Jackson were very much aware of Going into the,m we thought that they could the pressure the four would be under. Jackson medal if they were within a length of the leaders. talked to the crew about joie de vivre. At the,m mark the crew were within a length and, in fourth place, they were closing on the leaders. The joie de vivre had kicked in. Issue October

12 Olympic Games Alone together rowing for Portugal When it comes to the Olympic Games, Portugal has mainly known success in athletics. It is in this sport that the nation won all of its Olympic gold medals to date four since Portugal started taking part in the Games in 9. If Portugal s lightweight men s double sculls of Nuno Mendes and Pedro Fraga win an Olympic medal one day, it would be a first for Portuguese rowing. Mendes and Fraga are not what you would define as standard Portuguese guys. They don t play football. Mendes has rowed since age while Fraga started as a 4-year-old. With two Olympic Games under their belts, Mendes and Fraga are looking to work towards their third participation. They have, however, a few obstacles to overcome along the way. It was one of the best results of a Portuguese team during the Olympics, adds Fraga who says the press were interested in them because of this. Portugal s sole Olympic medal in was in canoeing. This has made the interest in water sports increase a bit, says Fraga. The profile of rowing in Portugal is one of their challenges. In Portugal hosted the European Rowing Championships in Montemoro-Velho and, says Fraga, that helped it to grow. But compared to other sports it s still a > Nuno Mendes (l) and Pedro Fraga (r) pose with oars in the boatpark at the Samsung World Rowing Cup in Belgrade, Serbia. We were happy with the result, says Mendes. Our own goal was to reach the A-final and we came fifth, so it was not too bad. Issue October Igor Meijer/FISA Fraga and Mendes began rowing together eight years ago when they met at the same club. That year, in their first major international regatta, the World Under Regatta, they finished second. The duo have persevered together ever since racing at the Beijing Olympics where they finished eighth. At the London Games they stepped up to the A-final and finished fifth.

13 >> Alone together rowing for Portugal Olympic Games Pedro Fraga (b) and Nuno Mendes (s) of Portugal racing in the heat of the lightweight men s double sculls at the Olympic Rowing Regatta. rowers from Great Britain, Denmark, Norway and Sweden who go there to train, often during the European winter. For Ahrens, the future of Portuguese rowing is uncertain as the Portuguese Rowing Federation is facing financial difficulties. Fraga and Mendes are doing ok because they are coached by Mark Emke from Holland, says Ahrens. Emke has been coaching Fraga and Mendes since and is concerned about the financial situation of the national federation. We hope that this main problem will be solved in the next few months. We have some ideas about our training approaches for the next year and are pretty confident that we can go on, says Emke who formerly coached for the Dutch national team. [Rowing at] Rio 6 would be nice, says Mendes, but the future of high performance in Portugal is still unclear. > bit unknown. People are more interested in football and the Olympic Games are all about athletics. Portugal can claim a lengthy rowing history. The history of its oldest rowing club, the Lisbon Naval Club, goes back to 856. It remains the largest club in a country where there are about rowing clubs. In the early days of rowing it was associated with Portuguese royalty and social elite. After establishing itself in Portugal s capital city of Lisbon, rowing spread to Porto and Figueira da Issue October Foz. The most flourishing era for rowing was during the 9s through to the 95s. Currently the main regatta in the country is the National Championships, attended by about rowers. Internationally, the best result in rowing was in 994 when the lightweight men s quadruple sculls took bronze at the World Rowing Championships in Indianapolis, USA. Luis Ahrens raced in that boat and has remained involved in rowing through the Avizaqcua Team Centre in Aviz, Portugal. The centre hosts a number of top rowers including Arguably Fraga and Mendes can be considered the most successful Portuguese rowers: they have now competed at two Olympic Games, have medalled three times at the European Rowing Championships and also have one World Rowing Cup medal and two under- silvers. Since last year the duo were training out of a big football club, Sporting Clube de Portugal, who want to invest in rowing. Fraga and Mendes are their first rowers. Melissa S. Bray

14 Olympic Games Bond of brothers Martin & Valent Sinkovic Martin and Valent Sinkovic wrote themselves into Croatian rowing history this summer when they won Olympic silver in the men s quadruple sculls. Becoming an Olympic medallist is special no matter who you are, but becoming one alongside your brother is even more so. Between them, Martin and Valent Sinkovic have an impressive collection of 8 medals from the junior, under- and senior World Rowing regattas. Since 8, Croatia s priority boats at international regattas have included the brothers. Two-time under- World Champions in the men s quadruple sculls, in 9 and, they went on to win their first senior World Championship title in this boat class in. In they also became European Rowing Champions in the men s double sculls after a ten-day post-olympic break. It s very special being a part of a family with two elite rowers. Both of us know that we can always count on each other, we always know what our goals are and what we have to do to reach them, Martin explains. Other people often can t understand why we practice so much, how we stay motivated, why we don t miss going out with our friends more often. But we know how much we love rowing, especially together, and that s why we don t miss living the life of normal people. Where did it all begin for the Sinkovic brothers? Their eldest brother, Matija, was the first person in their family to take up rowing. At that time Martin wasn t involved in any other sports, so he decided to join his brother at their local rowing club. From the first time Martin sat in a boat he was hooked. Until then, Valent s sport of choice had been football until he sustained an injury that forced him to stop playing. I got injured so I decided to try rowing because both of my brothers loved it, he says. Rivalry naturally exists between the brothers it always has. But it s something they see as positive. Each one of us likes to be the one who will win, Valent points out, but the one that loses is happy for the other. It s nicer to get beaten by your brother than by someone else! They believe that rivalry brings them closer to their mutual goals. The duo are more likely to be found in a boat together than racing side by side. That is the feeling we love most, says Valent. The sense of trust between these siblings is evident. Rowing together, they can almost > Valent Sinkovic (s), Damir Martin, Martin Sinkovic and David Sain (b) of Croatia competing in the men s quadruple sculls semifinal at the Olympic Rowing Regatta. Issue October 4 Harry How/Getty Images

15 >> Bond of brothers Martin & Valent Sinkovic > read each other s minds and predict how the their medal was a rare experience. That was a other will react. We always know that we can very special moment in our lives and we are happy count on each other, says Martin, and that the that we could experience it together, says Martin. other one will never let the other down. Their Our parents were watching the race from the commitment to each other as brothers and grandstand and it was really nice to share that teammates is incredibly strong. The only difficulty moment with them. that comes with rowing together is the fear of letting the other down. We always want the boat Rowing is still a small sport in Croatia, so to go as fast as possible, so when it isn t going so becoming Olympic medallists didn t result in well, we get more nervous than if we were to row the Sinkovic brothers being instantly recognised with other people, Valent explains. on the streets of Zagreb. However, their success has not gone unappreciated. A lot of kids from Standing together as brothers on the podium at our rowing clubs are very proud and excited that the Olympic Rowing Regatta and receiving Croatia has Olympic medallists in their sport and The brothers hope that their result will have an impact on future generations of young Croatians aspiring to become Olympic medallists. We hope that future generations will have better conditions than we now have and that there will be more money so they can buy new boats and things like that, says Martin. We hope Croatia will get more medals in the future. Lisa Hayden Martin Sinkovic Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Valent Sinkovic. that they can see how we train and learn from us. There has been bigger interest in rowing in schools since the Olympics, says Martin. Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Olympic Games Issue October 5

16 Olympic Games Leander Club at Henley-onThames, Great Britain. Igor Meijer Quintessentially English the success of Leander Club Leander Club, the most successful rowing club in British history, is perched on the bank of the River Thames in Henley-onThames, Great Britain. Nicknamed the Pink Palace by the general public and members alike, the club delights in quintessentially English rowing traditions off the water and remarkable success on the water. Before the London Games, Leander Club had L e a n d e r won 99 Olympic medals. By the end of the Games, Club Press the club had reached a total of. Nearly half of Officer Robert Treharne Jones explains that the GB Rowing Team competing at the London the entire raison d etre of Leander is to place Games was composed of Leander athletes. as many of our athletes as possible into the GB team, and we ve been very successful in this Leander Club has also been home to well-known policy. Our athletes, members, visitors and names in rowing history, such as five-time corporate sponsors all share the same core values Olympic gold medallist Steve Redgrave, four- of teamwork, discipline, commitment, success time Olympic Champion Matthew Pinsent as well and ultimately winning. as Tim Foster, James Cracknell and a wealth of other international British rowers. Double Olympian Tom Solesbury, who placed fifth in the men s quadruple sculls at Eton Issue October Dorney this year, explains why, in his eyes, Leander Club has been so successful. For me, the support from Leander has been fantastic in so many ways. While I was injured in, Leander was a great place for me to train, with a top quality gym and some good coaching when I started to get back on the water. I ve also been very lucky that for the last two years the Leander head coach, Mark Banks, has also been my coach in the quad. He is an excellent coach who gives everything for his crews, both for GB and for Leander. > 6

17 >> Quintessentially English the success of Leander Club > The unbeatable Anna Watkins, who won Olympic gold in the women s double sculls with Katherine Grainger also calls the club home. It s provided a great base - we do the majority of our training at national squad headquarters nearby but I train there over Christmas and for club events. It s run very professionally and isn t stymied by politics in the way that some clubs can be. I can just drop in anytime and do a good weights session or whatever I need to do; it makes life easier for athletes, which is what we need trying to do the British squad training programme! Leander Club also prides itself in developing future Olympians, with seasoned Olympians like Watkins spending time at the club to get to know them, share experiences and give advice. Under and senior World Champion Kieren Emery trains full time at the club. Rachel Gamble-Flint, who missed out on Olympic qualification in the women s single sculls this year, is another prospect for the future. Having previously rowed at school, Gamble-Flint joined Leander Club when she was 8 and puts her subsequent success down to the facilities available to her. always had a reputation for producing the best results, which therefore has attracted the best to join. The professional structure and programme in place then allows athletes with potential and the desire to work hard to fulfil what they are capable of. The environment is very professional, but also with room for fun. Treharne Jones tells World Rowing: Our clubhouse activity is focused on generating as much revenue as possible to fund the Leander Development Academy programme, the purpose of which is to gain places for the GB team at Rio 6 and beyond. Despite being a British Rowing success factory, athletes and staff at Leander stress that the atmosphere is key. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming, says Solesbury. I think outsiders often think that Leander can be a bit stuffy but everyone involved with the club wants to help the athletes and that makes for a fantastic atmosphere. Watkins adds: It s for people who want to see how far they can take their rowing, so it s competitive and of a high standard but very sociable too. The club was founded in 88 and since 98, has produced around 4 international athletes. Leander is used as a venue for meetings, corporate events and special occasions and during the annual Henley Royal Regatta plays host to hundreds of members and visitors alike. A men s eight crew from Leander Club racing in the Lady s Plate at the Henley Rowing Regatta. Laura Fell Robert Treharne Jones Olympic Games I hope the manner in which Leander has already contributed towards my rowing career will allow me to continue improving and achieve my Olympic ambitions, Gamble-Flint states. The work ethic at the club is excellent. The nature of our training programme and sport doesn t allow for us to be anything less than fully committed. Leander has Issue October 7

18 Paralympic Games Fast times in Paralympic rowing A total of 96 athletes from nations took part in the second edition of the Paralympic Rowing Regatta. Adaptive rowers from Argentina, Portugal, New Zealand and Ireland raced for the first time on the Paralympic stage while France, Germany and Russia took home their nation s first Paralympic medals in rowing. While Brazil and Ukraine had entries in every boat class, Belarus, China, France, Great Britain, Russia and the United States of America had entries in three. China topped the medals table in a regatta which saw adaptive World Best Times smashed on the first day and remarkably close finishes in the finals. China s Cheng Huang, who made his international debut in, surprised his competition, setting a World Best Time of 4:45. in the heats and in the final powering away from the rest of the field to win Paralympic gold over the,m distance. Erik Horrie of Australia and Alexey Chuvashev of Russia performed strongly to claim silver and bronze respectively. That the 8 Paralympic Champion and four-time World Champion Tom Aggar of Great Britain finished outside of the medals was perhaps most indicative of the vast development of adaptive rowing. For Horrie, winning Paralympic silver meant more than just a medal: Never mind the medal honour, putting on the gold and green hoody I can t explain, unless you ve represented your country, the honour. Also, the messages that I receive from young kids, saying: You ve inspired me, I can do whatever I want to now - those are the things that really matter. Alla Lysenko continued to raise the bar in the AS women s single sculls. Untouchable, she set an adaptive World Best Time in the heats and won gold by eight seconds. Behind her in the final, Nathalie Benoit of France won silver and a fight between three boats was on for bronze. At the line, 8 Paralympic silver medallist Liudmila Vauchok of Belarus, who is also a multi Winter Paralympic Champion, won bronze, leaving Claudia Santos of Brazil and Moran Samuel of Israel out of the medals and vowing to come back to fight in Rio. > Xiaoxian Lou and Tianming Fei of China celebrate winning gold in the TA mixed double sculls at the Paralympic Rowing Regatta. FISA Issue October 8

19 Paralympic Games > Xiaoxian Lou and Tianming Fei, the Chinese TA mixed double sculls, also redefined speed, setting a blisteringly fast time of :54.9 in the heats to qualify directly for the final, in which they won gold and defended the 8 Paralympic title won by fellow countrymen Yangjing Zhou and Zilong Shan. For Fei, China s success had far-reaching effects: I hope Paralympic rowing will become better and stronger because of China s success in rowing. France s Perle Bouge and Stephane Tardieu capitalised on a strong season to win silver and Oksana Masters and Robert Jones of the United States of America, a new pairing making their international debut this season, won bronze just. seconds ahead of Great Britain. French athlete Bouge felt sure that this could have a positive effect on adaptive rowing in her home nation: Two medals for France is great for the country and encouraging for the sport. In the heats of the LTA mixed coxed four, Germany smashed the previous World Best Time to win their heat in :5.9, but it was not enough to win gold > Erik Horrie of Australia (l), Cheng Huang of China and Alexey Chuvashev of Russia (r) celebrate their medals in the AS men s single sculls at the Paralympic Rowing Regatta. Issue October Great Britain s Pamela Relph (b), Naomi Riches, David Smith, James Roe (s) and Lily van den Broecke (c) greet the crowd of spectators after winning gold in the LTA mixed coxed four at the Paralympic Rowing Regatta. 9

20 Paralympic Games >> Fast times in Paralympic rowing > in the final. In a thrilling race to the line, prerace favourites Great Britain secured gold on home waters in the final race of the regatta and Germany won silver. Alla Lysenko of Ukraine rowing to gold in the AS women s single sculls over Nathalie Benoit of France at the Paralympic Rowing Regatta. Great Britian s LTA mixed coxed four. A decision about changing the racing distance from,m to,m for adaptive rowers will be made at the Extraordinary Congress in Copenhagen in February,. Laura Fell Issue October

21 PARALYMPIC GAMES One goal for Oksana Masters Resilience, persistence and determination. These three words best describe Oksana Masters, a -year-old adaptive rower from the USA who won bronze at the Paralympic Rowing Regatta in the TA mixed double sculls. It was her first year of rowing internationally. Paralympic bronze medallist, Oksana Masters (USA) Born in Ukraine, Masters lived in an orphanage I love the fact that inside the boat it s so painful, until the age of seven before being adopted by so intense and so hard-core, says Oksana, but a single mother from the USA. Masters was born on the outside it looks so smooth and effortless with hand and leg deformities that may have been and so graceful. due to radiation exposure. Not long after being adopted, at age eight, her first leg was amputated, Masters moved away from home, from her friends and then at age 4 her second leg was amputated, and her family, to pursue her dreams. to help reduce the pain. It s been a really long journey. It s been six years Masters makes it clear that as an adaptive that I ve been trying to get to this point, so to rower she does not want sympathy: Hopefully, actually be here is crazy. It s been hard. I realised if people won t think, oh that s such a pity, I m so I really wanted to be here, I would have to make a sorry, and instead look at us as the same. Just sacrifice. About three years ago, when I was trying because I don t have legs does not mean there is to do this it was hard because I was in school and a different level of our competitiveness in sport. I had a full time job too. I had to give up something. As an athlete, we all have something in common. A job will always be there, school will always be We all have one goal, everyone does the training. there, but my body is not always going to be able to handle this level of competition. It was big leap My past is my past, continues Oksana. It s been of faith, and it s paying off. my life and I don t know anything different. In competition I use it to my advantage. I don t quit When Masters tells World Rowing her training as easily. It s given me an extra push in the boat. schedule, it becomes clear she did not have It s given me a level of aggressiveness. much time for anything else. She and her partner Robert Jones spend 9 minutes to two hours Masters started rowing when she was 7. I just on the water every morning. On Tuesdays and fell in love with it from the minute I got onto the Thursdays, the mixed double goes out on the water, she explains. water again in the afternoon. On Mondays, > Issue October

22 >> One goal for Oksana Masters > Wednesdays and Fridays, the afternoon is spent doing strength training in the gym, and on Saturdays they do a long row. Sunday is a day off to rest and recover. Speaking before the Paralympic Rowing Regatta started, Masters said: Rob and I have been rowing together for less than a year. We have a really good dynamic in the boat. We want to win gold; we want to race the best race possible. It s going to be a really good competition. Everyone here has been asking who are your top competitors? It s everyone. Everyone has worked equally as hard and wants the same thing. Was she nervous? No. When you know you ve trained and done everything you can, when you know you ve walked off the water or out of the gym knowing there is not one thing you would change about that practice, it s a really good feeling. I m anxious to know, after almost a year of training with Rob, what we can do and what all the work means. At the Paralympic Rowing Regatta, the competition was fierce. France got the better of the British in the first heat of the TA mixed double sculls, setting a new World Best Time of 4:.. But in the following heat, defending World Champions China blasted out from the start and crossed the line with some advantage over the rest of the field in an astonishing :54.9. Masters and Jones were second in 4:. and had to prepare themselves to face the repechage. Masters stayed pragmatic in her approach: We have got to be faster and stronger tomorrow. In the final, the racing was unbelievably close. Masters and Jones beat Samantha Scowen and Nicholas Beighton of Great Britain by. seconds to clinch the bronze medal. Masters joy and enthusiasm after winning a Paralympic bronze medal was unbound: I thought we came fourth. I am speechless, this is unreal. I am just going to live in this moment right now and see what happens. I am definitely going to enjoy it, take it in and celebrate with the rest of our crew. Stephane Tardieu and Perle Bouge of France (l), Xiaoxian Lou and Tianming Fei of China and Oksana Masters and Robert Jones of the United States of America celebrate their medals in the TA mixed double sculls at the Paralympic Rowing Regatta. PARALYMPIC GAMES Asked about Rio, she replies: Rowing will always be in my life. I would love to go to Rio. I don t know what the realistic side of going to Rio is. Whether I go or not, I will never stop rowing. The Paralympic Games and the growth of adaptive rowing means a lot to Oksana: Awareness will grow. More people with a disability will say I can become an athlete, my life isn t over. It s going to be great for the general public too. They will realise that we are not just somebody who looks different we are people with talent. I hope my story, or increased awareness about the Paralympics, can inspire people. Laura Fell Oksana Masters (b) and Robert Jones (s) of the United States of America racing in the repechage of the TA mixed double sculls at the Paralympic Rowing Regatta at Eton Dorney, Great Britain. Issue October

23 Rowers of the future Germany s golden girl Julia Lier Detlev Seyb / MyRowingPhoto.com Julia Lier is one of rowing s up-and-coming young athletes. The long and lean Lier, who stands at 8cm, has a medal collection that puts her in a league of her own. Julia Lier (l) wins gold at the World Rowing Under Championships in Amsterdam, the Netherlands with Lisa Schmidala, Marie-Catherine Arnold and Ulrike Toerpsch. World Rowing: How were you introduced to rowing? Julia Lier: I started rowing while I was in primary school. My friend s parents used to have a bar/ restaurant in a boathouse so I spent a lot of time there. Eventually I decided to start rowing. My first rowing club was an old East German club. WR: What made you want to take rowing to a competitive level? JL: I really wanted to row in competitions and as my old club didn t have the capacity they sent me to the Sportschulen Halle (a sports school supported by the German Olympic Committee) when I was. To begin with I only trained around two or three times per week and I started racing at some small regattas. But as I was always pretty tall and big, after one year I was asked if I would like to increase my training. I actually wanted to do dancing! I think I have a good sense of rhythm but unfortunately I was just too inflexible for dancing because I was so robust. Aged, Lier already has an exceptional five World Championship titles to her name (two from the junior level and three from the under- level) and, for the first time in, she established herself as a strong single sculler, winning gold in this boat class at the World Rowing Under Championships in Trakai, Lithuania. As we enter a new Olympic cycle, her name is likely to be heard of a lot more. World Rowing caught up with Lier to learn a little more about this German sculler who keeps getting faster. So I continued going to the Sportschule until my secondary school certificate. I trained twice a day there and my days mainly consisted of rowing and school. I enjoyed my time there quite a lot as we had an awesome training group with a really nice atmosphere. I was the only girl in the group but they all respected me. > Issue October

24 Chris Lee/Getty Images Rowers of the future > > Germany s golden girl Julia Lier > WR: How did you progress after that? JL: In 6 I went to the German rowing competitions for boys and girls from -4 years (skills based competitions) and I started competing in the quad. I changed into the junior category after that and rowed mainly in the quad and in the double, which I already really liked. Then I started to row in the single because I always was very strong and tall. WR: What difference do you see between the under- and senior categories? JL: Well, I was a bit surprised about the difference to be honest. You really realise just how much more experienced the other rowers are [at the senior level]. Especially if you consider, for example, somebody like Ekaterina Karsten! I think that acquiring the experience of racing, especially at an international level, is what makes the difference. WR: Have you decided on a career path outside of rowing? JL: I am going to be a physiotherapist. When I was rowing as a junior I realised I was really interested in this subject as well as working together with athletes. It is just an easy-going and relaxed atmosphere, so I researched jobs in this area. I started to study physiotherapy in 9 but had to take a break in because of my rowing career. After this rowing season I would like to focus more on my education and finish it. WR: What are your plans for the future? JL: Right now I definitely want to try to qualify for Rio 6. This year I tried to qualify for London but unfortunately I missed out. I think it was just one year too early and I didn t really have enough time to prepare properly. But I m still very young so I will try hard to make it to the next Olympic Games. I d like to continue training at a high level. Lisa Hayden/Christine Jacobsen Germany s Julia Lier racing in the heats of the under- women s single sculls at the World Rowing Under Championships in Trakai, Lithuania. Issue October 4

25 UNIVERSITY ROWING A generation inspired At the Closing Ceremony of the Games, Lord Sebastian Coe, chair of the London Olympic Organising Committee (LOCOG) said: We saw new local and international sporting heroes and role models emerge in London. This is the legacy of inspiration we were looking for. Rowing heroes were made at Eton Dorney and the youth of our sport can look up to these athletes who performed at an awe-inspiring level during the Olympic Rowing Regatta. The effect of this inspiration was already visible at the World University Rowing Championships held in Kazan, Russia. World Rowing spoke with university athletes competing in the same boat class as the one their nation claimed Olympic gold in at the London Games. Lightweight Men s Four In the final strokes of the lightweight men s four A-final at the London Olympic Games, no one could predict which crew would cross the line first. Making history, the South African crew powered through their competitors to become Olympic Champions and win their nation s first ever Olympic gold medal in rowing. Issue October The enhanced pride felt by all South African rowers since that day was particularly evident in the lightweight men s four crew racing in Kazan. It was extra special for Chase Hyde, Servaas Crowther, Cameron Hoey and Matthew Shaw to be competing internationally in the same boat class as the one in which their countrymen took Olympic gold. The weekend after the four won gold we had a really great training session, Hyde said. We achieved great times that weekend, Crow added. Shaw agreed: It put us in a really positive mindset: if they did it, why can t we? A big boost to this University of Cape Town four came two weeks before they set off to Kazan when Paul Jackson, coach of the Olympic lightweight four, spent some time with them on the water. Hoey said: It was really good to have such an experienced coach one who has earned a crew gold at the Olympics give us some advice. They have been our role models in the past and are even more so now that they have earned their gold, Hoey explained. The four aspiring student rowers met their heroes before they travelled to Kazan. They told us to hold nothing back, to do our best because we are fast enough, says Hoey. The South African crew went on to finish fourth at the World University Rowing > Championships. (L-R) South Africa s lightweight men s four of Servaas Crowther, Chase Hyde, Matthew Shaw and Cameron Hoey at the World University Rowing Championships in Kazan, Russia. Detlev Seyb/MyRowingPhoto.com The London Olympic Games did not just provide entertainment for sports fans worldwide - they inspired a generation of young athletes. 5

26 UNIVERSITY ROWING >> A generation inspired > Women s Double Sculls Leading up to the Olympic Games, Great Britain s women s double sculls was one of the most talked about crews. The boat included the nation s most medalled female rower, Katherine Grainger. Grainger has long been a role model for young athletes, heading up the increasingly strong women s squad in the British Rowing team. Watching the women s double sculls A-final at Eton Dorney had a profound effect on Whittaker s ambition: It was so nice to see Katherine win gold because it has been a long time coming for her. Not everyone has instant success, but if you work hard eventually you will get what you want. Her success has made me really passionate about wanting to do well. The success of Grainger and Watkins has compounded the belief Whittaker and Bennett have in their own abilities and has inspired them to aim high. I d like to be at Rio and get a medal, Whittaker says without hesitation. > Although she achieved exceptional results at the World Championship and Olympic levels in previous years, Grainger was still chasing Olympic gold. On August she finally claimed the long-awaited top honours with partner Anna Watkins. Issue October Great Britain finished sixth in the A-final of the women s double at the World University Rowing Championships. Detlev Seyb/MyRowingPhoto.com Bennett also referred to Great Britain s first ever female Olympic gold medallists in rowing, Helen Glover and Heather Stanning. Like Bennett, they began their rowing career having being identified through the British talent identification At the World University Rowing Champi- programme Sporting Giants onships, British rowers Phillippa Whittaker of and then moving on to British Loughborough University and Karen Bennett of Rowing s Start programme. St. Mary s College Twickenham raced in the same I remember one of their [Glover and Stanning] first boat class as their Olympic heroes. outings on a Start camp it was a bit wobbly! Nobody would have thought that they would be Olympic gold medallists in four years time. 6

27 UNIVERSITY ROWING >> A generation inspired > Men s Single Sculls Coming into the Olympic Rowing Regatta, the men s single sculls was one of the most hotly contested events. Mahe Drysdale, the New Zealander with five World Championship titles in this boat class, was considered the favourite until a bike accident prevented him from racing the final stage of the Samsung World Rowing Cup in Munich, Germany. When he was again seen racing at Eton Dorney it was clear Drysdale was back on top form. He proved this by earning Olympic gold. The University of Waikato s Matthew Glenn raced to bronze in the men s single sculls in Kazan. Glenn says: It was pretty awesome watching the New Zealand crews perform [in London]. Now it s my turn and I ve just got to step up. Glenn watched Drysdale s Olympic final knowing that in a few weeks time he too would line up at the start of an international regatta in that same boat class. Mahe had just been knocked off his bike and so I didn t really know what would happen, says Glenn. But going into the second half of the race Drysdale started to win and that was pretty good! I was freaking out in the last 5m, just not wanting him to get passed! Glenn feels as though the success of the New Zealand team in London is an example to him as a young, aspiring athlete. It s pretty sweet to think I ve been racing Mahe and Joseph (Sullivan) and Nathan (Cohen) when they were training in singles over the summer and that now they re Olympic Champions. It s now hopefully my turn to represent New Zealand on the podium. And Glenn did just that, finishing with a bronze medal. Lisa Hayden Detlev Seyb/MyRowingPhoto.com After the success of New Zealand s Mahe Drysdale at the Olympic Games, single sculler Matthew Glenn was looking forward to representing his nation on the podium at the World University Rowing Championships. Issue October 7

28 Heroes of the past A lifetime for rowing: Ricardo Ibarra When Ricardo Ibarra passed away last year the outpouring of admiration was immense. His life finished far too soon. Just after being awarded the World Rowing award for Distinguished Service to International Rowing, Ibarra died. He was 6. As was the nature of his character, Ibarra remained working in his beloved sport until the end. While his friends gravitated towards football, Ibarra began rowing as a 7-year-old in his home country of Argentina. Five years later he was on his way to the Munich 97 Olympic Games where he raced in the men s double sculls. At these same Games, one of Argentina s most successful rowers ever Alberto Demiddi won silver in the men s single sculls. A year later when Demiddi retired from top level rowing Ibarra took over as Argentina s best single sculler and in 975 his talent was recognised when he finished first at the Pan American Games. Thus began a run of single sculling success that saw Ibarra remain the Pan American single sculling champion for the next two Games. Ibarra again competed at the Olympic Games in 976 in the single, finishing with an admirable sixth-place on rowing s biggest stage. Some say that Ibarra was in his prime leading up to the Moscow 98 Olympics when he won the Diamond Sculls at the Henley Royal Regatta in Great Britain, but Argentina s boycott of these Games did not allow Ibarra to achieve an Olympic result that year. Still Ibarra continued as a competitive rower and at the Los Angeles 984 Games he carried the flag for his country at the Opening Ceremony. At these Olympics he finished fifth in the single. Issue October Ibarra s impressive rowing career earned him the Olimpia de Plata eight times, an annual award in Argentina with the winner determined by Argentine sports journalists. A couple of years out from retiring as an elite athlete Ibarra started working for the International Rowing Federation, FISA, as the development consultant for Latin America. I was hired to give coaching courses in the technical area and then I started working with national teams, Ibarra said, indicating the diversity of his role. His years as a coach and development consultant saw Ibarra make a difference in rowing for many Latin American countries including Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Guatemala and Argentina. While coaching in Chile, two of his athletes, Christian Yantani Garces and Miguel Cerda Silva won the World Rowing Championships in the lightweight men s pair. South American coach Osvaldo Borchi first met Ibarra as an 8-year-old and thus began a lifelong friendship. He was very dedicated, a very hard worker and he had a passion to set a goal and to stand out as a single sculler, says Borchi. He dedicated his life to rowing. As a coach, Borchi says Ibarra was very good at convincing people and was able to motivate rowers to give per cent. In Argentina and South America in general he introduced new training concepts, says Borchi, These changes brought us great results. FISA Continental Representative for North America Eduardo Palomo first heard about Ibarra when he read about him in David Halberstam s book The Amateurs. Palomo met Ibarra in 99 when he was competing at the Canadian Henley in the single. He encouraged me to train and gave me a threemonth training programme. He asked me to complete all of my training schedule and if I did that he assured me I would medal in the next [PanAmerican] Games and would be one the of the fastest rowers in Latin America, describes Palomo. If I wasn t willing to do it he told me not to waste his time because he knew how to make champions. I didn t know him as an athlete but I heard stories from his friends in Argentina of the amount of hours he dedicated to train, says Palomo. Ibarra was married to his high school sweetheart, Nora. They had two boys. Ricardo was a proud father. During training camps and regattas he would share a great deal about his wife and kids plans, says Palomo. He was always a coach on the water and in life. Melissa S. Bray 8

29 health Competitive in the face of cancer one rower s story With a medal swinging from her neck Nadazeda Slavikova of the Czech Republic is happy. Not only had she won her race after a very narrow second place in her previous race, she had also beaten the one thing that could have prevented her from even competing at the World Rowing Masters Regatta in Duisburg, Germany cancer. For most this would mean a few light training sessions a week but Slavikova ran a marathon in May, just two months later. I survived! Slavikova laughs. Then, I started full rowing training again. I started to compete in June and was training in the single sculls again in July. When I was first diagnosed I asked the doctors After that, I decided to enter the World Rowing if I could still row. The doctors told me I would Masters Regatta and exercise as usual very hard. be tired and that it was up to me. That s when I did a four-day training camp in mid-august and I decided. I said If it s not forbidden, I d rather since then I really began to find my form for this not wait in bed at home for death. I want to row. regatta. I knew I had to relax, in case my body When it was possible, I ran and I rowed. couldn t accept the training load. I followed my body. What my body said, I listened to, and did The Czech sculler completed a course of what I could. chemotherapy from October to December and was given the all-clear from her doctors in There were testing times when Slavikova could not March this year. This meant she could throw row, due to side effects from the chemotherapy. herself back in to training. In the ten days after finishing chemotherapy, pins and needles in her hands stopped her from rowing I couldn t start rowing hard immediately, my body as she could not hold her blades properly. Instead, didn t respond well to it. I started step by step. she went running. > I did what my body could. Issue October Nadazeda Slavikova of CVKL Pardubice, Czech Republic, at the World Rowing Masters Regatta in Duisburg, Germany. Igor Meijer / FISA After experiencing pain in her shoulder and back since January last year, which were first dismissed as training pains, the 54-year-old was diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin s Lymphoma in August. Slavikova resolved to beat the illness and do so with exercise. 9

30 >> Competitive in the face of cancer one rower s story > I also had problems with my stomach and so on, but I tried to fight it. I didn t want to wait. I wouldn t let it beat me. Now, Slavikova rows four times a week, runs three times a week, and does strength training in the gym twice a week a pretty demanding schedule. In the winter she also goes cross-country skiing. socialising were also key aspects of rowing, more specifically her health as Slavikova states: I m not needed at home and this is a message she anymore, so have time to row. I have friends wishes others to hear. within rowing and it clears my mind, it allows me to relax. Also, it keeps me slim and fit! I think exercise is good for people who are ill. You use your It is clear rowing will always be part of Slavikova s muscles. You are weak after the life. Having started rowing at age 5, she stopped illness and if you don t do anything, you could In her second race at the World Rowing Masters at and soon after had the first of her three get worse. You should do something to keep Regatta, Slavikova won: I had some steering children. Making her comeback when she was your body in good shape and to be fit. It helps if you wish to get back into the sport, you will get problems in my first race, so it feels great to have 4, she has not stopped since. back sooner than if you don t do anything. You won now. It is my first medal in the single sculls at the Masters Regatta. I didn t think I would win Rowing makes me feel great, Slavikova explains. should treat cancer like bad influenza or angina a medal, but there was some hope. My goal was When you push the boat, this feeling is great. It is you can beat it. to finish the race and keep up with everyone and also so social. When I exercise in my single, I pass instead I won! I have been patient so far, waiting many cottages where my friends live, so I can Laura Fell for medals, and now has to be my time. I will race stop to talk to them. It is not lonely training. It is the Masters Regatta again nice to be in a group of rowers and maintain good next year. I always finish friendships as you get older. It was also so helpful second, but now I have when I was ill. Everyone was so helpful and kind, won finally. I am happy. helping me with my boat. Nobody would leave my side. I could speak openly about my illness What became clear when with them and that really helped. speaking to a variety of masters at the regatta is that Despite her illness, Slavikova remains competition is still one of the most important overwhelmingly positive about the impact of exercise on her life and factors fuelling these rowers. Staying fit and Issue October A view of crews training on the regatta course at the World Rowing Masters Regatta in Duisburg, Germany. Igor Meijer / FISA health

31 Subscribe Now on Monthly review of World Rowing news Subscribe Now on Exclusive and in-depth articles on the world of rowing Comprehensive athlete bios+stats Detailed international results back to 9 Keep pace with the World Rowing community Follow World Rowing around the clock Watch rowing videos President Denis Oswald Vice-president Anita L. De Frantz FISA is the governing body of the sport of rowing and the oldest international sports federation in the Olympic movement. Based in Lausanne, the Olympic capital, FISA has 7 member federations worldwide, organises World Championships, Olympic Regattas and World Cups and promotes all forms of rowing. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily the opinions of the FISA Council. Reprints permitted with acknowledgement of source. Publisher FISA Communications Manager Débora Meier-Feutren World Rowing Journalist Melissa S. Bray Treasurer Mike Williams Executive Director Matt Smith Communications Coordinator - Social Media Laura Fell Communications Coordinator - Website Lisa Hayden Contributors Christine Jacobsen FISA Maison du Sport International Avenue de Rhodanie 54 7 Lausanne Switzerland Tel: Fax: info@fisa.org Cover: Harry How/Getty Images, Ezra Shaw/Getty Images, Damien Meyer/Getty Images, Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images and FISA