Large local contingent in GB rowing squad
West London clubs have provided almost a third of the rowers named today in the Great Britain squad for the European Championships later this month.
Double Olympic champion Andy Hodge is joined by two Molesey club–mates in George Nash and Mohamed Sbihi, leaving Hodge’s long-time crew-mate Pete Reed in the GB eight after a difficult winter’s training.
Imogen Walsh of Putney-based London RC is joined in the women’s lightweight double by Kat Copeland, who took a year out after her Olympic triumph at London 2012.
Another London RC product, Mark Aldred, is a new addition to the men’s lightweight four, joining three of the crew who won Olympic silver almost two years ago, while Charlotte Taylor of Putney Town RC will race in the women’s lightweight single.
Olympic bronze medallist Alan Campbell, of Chiswick club Tideway Scullers School, is named in the single scull despite finishing third in selection trials last month.
Although none of the line-ups are confirmed after the championships, in Belgrade from 30 May to 1 June, there is unlikely to be wholesale change before the World Championships in Amsterdam in August.
Hodge and Reed have been in the same crew each year since 2005, winning Olympic gold together in the coxless four in 2008 and 2012, but Reed has struggled to maintain his usual high standards in training this year, with spells of illness including trouble with an allergy to his pet dogs.
Alex Gregory remains in the four with Hodge, while Olympic bronze medallists Sbihi and Nash step up after impressing in winter training and trials.
However, men’s head coach Jurgen Grobler said: “Pete has done nothing wrong, he’s very motivated and I’m sure he will be back.”
Hodge said: “We’ve had some big changes in the last two years. We always come into a new season open-minded but we have hit the ground running in this four.
“We’re all focused on the same goal – to win gold at the World Championships.”
Walsh finished fourth in the world in the lightweight women’s double last year but more will be expected with the return of Copeland, who famously exclaimed: “We’ve just won the Olympics – I’m going to be on a stamp,” after her win with Sophie Hosking in 2012.
“It could appear that if we do well it’s because of Kat and if we do badly it’s because of me,” said Walsh, who moved from Inverness to London in 2010 to pursue her Olympic ambitions.
“But I’ve learned a lot since last year, she’s very good at what she does and it’s an exciting prospect for the summer.”
Maida Vale’s Constantine Louloudis is expected to compete for Great Britain again later in the summer. After winning his third Boat Race in April and impressing in trials, he will finish this year’s studies at Oxford University before rejoining the squad in June.
His former Boat Race cox Zoe de Toledo, who learnt to row at school in Hammersmith, is again at the helm of the GB women’s eight, which finished fourth at last year’s World Championships.
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