#IOLYMPICS - Disappointing day for SA rowers
What had started as day which held much promise for Team SA in the Olympic rowing regatta at the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas ended in disappointment and frustration.
|||What had started as day which held much promise for Team SA in the Olympic rowing regatta at the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas ended in disappointment and frustration, with no medals forthcoming.
It had been hoped that the silver medal won by Lawrence Brittain and Shaun Keeling in the Men’s Pairs on Thursday would inspire the other four crews to something special on Friday, but instead it turned into a big anti-climax for the South Africans, with the two women’s teams finishing fifth in their finals, while men’s crews claimed the worst positions in an Olympic race - fourth.
Kirsten McCann and Ursula Grobler had started well in Women’s Lightweight Doubles and held the lead at the halfway mark. But the powerful Dutch pair, Maaike Head and Ilse Paulse, who’d looked the most impressive crew throughout the regatta in that class, clearly had saved something for the end. Canada came with a very strong finish in the last 500m, but it was not enough to overhaul the Dutch. Sadly for McCann and Grobler, they faded badly in the last quarter of the race, probably a result of their exertions at the start and finished in fifth.
McCann and Grobler had been the big hopes to add to South Africa’s medal tally along with the Mens Lightweight Doubles crew, James Thompson and John Smith, but the men couldn’t replicate the fast finish they produced in the semi-final. Instead it was left to Ireland to challenge France, who only just managed to hold them off in the last 100m. Norway took bronze, with Thompson and Smith finishing in fourth.
The Womens Pair team of Kate Christowitz and Lee-Ann Persse, always faced a stiff challenge in a race featuring defending champions, Heather Stanning and Helen Glover of Britain, along with powerful crews from Denmark and the USA. As it was, Persse and Christowitz made little impression on the race, which was won by the legendary British pair who held off the fast finishing New Zealanders, with Denmark taking the bronze.
Expecting the Mens Four crew of David Hunt, Jonty Smith, Vince Breet and Jake Green to medal was always asking a lot. They had surprised many just by making it to the final, and once they got there they put up a sterling performance in a race dominated by Britain and Australia. The South Africans were still in third at 1700m, but ran out of gas, with Italy surging to the bronze medal. The British won the race from Australia.
Although Friday turned out to be disappointing for South Africa, there is no doubt that Head coach Roger Barrow has built an outstanding high performance programme. To qualify for the final in all five categories in which South Africa was entered is a noteworthy achievement. To come away with just one medal will hurt, but there is plenty for Barrow and South African rowing authorities to work with in the years ahead. - Independent Media