Trio scoop medals at Strathclyde Park regatta

Jul 28 2010 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

Strathclyde Rowing Club

THREE members of Strathclyde Park Rowing Club claimed medals at the British Rowing Championships last week, the first time the event has been held on home waters for four years.

Gillian Connal and Kelly Limond were the star performers, scooping gold in their respective events while youngster Natalie Irvine secured a silver medal in her final British Championships at junior level.

For Connal her win was extra special after she came second in last year’s women’s lightweight coxless pair event held at Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham.

And the home support was thrilled with the victory of Connal and her partner Alexandria Gemie from Aberdeen, which was all the more impressive given they only teamed up together a month before the championships.

Connal said: “We had not actually done a competitive race before this British Championships so it was a bit of the unknown for the pair of us. It could have gone either way but in the end we knew we had it in us to do well. It was really good to win it.

“We got together a month ago but usually you train together for much longer. Sometimes it works right away and other times it can take months. Alex is from Aberdeen and it just turned out that we were both looking for another lightweight pairs partner and we knew each other from rowing for Scotland last year. We met at the park a few weeks ago and it all kind of clicked together.”

The 25-year-old added: “She was brilliant and came down every weekend before training so we had four good sessions together. The boat was based at the park and I couldn’t get it up to Aberdeen so it made sense to train down here. It was great for her to make the effort.”

The pair fought off competition from three other crews in the final before crossing the line in first place, a great reward for all the training Connal puts in six days a week.

She continued: “The two Mortlake crews put up a good fight and were on our heels but I knew with 100 metres to go we would be fine unless one of us did something silly. Training has been quite tough doing one or two sessions a day. Because I have been competing at lightweight level I need to keep my weight down so I have been getting up early to go running. But I think I am more awake than my colleagues when I get into work!”

The pair also picked up a silver in the women’s coxless pair event but with Gemie heading to New Zealand for five months Connal, who has been a member of Strathclyde Park Rowing Club for four years, could team up with clubmate Natalie Irvine over the winter.

Irvine won her silver medal in the coxless pairs event along with partner Becky McGreevy from Edinburgh.

Fellow Strathclyde Rowing Club member Kelly Limond claimed an excellent victory in the lightweight single scull.

Fiona Dennis, Chairman of the British Championships said: “There was some exciting racing and some very close finishes too. EventScotland and North Lanarkshire Council have been a great support in helping us with the championships and we are already looking forward to coming back here in 2014.”