adminTakudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
OLYMPIC rower Michleen Thornycroft set a new South African record in the women’s single skulls at the 2015 South African Senior National Rowing Championships at the Roodeplaat Dam, north of Pretoria, this week.Thornycroft won the gold medal by overcoming reigning South African national women record holder into second place.
The Zimbabwe rowing team excelled and they returned this week with a total haul of 41 medals.
The junior rowers came home with 20 gold and eight silver medals, while the seniors returned with 11 gold and two silver medals.
A total of 21 rowers took part in the 60th edition of the Championships.
The Zimbabwean group consisted of 12 junior rowers and nine seniors.
The senior rowers all row for the only senior rowing club in the country, Hunyani Rowing Club.
The team of juniors spent 11 days on a training camp at the Ebenezer Dam near Tzaneen, training under the guidance of coach Kristine Johnson.
This proved to be very beneficial for the very enthusiastic and hard-working group of youngsters, which included seven of the recently announced Zimbabwe National Training Squad.
These seven rowers, Kyle Hinde, Paul Zwanikken, Bradley Leipe, Darragh van Aswegan, Jen Lorimer, Megan Dickens and Holly Garnet, are vying for places in the team to travel to and compete in the World Junior Rowing Championships to be held later this year in Rio, the same course to be used for the 2016 Olympic Games.
The benefit of the training camp and excellent coaching beforehand was very evident when one considers that six of the10 juniors who attended the camp came home with new personal best times.
The team spirit within the Zimbabwean camp was second to none as every race, in which a local athlete raced, was cheered very loudly, inspiring the rowers.
Online Reporter