Issue 102 - September 1997

Hot Mettle

Britain's eight medals at the World Championships is unprecedented.

The spa of Aix-les-Bains and the medieval town of Chambéry were salutary places to experience the unfolding of a world championship on the exquisite lake of Aiguebelette while the shocking death of Diana, Princess of Wales led to an emotional earthquake back home. Aiguebelette was hard on spectators: without a place in the stands, there was little chance of seeing much as the course skewed across the lake until it almost ran into the Alpine cliffs at the finish. Rowing conditions were near-perfect, though. Black ribbons and bowed heads marked respect while flashing blades on blue waters did the business.

Thirteen of 19 British crews reached finals and eight returned medals, including the expected gold for the Cracknell-Redgrave-Foster-Pinsent four 'Supercrew'. The architects of these successes are cautiously optimistic about the first step in the campaign to win two men's medals and one women's in the 2000 Olympic Games.

'We must be careful that we don't start dreaming,' says David Tanner, the international rowing manager. 'We have made a big step with the women in particular, and we have won medals in Olympic boat classes. But there is a lot of work to be done, and we must keep an eye on what happens in Olympic boats. We know that it will get harder.'

Tanner is pleased that £1.8 million from the Lottery Sports Fund this year brought about two big changes. There are now six full-time coaches involved with the national teams, including two new appointments to spot talent among juniors and under-23 athletes and plug them into the system.

Secondly, the ability to pay grants to athletes means that people have been enabled to continue rowing and become virtually full-time rowers. 'The next step is to improve the organisational backup, strengthen the medical and physiotherapy support,' Tanner says.

The notable message coming from the athletes is a supportive spirit between the different crews and crew coaches, often absent in the past. The whole team was able to train together in Italy before the world championships and benefit from each other. The men's eight, for example, acknowledged help from the four, while the sculler Greg Searle, a world bronze medalist in his first year of sculling, did much of his training with the women's double scullers Miriam Batten and Gillian Lindsay who won silver. A number of young club coaches have also been involved in national team activity working under men's chief coach Jürgen Grobler and women's chief coach Mike Spracklen.

'We have made a point of developing team work this year,' Tanner says. 'There is no doubt that we are stronger together. The results here have proved that.'

© Copyright Christopher Dodd, 1997.