Brive-la-Gailliarde, France, 2nd-4th September 2004
The report originally submitted to the Telegraph by RQ
Olympic silver medallist Debbie Flood can now take a holiday, after picking up a second silver at this weekend's World University Rowing Championships in Brive-la-Gailliarde. Reading University science student Flood's second place single sculls finish at the biennial regatta crowned the best ever result for Britain's BUSA team, a total of four medals. Durham graduate Steve Rowbotham matched Flood with his own silver in the men's single sculls, while both the men's and women's coxless fours won bronze in heavily competitive fields.
The timing of the regatta intensified the traditionally strong entry list, with many Olympians returning to compete, especially for host country France. Flood was only beaten by Czech Mirka Knapkova, an early leader in the Olympic women's singles final who eventually finished fourth in Athens, while Rowbotham ended his race very close to winner Adam Bronikowski out of Poland's 4th-placed Olympic quad.
Britain's composite women's coxless four finished third behind the French world champions after overlapping them for much of the course, while the University of London/Imperial College men's coxless four were led home by winners Poland, whose crew included a stern pair of A-finalists from Athens. The Oxford University/Brookes composite men's eight and Aberdonian lightweight single sculler Gavin Shaw both made the final, exceptional results in such a high-quality competition.
Coxless four
1st France 6:55.65, 2nd Germany 6:59.60, 3rd GBR (A Knowles, B Rodford, V Myers, H Powell) 7:02.32
Lightweight single scull
(Jo Hammond did not go, for medical reasons)
Coxless four
1st Poland 6:28.95, 2nd Ireland 6:32.10, 3rd GBR (G Weeks, H Mackenzie, E Johnson, H Adams) 6:35.56
Eight
1st France 5:49.23, 2nd Netherlands 5:52.05, 3rd Estonia 5:53.72, 5th GBR (R Davies, T Parker, W Robinson, H Bailhache-Webb, R Hollis, H Lee, A Stubbs, T Burton, cox C O'Connor) 5:58.72
Lightweight single scull
1st Switzerland 7:27.80, 2nd Italy 7:30.30, 3rd Austria 7:35.80, 6th GBR (G Shaw) 8:02.21