Australian stars back in action

At the West Lakes Regatta Centre in Adelaide, South Australia Ginn finished first in the men’s pair and four while Brennan won the men’s double sculls with Beijing partner David Crawshay. Both rowers showed selectors that they deserved to be in priority boats for 2011despite just returning to rowing.

Ginn, 37, won gold in the men’s pair at the Beijing Olympics adding to his collection of two Olympic golds. Brennan won his first Olympic gold at Beijing competing in the men’s double sculls. Ginn then took time off in 2008 to have a back operation and give top level cycling a go. Brennan focused on his medical studies.

Ginn has stated that the four will be his boat of choice at the 2012 London Olympics and already selectors have indicated that Ginn will get to row at team selection trials in April in a four with his 2008 Olympic pairs champion, Duncan Free and also Australian championships pair team mate, Joshua Dunkley-Smith. Dunkley-Smith, 21, stroked the Australian men’s eight to bronze at last year’s World Rowing Championships.

“Duncs (Free) and I are both married with children so it’s going to be more manageable for us in a four than in an eight but really the focus for all of us is developing two fast boats out of the men’s sweep programme,” said Ginn in the Rowing Australia press release.

In other races Sarah Tait and Phoebe Stanley put themselves in a positive position by winning the women’s pair over Beijing Olympians Pauline Frasca and Kate Hornsey. Tait and Stanley rowed together at last year’s World Rowing Championships in the pair finishing fourth.

The men’s single went to Crawshay for the fourth time when he led over James McRae and Chris Morgan. Morgan created a stir leading up to these national championships when he became the first man from South Australia to win all three New South Wales sculling titles and also the South Australian title. But at these nationals, Olympic Champion Crawshay was too good.

In the women’s single scull Kim Crow won her first national title by beating Kerry Hore and Sally Kehoe. Crow raced at the 2010 World Rowing Championships in the double sculls with Hore winning silver and also in the quadruple sculls with Hore and Kehoe (finishing fourth).

The men’s lightweight pair was won by Sam Beltz and Anthony Edwards, both members of last year’s silver medal lightweight four. They beat Todd Skipworth, also from the 2010 lightweight four, and partner Ben Cureton.

Hannah Every-Hall defended her lightweight single title ahead of 2010 lightweight doubles team mate Alice McNamara. Finishing first and second means it’s likely that Every-Hall and McNamara will again race this year in the lightweight double.

These national championships act as part of the 2011 Australian team selection process with invitations to trials being based on the results of small boat races. Athletes also need to have met other criteria (like erg testing). The selection trials will go from 15 – 24 April.