World champion quad altered

Priority crew selection for the first Rowing World Cup has named a new member into the two-time World Champion British women’s quad. Annie Vernon replaces Sarah Winckless in Great Britain’s flagship crew. Vernon finished second in the trials behind Katherine Grainger and is the success story for British talent identification, the World Class Start programme.

Meanwhile Winckless is out of the quad after undergoing knee surgery. Winckless will be closely monitored but it is likely that she will be out of the boat for most of the season.

The rest of the quad remains the same with Grainger, Fran Houghton and Debbie Flood.

Despite recent speculation the two-time World Champion men’s four remains the same. Head men’s coach Jurgen Grobler caused a stir when six rowers were brought into the mix. But the original four of Steve Williams, Alex Partridge, Andy Hodge and Peter Reed prevailed.

Although not yet named Grobler also plans to boat a men’s pair and eight. Matt Langridge is likely to be teamed up with Colin Smith in the pair. Langridge, 23, is a former junior champion in the single (2001) and is better known for his sculling racing in the double at the Athens Olympics. Langridge was the closest to shaking up the status quo in the men’s four. Smith was in the sixth-place finishing pair in 2006.

“I've told the rowers that everything they have done for the past two years doesn't count. This is a new start,” said Grobler in the British press release.

Priority selection also includes Alan Campbell in the men’s single, Stephen Rowbotham and Matt Wells in the double and lightweight men’s single sculling World Champion and World Best Time holder Zac Purchase, 20, paired up with Mark Hunter in the lightweight men’s double. The women’s double will be made up of Anna Bebington and Elise Laverick.

High Performance Director David Tanner said that every Olympic boat class would be entered with the final crews named closer to the first Rowing World Cup.

Athletes will now start training in their selected boats to get ready for Rowing World Cup number one in Linz, Austria, 1 – 3 June 2007.