Final trials. The last chance for these athletes to show their power on the water. The final hurdle between themselves and international races in a Great British vest. Over the Easter weekend, these ladies will descend upon Caversham to race over two kilometres in a brutal set of races to find the quickest. This may only be a prediction of the results to come, but we can guarantee close times, sore legs and gritted teeth as they fight it out for the top shot.
During the February trials we saw some strong racing with Hannah Scott in first from Bann RC, then Lola Anderson of Leander and Katy Wilkinson-Feller representing Tideway Scullers School. I predict the result at Final Trials to follow this pattern for first, second and third respectively, however, I do feel it’ll be tight with it being side-by-side as compared to the usual time trial type racing.
Also hoping for overseas racing will be Saskia Budgett from Tideway Scullers School. After being out in Tokyo for the Olympics as a spare, she’ll be keen to start off the next Olympiad by solidifying herself in the core of the sculling squad. Combined with those above, a strong quad could be put together if that’s what the coaches and indeed GMTs from seat racing dictate. It could also be a single, then double, then quad. The possibilities of who will be in which crew are endless.
I also predict that we will see strong performances from Jessica Layden (Leander Club), Lucy Glover (Edinburgh University), and also Kyra Edwards (Nottingham Rowing Club). With a mix of international and prominent domestic wins under their belts, this is a hot category and will see results to match.
Every one of these women will be doing all the little things right to be at their peak performance for this weekend. The regatta style racing for this weekend will see some potentially major alterations with the top three. Not only will they all be keen to perform well for international selection, but they will all definitely have their eye on the Paris 2024 Olympics which aren’t too far away. Whatever their desires for crew selection, it’ll produce some quick results and it’ll be exciting to keep an eye on. Best of luck!
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