JRN are delighted to announce that Newcastle University vs University of London in the Island Challenge Cup is our Race of the Year.
Harriet Taylor of Newcastle University commented : “The race was really exciting; it followed a similar turn of events to the Durham race except we had more confidence in ourselves given Fridays result and we wanted to built on that. We knew we had a quick start but we also knew that UL had a solid base pace so that middle 1k was really important and keeping contact was essential. So when UL put a strong push in, we knew we had to keep our heads calm, we had full trust in our cox and each other, so when he called the pushes nearing the end of the race, we all went together.”
When asked about the remarkable turn of speed Newcastle showed towards the end of the season, Taylor said: “We had seen glimpses of our speed all year in training but had never managed to make it materialise into consistent quick performances. As a crew we all had very high standards, and I think that helped motivate us throughout the year and helped us push each other us to find our speed. We knew we had to work as a crew and not nine individuals. We got on incredibly well and all supported each other through everything and we wouldn’t have achieved what we did without that. At the Metropolitan Regatta, something really clicked and we started to get excited that we could be quick and do something special. I think that was especially cemented after our win against Thames A and a great race against Leander at Henley Women’s Regatta.”
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