Highlight 4# of the decade: Record crowds at Dorney for 2013 Samsung World Cup
A full house roared the GB Rowing Team on to more golden performances in 2013 on the Olympic Regatta course at Eton Dorney
Our fourth highlight of the decade spotlights the 2013 Samsung World Cup at Eton Dorney where the ‘Dorney Roar’ – a legacy of the 2012 Games – returned with record crowds cheering on every GB Rowing Team performance.聽聽
Ben Hunt-Davis, Chair of the Organising Committee for the World Rowing Cup Eton Dorney 2013, recalls: “The 2013 World Rowing Cup at Dorney was pretty challenging for a number of reasons, including the spectator bank being a sea of mud and the fact that we wanted to have the medal ceremonies in front of the grandstand rather than on the island.
“Thanks to outstanding volunteers from the rowing world and the 2012 volunteers movement it was a great event. My abiding memory is of the thousands of spectators cheering as the ninth GB medallist crew of the event, the men’s eight, crossed the line and then, in horrendous weather they stayed to watch the medal ceremony in front of the packed spectator area.”
Read on to see how the 91桃色 website reported the dramatic golden moments from the London Olympic Regatta course below.
A full house at the Eton Dorney course witnessed medals coming from experienced stars and some new, younger athletes, tasting senior international competition for the first time.
Olympic champion聽Helen Glover, with new partner聽Polly聽Swann, brought the house down with the first home gold in the women鈥檚 pair, following on from their debut win together at the Sydney World Cup in March.
In another repeat performance from the Games, GB won the women鈥檚 double scull, the event dominated for so long by聽Katherine Grainger听补苍诲听Anna Watkins.
This time a new partnership of Beijing silver medallist,聽Frances Houghton聽and 鈥渞ookie鈥澛Victoria Meyer-Laker聽were cheered onto the podium.
Several of our boats stepped up, backed by the now traditional Dorney Roar from the crowd
In a fitting finale to the UK Sport Gold Series Event, the GB men鈥檚 eight completed the racing with a nail biting finish against Poland. With double Olympic champions聽Peter Reed听补苍诲听Andy Triggs-Hodge聽part of the heartbeat of the crew they snatched the win in the final few metres.
The eight鈥檚 gold bookended a medal tally which was opened with a GB one-two in the lightweight men鈥檚 pair, one of the non-Olympic classes.
In between GB rowers also added four further silvers 鈥 from the lightweight men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 doubles, the lightweight men鈥檚 pair, the men鈥檚 single sculler聽Alan Campbell聽and the men鈥檚 four 鈥 and two bronzes from the lightweight men鈥檚 four and the men鈥檚 double scull of聽Matt Langridge聽and Bill Lucas. The final tally stood at four golds, five silvers and two bronzes.
GB Rowing Team Performance Director Sir David Tanner was clearly delighted with the performances, particularly from some of the young, new rowers.
鈥淚 am pleased with our rowers today. Several of our boats stepped up from the heats and the semis, backed by the now traditional Dorney Roar from the crowd.
鈥淏ut we need to keep our feet on the ground. After Henley we have the World Cup at Lucerne which will be tougher than this with more nations.
鈥淭his event has given us a good base to go there and it has shown the spirit that is in our team as well as its ambition. So it has been a good day in the office鈥.
The results today came after two Para-rowing golds were secured yesterday by Tom Aggar in the arms-shoulders single scull and the mixed coxed four.
Read more of our highlights of the decade in our #1-#5 Summary and #6-#10 Summary
