The GB Rowing Team made light work of the the 37 degree heat in Linz, Austria, to win two medals on the first of two finals day at the World U23 Championships with six other crews racing tomorrow.
The lightweight women's quadruple scull of Rosa Atkinson, Gemma Hall, Ellie Lewis and Emily Craig took the first medal for GB - a bronze in the lightweight women's quadruple scull.
The British crew, coached by Phil Gray, were in contention with the leaders Germany and Australia for the first 500m this afternoon but then slipped back but had enough to hold off Denmark to take their bronze in 6:49.31.
Matthew Bedford and Wilf Kimberley followed with silver in the lightweight men's pair in 6:50.13 behind the favourites Italy but ahead of the also-fancied Czech Republic.
The duo raced at the senior World Cup at Eton Dorney in late June and were always considered a good prospect for the U23s, taking place in Linz Austria, this weekend.
"That was a really mature race from the men and a big step on for them after last year when they were fourth", said Sir David Tanner, GB Rowing Team Performance Director.
"I thought the women put in an excellent race, too, and defended very well against the Danes who were pressing us hard", he added.
Earlier today Marcus Bowyer substituted successfully for a poorly Stewart Innes to help the men's quadruple scull qualify for tomorrow's A final.
A graduate of the GB Rowing Team Start programme, Bowyer joined Jack Beaumont, Barnaby Stentiford, and Angus Groom on the start line., having expected instead to race a B final of the men's four today.
Remarkably, they were leading their semi-final with 500m to go before relinquishing the lead to New Zealand.
In the final 500m they were challenged strongly by France but held on to second by just under two tenths of a second to reach tomorrow's final.
Brianna Stubbs and Eleanor Piggott, close rivals at the GB Rowing Team Senior Trials earlier this year, have teamed up to great effect in the lightweight women's double since then.
This morning they led their semi-final at the World U23s in Linz, Austria, with panache, opening up a gap of three seconds on the chasing pack by halfway and holding off a fast-finishing Australian duo to win in 7:18.20. Switzerland took the third qualifying slot.
Zak Lee-Green is aslo through to the final of the lightweight men's single scull. He took third place in today's semi-final to qualify in a time of 7:14.26. After a winter of training disrupted by illness, reaching the final is a big measure of success.
In the morning's semis he moved up through the field steadily to overhaul Australia at 1500m and go on to book his finals place in a race won by the USA with Ireland second.
"I am very pleased with the way our rowers have stepped up to get eight A final qualifications. The World U23s is a very, very high standard event and it's a great grounding for our young rowers to be challenged and that's why I'm pleased", said Tanner.
"It also been an outstanding Championships here. Horst Anselm, the Executive Director, and his team have done exceptionally well to turn the venue round to hold the event after the massive floods they had here a couple of months ago. All credit to them", he said.
Six of those finalists will be on tomorrow's start list with all the A finals in the morning session. They are the men's and women's eight, the lightweight women's double, the men's quadruple scull, the lightweight men's four and Lee-Green in the lightweight single scull.
Stuart Sykes and Jamie Copus, whose brother Rory is cox to the GB men's eight in Linz, will race a B final tomorrow of the lightweight men's double scull after their fifth-placed finish in today's semi-final. A scratch combination who were brought together late in the day because of injury in the squad, they have done well to finish in the top twelve.
At the end of this morning's session the GB men's coxed four won their B Final whilst the men's four was withdrawn from its B final to allow Bowyer to transfer to the men's quad.
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