Canada's National Team crews competing in Henley-on-Thames, England, won their quarter-finals today to advance to the next round of racing.
Everyone has settled in now, and it was a good day of racing for Canada with each crew progressing, said head coach Brian Richardson, but tomorrow s semi-finals are very important and we re looking forward to that.
The heavyweight men's four - rowing as Victoria City Rowing Club - beat the U.S. Princeton Training Center by three-quarters of a boat length in 6:38. This race was a re-row of an earlier race that was stopped by the umpire due to a collision and other difficulties on the course.
Members of the Canadian four are Barney Williams of Salt Spring Island, B.C., Jake Wetzel of Saskatoon, Sask., Cam Baerg of Saskatoon, Sask., and Tom Herschmiller of Comox, B.C. They will face a top crew from Denmark in a semi-final race tomorrow. The Canadian lightweight men's four will face another Danish crew tomorrow, also in the Stewards' Challenge Cup event. The final race will be rowed on Sunday.
The Canadian women's eight, representing Western (London, Ont.) and Victoria City rowing clubs beat Dartmouth Rowing Club from the U.S. by four and three-quarter boat lengths in a time of 7:15. The women are entered in the Remenham Challenge Cup, for open women s eights, which received 17 entries this year and includes the national eights from Australia and Canada. In the Princess Royal Challenge Cup event, Stacey Norwood of St. John, N.B. (Kennebecasis Rowing Club) once again easily won her race - this time against Lorna Norris of Mortlake Anglian & Alpha Boat Club (UK) in a time of 8:56.
The length of the Henley course is one mile 550 yards (2112 metres) - the standard international distance is 2000 metres.
Finals which include Canada s championship men s eight facing the U.S. - will be held on Sunday, July 6, 2003. Web: http://www.hrr.co.uk/