Day 3 of the World Championships saw Mercantile members race in the PR3W2 with Alex Vuillermin and Al Viney, Gus Widdicombe in the men's eight and Paige Barr in the women's eight. The PR3 women's pair and women's eight were races for lanes with Alex and Al finishing second, and Paige finishing fourth. The men's eight with Gus on board finished third.

Rowing Australia reported that Alex and Viney are confident that they can win a medal this weekend (Only the top two crews will receive a medal).

Alex and Viney in the start

The women's eight started strongly and kept pace with traditional Eights powerhouses – The Netherlands, United States and Canada, but were unable to match the three said crews in the last 500 metres.  Our girls finished in fourth position but were still very positive about their performance. After the race, paige said, “It is exciting to be selected for this crew.  We know where we need to improve and make the necessary changes to step up for the next race.”

Paige in the three seat

Our Men’s eight got the ideal start and led after the first 500 metres.  At the halfway point of the race, it was a three-horse battle between the Netherlands, Australia and Canada for the sole A-Final qualification spot.   All three crews displayed excellent Eights “sprint to the line rowing” in final 750 metres of the race.  Canada snatched the win and our boys finished in third position and will next race in a Repechage.

Gus in the five seat

In other races, triple Paralympic Silver Medallist and five-time World Champion, Erik Horrie OAM, won his Heat of the PR1 Men’s Single Scull, by over 15 seconds to qualifying directly for the A/B Semi Finals.

The Women’s Coxless Pair combination of Eliza Gaffney and Georgie Gleeson needed to achieve a top-three finish in their Repechage to qualify for the A/B Semi Finals.   Our girls were in second place at the 1000 metre mark and maintained that position for the remainder of the race.

Our Women’s Lightweight Double Sculls crew of Lucy Coleman and Anneka Reardon also displayed a strong performance to finish second in their Repechage to qualify for the A/B Semi Finals. Women’s Lightweight Scull representative, Georgia Nesbitt, finished fourth in her Repechage and will next race in the C/D Semi Finals.