RACICE, Czech Republic--Eight rowers from
Harvard competed at the 2009 Under 23 World Championships last
weekend. Two walked away with medals, while seven of the eight
advanced to A or B finals.
Rising junior Olivia Coffey won a silver medal with the U.S.
women's eight, clocking a 6:21.80 to finish 1.09 seconds behind
Great Britain. The British boat took the lead in the first 500
meters and built a 2.68-second advantage on the American crew,
which sat in third, at the midway point of the race. The U.S. boat
tried to get back on terms with Great Britain over the final 1,000
meters but was unable to track down the Brits. Great Britain
crossed the line in a 6:20.71, while Poland took the bronze medal
in 6:23.16.
Anthony Locke, rowing for Great Britain, earned bronze in the
men's eight. His crew finished in 5:35.25 behind Poland and
Germany. Locke, a rising junior, rowed against varsity
eight-teammate Richard Anderson, who was the stroke for the
Canadian eight. Canada finished fifth with a time of 5:37.74.
Laura Nicholson '09 rowed in the women's four for the United
States, which finished sixth in the A final. The crew got off the
line in fourth position but was unable to make a push for a spot on
the medal stand during the second half of the race. Sitting in
fifth at the midway point, Belarus came from behind to win the gold
medal in a 6:48.77. Italy finished second in a 6:49.90, followed by
New Zealand in a 6:52.76. The U.S. entry crossed the finish line
with a time of 6:57.21.
Ryan Bucke, a rising junior for the Crimson, sat in the bow seat
of Great Britain's coxed four. Great Britain finished third in the
B level final with a time of 6:25.62.
Rising sophomore Austin Meyer and the United States came in
fourth in the B final of the lightweight men's four, good for a
10th-place finish overall. The top four crews finished within 2.85
seconds of each other, with Italy winning in a 6:05.10. Denmark
finished second, followed by Australia. The U.S. clocked a 6:07.95.
Jeff Overington '09 was the stroke for the Canadian entry that
finished fifth in a time of 6:09.82.
Patrick Thornycroft, a rising sophomore, won the E final of the
men's single sculls. He used a 1:48.31 split in the final 500 to
come back for the win. He clocked in at 7:19.12.
Photo of Olivia Coffey courtesy DSPics.com
