Welsh rowers shine in Strathclyde

Llandaff Rowing Club para-athletes Rebekah Knight and Miguel Ferreira De Lima won the senior women’s single and senior men’s single titles on the 2k course at Strathclyde.

Llandaff’s Kai Schlottmann and Osian James also won gold together in the men’s pair in their first season as senior rowers.

Welsh Rowing’s chief Dan Fella said the results had been phenomenal and praised GB paralympian Ben Pritchard for his role in inspiring Wales’ para-rowers.

Wales sent a 60 strong team of junior and senior rowers to the annual Home International Rowing Regatta which was being held in Strathclyde.

Welsh Rowing chief executive officer Dan Fella told BBC Wales: “I am so pleased about the para-rowing golds – we have worked with the clubs on this and as a result of the hard work that the clubs and the athletes have put in, we’ve come out on top.

“I also have to pay tribute to the GB paralympian, Swansea’s Ben Pritchard. Ben has been a huge inspiration to our athletes and I hope their gold medal performance rubs off on him at the Paris games.”

On the senior men’s pair win for Llandaff Rowing Club’s Kai Schlottmann and Osian James, Mr Fella said: “The pairs gold medal for Kai and Osian is absolutely phenomenal.

“They’ve both rowed for GB at a junior level but this has been their first outing at senior international level and they’ve gone and won as first year seniors. I think it is a testament to their club coaching at Llandaff.

“It makes me feel really positive about the strength of our rowers at a junior club level and what impact that can have for the senior Wales team.”

Another Welsh gold came in the 500m sprint with the junior men’s quadruple scull claiming victory in a boat crewed by George Coates, Indiana Reagan, Josh Lavarack and Archie Farquharson.

Team Wales finished third overall in the junior table and fourth overall in the senior table.