SOUTH Australian rower Alexander Hill has stroked and steered the Australian Men’s Coxless Fours to back-to-back World Championships in Plodiv, Bulgaria.
Rowing Australian communications manager, Lucy Benjamin, said the men’s four secured the world title after a thrilling race, in which the team held off attacks from both Italy and Great Britain to one again be crowned World Rowing Champions.
Hill, who hails from the Adelaide Rowing Club, achieved the win alongside crew members Jack Hargreaves, Spencer Turrin and Joshua Hicks.
Benjamin said their victory took place in a tight A-Final, where the Australian Men’s Four powered out the start and were at 50 strokes per minute to get ahead of their competition.
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READ NOW“Australia crossed the halfway point in the lead, with a virtual line forming behind them between the remaining crews,” she said in her post-race report.
“Italy then did a huge push in a bid to close down the Australians, coached by Ian Wright, but the boys in the green and gold were flying.
“With Italy fast approaching, along with the finish line, Hill upped the Australian stroke rate to 43 and the World Champions protected their title by 0.25 of a second.”
Meanwhile, fellow Adelaide Rowing Club member, Molly Goodman, won silver in the Women’s Four, with crewmates Sarah Hawe, Katrina Werry and Lucy Stephan.
The four rowers faced off against an in-form United States team as well as crews from Denmark and Russia.
“The Australians, coached by Tom Westgarth, had a good start, and were chasing the USA, who were in the lead with the Danes and Poland hot on their heels,” Benjamin said.
“In the final 500m, Goodman upped the Australians rating to 41 in a bid to push on the USA, but there was a sprint up the outside from the Russians to contend with too. The Australians held off the challenge for second and claimed a silver medal, while the USA took gold.”