European success for Newcastle University student rowing teams

Newcastle University’s Women’s eight (W8+) team triumphed with gold, and the Men’s coxless four (M4-) took the silver at the 8th European Universities Rowing Championship.

The strong performance of Newcastle University’s crews helped team Great Britain scoop an overall third place among 349 rowers from 14 countries. Students from 62 European universities participated in the tournament, which took place in Poznan, Poland between September 5 and 8.

The Women’s eight cruised to victory in a time of 07.28m, ahead of Université de Lorraine, France (07.33m) and University of Hamburg, Germany (07.38m). From the very beginning the Newcastle University rowers were unmatched and their impressive victory was not threatened even for a moment.

The Men’s coxless four finished in 06.58m, which earned them the silver medals. The quad outperformed traditional powerhouses, such as the University of Economy Bydgoszcz, Poland (finished 3rd) and the hosts - Poznan University of Technology (5th).

Newcastle University’s athletes played a vital role in ensuring the success of team Great Britain, which won the overall bronze for the second time in three years. Colin Blackburn, Director of Sport at Newcastle University, said: "The medals achieved by our women’s eight and men’s coxless four in Poznan are a testament to the ability and commitment of the athletes and their coaches, who have been training throughout the long summer vacation, and to the high performance rowing programme that these athletes follow."

Germany won the overall gold at the championship, followed by Poland. Austria and Switzerland completed the top five behind Team GB in third place.

Newcastle University has been ranked for a second consecutive year within the top 10 out of 152 higher education institutions in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) rankings. More than 50 student-led sports clubs are supported through a team of professional staff and a network of indoor and outdoor sports facilities.

published on: 12 September 2013