After a very successful season in rowing for the University of London Boat Club, the women’s crew of Louise Entwistle, Olivia Oakes, Rebecca Humphreys and Emma Young were selected as part of the Great Britain team to attend the European University Championships in Poland.
Their selection came after exceptional performances at BUCS this year, winning every race they entered, gaining gold in the 4X, 4- and 2- events.
They chose to race the highly competitive quad event at the championships, having won the prestigious Elite Quad event at Women’s Henley.
The crew travelled out to Poland, as part of the large GB Squad comprised of students from all over including Queen’s Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Durham. There was a great set up at the event with accommodation and large food tent for meals adjacent to the rowing lake. The town of Kruszwica was small, typically Polish and very uncommercialised. The rowing course was set in a National Park in pleasant, well-kept surroundings.
The first few days of the trip comprised of training on the lake and preparing for racing. There was a great atmosphere as the students from all over Europe gathered at the venue. The large opening ceremony comprised of an athletes parade where the University of London sign was proudly raised, followed by speeches, bands playing and flags being raised.
The crew’s first race of the championship was their heat on the Thursday. With only one crew to go straight to the final and the rest to the repechage the crew was keen to beat the opposition from University of West of England, Paris and Basque from Spain. Conditions were very rough in the fast tailwind, to which the University of London crew adapted well and led through the race. But it was a strong sprint through the last 500m by the Spanish crew that left a battle for the finish line and the University of London boat were just beaten by 0.7seconds, some 40seconds ahead of the other crews. This resulted in them having to race the repechage for a place in the final the following day.
The crew, although disappointed, decided to use this race to their advantage and practice their race plan for the final and qualify with the minimum amount of effort. The University of London boat had a strong start and they were well ahead at the half way marker where they controlled the race to a comfortable win. It was an impressive display of professionalism and confidence and they received compliments from many who were watching. The report from the BUCS website stated, ‘Highlights from today’s racing include the Women’s quads, where the experienced crew from University of London cruised to a comfortable win over 2 local crews and also 2 GBR crews, times from today’s and yesterdays races prove that this quad have a good chance in tomorrow’s final.’
As the only British crew who qualified for the quad final, facing two Polish quads, the French, Germans and Spanish, the London team knew they were going to be locked in an epic battle of strength and determination. They led at the 500m and 1000m marks by little more than one second as they battled neck and neck with the Spaniards. It was the Spanish crew who had a huge push through the middle of the race where they took the lead and managed to hold on to the finish line leaving the London crew just behind in second.
Although disappointed with second place, the crew were a credit to their squad, with one of the most prominent GB displays of the Championships. They were only beaten by a very strong, well-drilled crew, which contained several full international athletes.
The crew received their medals at the presentation in front of the Polish television cameras. There was some time for kit swapping with the other countries before the athlete’s dinner and party that evening. Giving a free bar to a huge group of students was never going to be a good idea, as athletes danced on the tables and food was catapulted around, but it was a great end to a great week. The championships was thoroughly enjoyed by all and stamped University of London rowing firmly on the international map.
The University of London Boat Club now looks forward to another season and hopes to continue its success and see more students go to the event in Amsterdam next year.
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