Australian Rowing Team squads and crews announced for 2021

Australia will look to qualify four additional Olympic boat classes for Tokyo

 Albury and Ross combine for PR2 Mixed Double in a bid to qualify for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics

Rowing Australia today announced the squads and crews for the 2021 Australian Rowing Team, along with the crews that will contest the Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regattas later this year.

Rowing Australia Performance Director, Bernard Savage, said, “Today we are pleased to be able announce our squads and crews that will prepare as the Australian Rowing Team, in Australia, this year.

“We are really positive about the athletes and crews that have been selected today, and this has been an important step on the way towards Tokyo. Over the coming months we will work to refine our strategy and thinking in the lead up to the Games before nominating our crews to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and Paralympics Australia (PA).”

Rowing Australia will not be sending athletes to compete at the 2021 World Rowing Cups, however the organisation is looking to send four crews to the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta scheduled for 15 to 17 May in Lucerne, Switzerland, and one crew to the Final Paralympic Qualification Regatta scheduled from 3 to 5 June in Gavirate, Italy.

“Getting to the Final Qualification Regattas will obviously present significant challenges. However, we are committed to doing all we can to provide these crews the opportunity to pursue their Olympic and Paralympic dreams. We continue to monitor the situation on the ground in Europe with the health and wellbeing of our athletes being our number one priority. We also have a number of processes to step through here in Australia before they are able to travel.”

Australia has already qualified eight boats for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and will now also look to qualify both the Lightweight Men’s and Women’s Double Sculls at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta to be held in Lucerne, Switzerland. Sean Murphy and Hamish Parry will team up in the Lightweight Men’s Double Scull, while Georgia Nesbitt and Sarah Pound will race the female equivalent.

Rowing Australia will also select, from the male sculling group, a Men’s Double Scull, while Harriet Hudson, Ria Thompson, Rowena Meredith and Caitlin Cronin will combine in the Women’s Quadruple Scull for the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta.

Today’s announcement of squads and crews also sees Kathryn Ross combine with newcomer Simon Albury in a bid to qualify the PR2 Mixed Double Scull for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

In addition to Albury and Ross selection, Erik Horrie has been selected to the PR1 Men’s Single Scull, while the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four has been named as Thomas Birtwhistle, James Talbot, Alexandra Viney, Nikki Ayers and coxswain Renae Domaschenz. Both the PR1 Men’s Single Scull and the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four are qualified boat classes for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The squads and crews for the Australian Rowing Team training in Australia and the Final Qualification Regattas can be viewed by clicking here. Final crews for the Australian Olympic and Paralympic Teams will be announced by the AOC and PA in due course

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