First champions crowned as Coastal Championships ride a wave of success
Flying high at Coastals at Mooloolaba. Photo: Con Chronis / Rowing Australia
The first medals have been handed out at the Australian Coastal Rowing and Beach Sprint Championships on the Sunshine Coast as athletes enjoyed a perfect winter’s day at Mooloolaba.
Still conditions and clear skies greeted competitors as competition began to ramp up and the dives for the buzzer becoming increasingly acrobatic. In Coastal rowing, the action is as much in the air as on the beach and in the water.
It was a day that featured a number of headline athletes, including Kiwi Olympic legend Emma Twigg, who took Gold in the Single Scull at the Tokyo Games. Twigg was competing in the Women’s Open Beach Sprint, which would halted late in the afternoon due to conditions, with the quarter-finals to continue on Saturday.
“It was a lot of fun. I’ve never really experienced that kind of break before in Coastal Rowing but a great day and shame we couldn’t finish it off,” Twigg told Rowing Australia.
There was a full morning of action as the winners were crowned across a number of boat classes. The Masters Mixed Double Scull went to the Toowong Rowing Club, while Commercial claimed Gold in the U19 Mixed Double Scull.
UTS Haberfield nabbed their first Gold of the regatta when their crew won the Open Mixed Coxed Quad ahead of another Commercial boat. The University of Queensland were crowed winners of the PR3 Mixed Double Scull and like the previous race, would be a fellow club boat into Silver.
Toowong/Commercial combined for the win in the Masters Mixed Coxed Quad and Commercial added more bling when they took out the U19 version of the same boat class.
Twigg was the quickest through the preliminary timed round of the Women’s Beach Sprint Solo and will be back in action when racing resumes across the weekend.
Keep an eye on the live results and check the Rowing Australia social channels for full coverage across the the weekend.
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