ACT scullers Cara Grzeskowiak from Capital Lakes RC and Luke Letcher from Black Mountain RC have again been the best of the ACT performers at the National regatta over a week of racing at Penrith. The two potential Australian Under 23 Representatives both won their Under 23 Double Sculls and came second in their respective Under 23 Single Scull Championship Races. Both also had great races in their respective Inter-state Single Scull titles. Cara again grabbed third place behind current World Champion Kim Brennan (Victoria), and Sally Kehoe (Queensland), pushing to within a boat length of Kehoe at the finish. Letcher finished a close fourth behind Olympic Scullers Rhys Grant (WA), Karsten Fosterling (Vic) and Chris Morgan (SA), after Letcher jumped out and led for most of the race, but was rowed down by the Olympians who had been seriously challenged by the lanky ACT youngster.
In the Open Women’s Double Scull Heavyweight Internationals Sally Kehoe and Genevieve Horton beat Lightweights Georgia Nesbitt from Huon and Hannah Every-Hall from Canberra by a length. It appears that Hannah’s lightweight double will now be allowed to race in the Olympic qualification regatta in Lucerne in May, following this gutsy effort.
Other ACT highlights include silver medals for Men’s under 19 Double Nathan Kennedy (Daramalan) and Alex Grzeskowiak (Capital Lakes), the silver medals for the ANU/Canberra lightweight mens four and eights, and the bronze medals for the Canberra Girls Grammar schoolgirl quad, and Women’s under 17 sculler, and Canberra composite women’s Under 19 Quad. Alex Grzeskowiak was also a member of a winning composite Under 19 Quad Scull. The third place that Caleb Antill (ANU) achieved in the Under 23 Single and second place in the Under 23 quad with Tyron Boorman might also enable either of them into the National under 23 team or under 21 team for Tyron.