NSWIS athletes navigate boats to Paris

New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) is pleased to acknowledge that based on their performances at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, 14 scholarship athletes competed in six boats that have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and one for the Paris Paralympics.

Australia finished in ninth place on the medal table with one gold, a silver and three bronze, with NSWIS athletes Tara Rigney (Women’s Single Scull), Patrick Holt, Jack O’Brien, and cox Kendell Brodie (Men’s Eight+) and Georgie Gleeson and Georgie Rowe (Women’s Eight+) returning to Australia with bronze medals.

Stroke for the Men’s Eight Angus Widdicombe said the crew did all they could to end a campaign that included their win in World Cup III at Lucerne in July. This world title bronze medal was seen as confirmation the Australian Eight’s performance there was no flash in the pan.

“I am stoked for the boys,” Widdicombe said. “They threw it out there. We stuck to our guns, and we will come back better for it next year. The Eight moves on every year. Everyone gets a little faster. They will be going be a bit faster next year, and we proved [today] that we can throw our hats into the room for the medals.

“We just have to try to get it right on the on the day for the big one [in Paris.]”

Tara Rigney’s bronze medal win in the Women’s Single Scull, on the back of a bronze last year and two World Cup Silvers this year, confirmed her Olympics campaign is well on track.

Rigney’s coach, Ellen Randell, said the three-time Australian Champion should be “very proud” “of her performance.

“She tried to go out with [winner Karolien Florijn of The Netherlands] and then move with her,” Randell said. “Obviously Karolien’s at a different level right at the minute, but she did she did a great third 500m and put herself in a position. But she did just didn’t have the legs to get over the top of her. Next year … looking forward to that.”

Stroke for the Women’s Eight Bronwyn Cox said the Australian boat’s great race in the Final was largely due to the crew putting together the strengths of their Heat and Repechage during the week.

“We wanted to come out on top, but we wanted to complete a full race as best as we could by putting the two parts together,” she said. ” We did that as best as we could. I am really proud of what we put out.”

“Even though one person may be more experienced than the other, it doesn’t mean that other person’s point of view and idea isn’t as valuable,” she said. “It’s about learning to take feedback and respecting what each other has to say.”

The NSWIS scholarship athletes who have qualified for next year’s Paris Olympic/Paralympic Games include: