Saanich-based Rowing sa国际传媒 received a measure of confirmation that it will be contending for the podium this summer at the Olympics in Rio.
sa国际传媒 won four medals over the weekend at World Cup I in Varese, Italy. It is one of three pre-Olympic regattas, with World Cup II on May 27-29 in Lucerne, Switzerland, and World Cup III in Poznan, Poland, from June 17-19.
Rowing sa国际传媒 has named 28 rowers for the World Cup series, from which its Olympic athletes for Rio will be selected. Six Canadian crews have already qualified for Rio. The Poznan regatta will represent the last chance to qualify for the Olympics.
Among the Canadian crews still needing to qualify is the Elk Lake-based men鈥檚 quad sculls, which includes Olympic silver-medallist Rob Gibson and Julien Bahain of Victoria City Rowing Club. So that crew will come away encouraged by its silver medal Sunday in Varese.
Also winning silvers were the Canadian women鈥檚 eight, with Christine Roper of Victoria and Antje von Seydlitz-Kurzbach, the latter another product of Rick Crawley鈥檚 University of Victoria Vikes program.
Kate Sauks of Victoria City, who has a PhD in anatomy from the University of Toronto, also won silver in the women鈥檚 lightweight single sculls. Although singles is a non-Olympic event, Sauks was rightfully pleased by her breakthrough at Varese after winning lightweight doubles gold with Liz Fenje of Victoria in the Pan Am Games last year in Toronto.
鈥淚 really enjoyed my first World Cup experience,鈥� Sauks said, in a statement. 鈥淟ooking ahead, I hope to get another opportunity on the world stage to improve upon this performance.鈥�
sa国际传媒鈥檚 lone gold in Italy came through Carling Zeeman鈥檚 win in the women鈥檚 single sculls.
Making the final at Varese, but placing fifth, was the touted women鈥檚 lightweight double sculls crew of Victoria rowers Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee. Another closely-watched crew in the lead-up to Rio will be the Elk Lake-based men鈥檚 four consisting of 2012 London Olympics silver-medallists Conlin McCabe and Will Crothers along with Kai Langerfeld of Parksville and Tim Schriver of Thedford, Ont. They were fourth Sunday in Varese.
The Canadian rowing team for the 2016 Rio Olympics will be announced June 28 in Toronto.
