Almost 50 of the nation’s best rowers have been selected into Rowing Australia’s pair of elite performance hubs as the countdown towards the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games intensifies.
The Hancock Prospecting Women’s National Training Centre in Penrith will welcome 25 full-time athletes, while 23 will commit to the Reinhold Batschi Men’s Training Centre in Canberra. All will have an eye on the Olympic Games as athletes and crews sharpen their focus towards the upcoming trial period that will determine the eventual squad for Paris 2024.
Both training centres are a jewel in the crown for Rowing Australia, allowing the athletes to dedicate themselves to achieving ultimate athletic performance under the guidance of some of the world’s leading coaches and High Performance staff. The 2023/24 group features some of the most-decorated rowers in the nation, as well as athletes determined to make their mark over the next 12 months.
All four of the men’s Gold Medal winners from Tokyo – Alex Purnell OAM, Spencer Turin OAM, Alex Hill OAM and Jack Hargreaves OAM – are part of the Canberra intake, while Annabelle McIntyre OAM, Lucy Stephan OAM and Jessica Morrison OAM return as senior figures in Penrith.
“Training at one of our National Training Centres provides rowers with a huge opportunity and it is a great achievement to make it in the Paris Olympic season. The bar was set very high on inclusion into the centres and highlights the quality of our squads and talent throughout our pathway systems and clubs,” Rowing Australia Performance Director Paul Thompson MBE said.
“There is a real feeling of anticipation as the athletes return to training after a terrific summer of racing in Europe. Nothing can replicate the excitement of an Olympic Games on the horizon and we know they are focused and will be giving everything they have to be selected and succeed in Paris.”
Rowing Australia congratulates the following athletes in the 2023/24 NTC cohort:
Reinhold Batschi Men’s Training Centre Kendall Brodie, Caleb Antill, David Bartholot, Benjamin Canham, Jack Cleary, Angus Dawson, Fergus Hamilton, Jack Hargreaves, Josh Hicks, Alexander Hill, Patrick Holt, Simon Keenan, Jackson Kench, Rohan Lavery, Tim Masters, Harley Moore, Joseph O’Brien, Will O’Shannessy, Alexander Purnell, Jack Robertson, Spencer Turrin, Campbell Watts, Angus Widdicombe.
Hancock Prospecting Women’s National Training Centre Olympia Aldersey, Paige Barr, Amanda Bateman, Bronwyn Cox, Caitlin Cronin, Georgie Gleeson, Molly Goodman, Laura Gourley, Sarah Hawe, Harriet Hudson, Sarah Marriott, Annabelle McIntyre, Rowena Meredith, Jessica Morrison, Samy Morton, Giorgia Patten, Tara Rigney, Kathryn Rowan, Georgina Rowe, Lucy Stephan, Jacqueline Swick, Ria Thompson, Lily Alton Triggs, Hayley Verbunt, Katrina Werry.