(atlanta '96 - The Sports)
The Age
Thursday July 11, 1996
WHEN.
8 days, 21-28 July.
WHAT.
There are two rowing styles: sweeping, in which the rower uses one oar with both hands, and sculling, when two oars are used.
Sweep-oared boats, for two, four or eight people, are steered either by a coxswain, or are coxless (in which case, a rower steers the boat with rudders attached by lines to the feet).
Sculls are single, double or quadruple.
WHO.
Rebecca Joyce, 25.
All eyes are on the courageous Victorian, who recovered from chronic fatigue syndrome to become a world champion.
Joyce won her title in a non-Olympic event, the lightweight single sculls. In Atlanta, she will pair with Virginia Leein the the double sculls.
HOW AUSTRALIA WILL FARE.
Chairman of selectors David Yates has said that Australia can win five or six medals, explaining that the team for Atlanta has more experience than that sent to Barcelona.
After winning gold in the coxless four in Barcelona, the oarsome foursome (original members James Tomkins, Nick Green, Michael McKay, Andrew Cooper) retired from the sport.
With the exception of bowman Cooper, they have since returned, with Drew Ginn the replacement.
In the women's coxless pair, the current world champions Kate Slatter and Megan Still are a good chance for gold, having defeated France by more than two seconds at the last world championships.
AUSTRALIA`S RECORD.
Australia has an outstanding record in Olympic rowing. Bobby Pearce won gold medals in 1928 and again in 1932, while Mervyn Wood won gold in 1948.
At the last Olympics, Antonie and Hawkins won gold in the double sculls, and the men's coxless four (oarsome foursome) also won gold.
TEAM.
Men's single scull: David Cameron (NSW). Men's double sculls: Peter Antonie (Vic) and Jason Day (Vic). Men's lightweight coxless four: David Belcher, Simon Burgess (Tas), Haimish Karrasch (Qld), Gary Lynagh. Lightweight double sculls: Anthony Edwards (Vic), Bruce Hick (ACT). Quadruple sculls: Duncan Free (Qld), Boden Hanson (Qld), Leslie Hooker (NSW), Ronald Snook (WA). Coxless four: Michael McKay (Vic), Drew Ginn (ACT), Nicholas Green (Vic), James Tomkins (Vic). Coxless pair: Robert Scott (ACT), David Weightman (ACT). Men's eight: James Stewart (NSW), Geoffrey Stewart (NSW), Robert Jahrling (NSW), Nicholas Porzig (WA), Jaime Fernandex (SA), Ben Dodwell (Vic), Robert Walker (NSW), Richard Wearne (NSW), Brett Hayman (Vic).
Women's double sculls: Marina Hatzakis (Qld), Bronwyn Roye (NSW). Lightweight double sculls: Rebecca Joyce (Vic), Virginia Lee (NSW). Coxless pair: Megan Still (NSW), Kate Slatter (SA).
Quad sculls: Jane Robinson (Vic), Sally Newmarch (SA), Marina Hatzakis (Qld), Bronwyn Roye (NSW); coach Ellen Randell (NSW).
Women's eight: Jennifer Luff (NSW), Georgina Doublas (Vic), Amy Safe (SA), Anna Ozolins (SA), Karina Weiland (Vic), Alison Davies (SA), Carmen Klomp (SA), Bronwyn Thompson (Vic), Kay Hick (ACT).
© 1996 The Age
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