Rumble Down Under: Crow Defends National Title, World Rowing Cup Set to Begin



Australia's Kim Crow might just be the best athlete in women's rowing, coming off an Olympiad with two trips to the podium, and now adding another Australian national title in the women's open single to her outstanding rowing resume. Fittingly, Part 9 (above) of Mike Nicholson's newest film, 'School for Sculling,' is dedicated to Crow, who entered the racing in Sydney battling some physical issues that have kept her away from her regular training and racing regime, but who still got it done against a very talented field (including U.S. double Olympic champion Elle Logan, who finished just under three seconds back of Crow in second place).



The racing at the first World Rowing Cup of 2013 kicks off on Friday morning at 8am Sydney local time, and the strongest squads are likely to be very familiar from the 2012 Olympic Games, with a great deal of the international talent focused on the women's side. Team GB will be looking to get the Road to Rio started right, while Team USA's lineups boast a number of Olympic champions, albeit in slightly different arrangements. Australia is on home water, and the Kiwi squad has just emerged from national trials. Though the man featured in Part 6 (above) of Nicholson's sculling doco, Mahé Drysdale, will not be in action, the Kiwi squad has made some changes that indicate a very strong commitment to continued success through Rio, including placing Dick Tonks in charge of the Rowing New Zealand women's program.

In our opinion, however, the race to watch will be the women's eight, with two very competitive crews from Canada and the United States set to square off once again following a series of close battles throughout the 2012 season.

For regatta results and information, visit the Sydney International Rowing Regatta section on RegattaCentral.com, and follow @SIRR2013 on Twitter.

-RR

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