World Rowing e-Magazine - December 2009

in mind the aim of improving and broadening rowing’s base to achieve better results at the Olympic Games. Sports funding in Australia comes from the government and is based on medals won at the Olympics so a focus on the Games is vital for the sport.

for the next four years. “They are the target boats for the talent identification programme,” says Shakespeare. “They provide a good blend of scullers and sweep rowers and should provide enough feed for the Olympic team.”

The results this year surprised Shakespeare. Four of the boats medalled. The junior women’s four won gold, the men’s coxed four and women’s quad took silver, the men’s four won a bronze and only the men’s quad missed out finishing ninth overall.

This year at the World Rowing Junior Championships in Brive-la-Gaillarde, the Australian team that was sent was picked for their long-term potential with the goal of starting to develop talent for the 2016 Olympic Games. Rather than looking at the performance of the athletes, the team was chosen by using the talent identification characteristics – like height, arm span, body mass and ergometer test. Thus the fastest boat at the time of selection was not necessarily the one that made the team. Shakespeare gives the example of one of the athletes in the junior men’s quad finishing ninth at trials but who was still selected for the team because he appeared to be a good investment for the future. With that in mind Shakespeare said there were no expectations for winning medals at Brive.

Shakespeare says the women’s boats especially have good prospects. The silver medal quad was selected, according to Shakespeare, more on the basis of the athletes fitting together well physically.

Shakespeare knows that using these unorthodox methods of selection means going out on a limb and he admits, as with any new process, much discussion and opposition has resulted. But, he says, they will try and keep up the plan.