With an extensive advertising campaign by the national governing body, there has been an explosion in the entries into the PR3 singles at the premier women’s regatta this season. With entries ranging from club athletes and juniors growing into the sport to those firmly on the Paralympic pathway, this event offers the most significant domestic stage yet for para-rowing.
Samantha Gough – St Andrew BC
The defending champion, Samantha Gough, is a multi-sport athlete in Paralympic pathways. Playing blind football for England, her rowing this season has been stifled by a lower back injury. Since her win last year, she raced at the home international regatta, winning the sprint event before being sidelined for an extended period. Gough returned to the boat at this year’s Scottish Championship, where she won the E-final across all women’s singles. Across many sporting events, Gough has class, but with so much time out of the boat, it will be hard to keep up with the other top athletes.
Rebekah Knight – Llandaff RC
The runner-up from 12 months ago, Rebekah Knight, has remained one of the top scullers on the PR3 circuit. Following Henley Women’s Regatta, the Llandaff sculler earned her second team Wales vest, turning her two-and-a-half length loss on the Henley stretch into a seven-second victory at the Home International Regatta. This year, she has continued to excel on the para-rowing circuit, winning comfortably at Monmouth Regatta. This speed and consistency throughout the year may allow the young Welsh athlete to excel and win her first medal at this regatta.
Amalia Sangiovanni Vincentelli – Rob Roy BC
From the younger group in this event, Amalia Sangiovanni Vincentelli hails from Rob Roy Boat Club in Cambridge. The young sculler already has plenty of competition under her belt this season, claiming a dominant win in the adaptive category at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta while also racing in mainstream events, finishing 22nd of 48 in the championship singles event at the National Schools’ Regatta. Racing now in the premier adult event on the domestic adaptive calendar, will the new face on the scene be able to shake things up with the adults?
Charlotte Taylor – Oundle School
The second representative of the Eastern region in the adaptive event at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta, Charlotte Taylor, spent the National Schools’ Regatta campaign in the second Oundle quad, which finished eighth of the 11 crews in the event. At JIRR, Taylor won a silver medal but was some way off the gold. This weekend, she will aim to close that gap and make a charge in the adult field.
Eimar Slee – Warrington RC
The third and final entry in the women’s adaptive event at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta was Eimar Slee. The Warrington sculler raced down the course in the orange of the Northeast region and started the season by winning the sixth-form PR3 title at the British Rowing Indoor Championships. This weekend, she will aim to improve her result, but with a tough draw, it could be a challenging task.
Louise Dunn – Exeter RC
Louise Dunn will represent Exeter RC from the south coast at this regatta. Last summer, she was within a tenth of a second of earning the Team England vest at last year’s trials. She has been less active this season as she remains on the Paralympic development programme, but will race this weekend. Looking to make a step this summer, a strong result at this regatta will suggest that she can make a great showing in a potential Home International Debut.
Sheila Forde – Marlow RC
With limited adaptive racing across the calendar, there are few results this season in adaptive categories for Sheila Forde. However, last season, she performed well in several doubles, winning in a mixed adaptive category at Marlow Town Regatta and a women’s adaptive double at Maidenhead. This weekend’s single presents an unknown challenge as the Marlow RC sculler looks to subvert expectations. With a first round against the junior from Oundle, Forde will look to the benefits of experience to progress.
Ella Keady – Tribesmen RC, Ireland
The international representative in this event, Ella Keady, will be representing Tribesmen RC from Galway in Ireland. Aspiring to be selected for the national team, Keady is generally classified as a PR2 sculler, but with limited racing options, she will be racing up in this event. Her previous UK trip, to the Monmouth Regatta, ended in a comfortable defeat to Rebekah Knight. This weekend, she faces a similar challenge in racing up as she has been drawn against the defending champion, but she will give a strong showing.
Prediction
With a complete draw already available in this event, routes to the final are easy to map. To my eye, it will once again be a Knight vs Gough final, but with the Welsh sculler coming out on top.
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