London 2012 Rowing: What to Watch

Heats and finals for four different Rowing disciplines will be packed into three days of exhilarating competition at Eton Dorney. 24 Apr 2012
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A picture of 4 people rowing

The Canadian LTA Mixed Coxed Four racing at the 2011 World Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovenia.

ⒸCanadian LTA Mixed Coxed Four
By IPC

Aggar, Vauchok and Lysenko will all be eyeing gold on the waters in the singles sculls competition.

The Rowing competition at the London 2012 Paralympic Games consists of just three days, but they will be jam-packed with four events.

Both men and women will compete in Arms and Shoulders Singles Sculls events – ASM1x and ASW1x – which are for rowers with minimal or no trunk function. An AS class rower is only able to apply force predominately using the arms and/or shoulders.

The two other disciplines include the Legs Trunks and Arms Mixed Coxed Four (LTAMix4+) and Trunk and Arms Mixed Double Sculls (TAMix2x). The first class is for athletes with a physical disability or visual impairment who have the use of their legs, trunk and arms, and who can utilize the sliding seat. The latter class is for rowers who have trunk and arm movement, but who are unable to use the sliding seat to propel the boat because of significant weaknesses in the lower limbs.

Here’s a quick run-down of what the London 2012 schedule looks like:

31 August

The first of three days of Rowing competition will include two heats in all four events at Eton Dorney from 09:30-12:00. The most-talked about athlete will be Great Britain’s Tom Aggar, the defending Paralympic champion and a four-time world champion in the men’s single sculls.

Ukraine’s Alla Lysenko, a two-time world champion, will paddle for a spot in the finals in the women’s singles sculls. Beijing silver-medallist Liudmila Vauchok of Belarus and 2010 world champion Nathalie Benoit of France may be her toughest competitors.

1 September

For those athletes who do not automatically qualify for the finals after the first day’s heats, they will get another opportunity to advance on the second day of competition, which includes repechage races in all four events. The races will take place from 09:30-12:00 at Eton Dorney.

2 September

If you take to the waters for just one day of the Rowing competition, make it this one. Rise early and get to Eton Dorney by 09:30 for the finals in all four disciplines. By 12:25, you will have seen four different boats win gold and four different victory ceremonies.

Aggar, Vauchok and Lysenko will all be eyeing gold on the waters in the singles sculls competition.

Meanwhile, in the Mixed Coxed Four, the Canadian team of Anthony Theriault, David Blair, Victoria Nolan, Meghan Montgomery and Laura Comeau could be the favourites to top the podium after finishing second at last year’s world championships behind the British squad.

China’s tandem of Lou Xiaoxian and Fei Tianming will headline the field in the Mixed Double Sculls competition.

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