Rowing: Gold for Alistair

Jul 1 2009 by Susan Bryden, Dumfries Standard Wednesday

DUMFRIES oarsman Alistair Sarahs struck gold at the Scottish Rowing Championships at Strathclyde Park.

Alistair and his crew – Sean Dixon, Murray Wilkojc and Jonny Rankin – were quickest off, showing drive and determination in the opening 250 metres of the race.

A good disciplined technique was evident from the crew and by the 1km mark they had a commanding lead of three lengths over their opponents.

They continued their display of accomplished oarsmanship during the latter half of the race to win the gold medal comfortably.

The 19-year-old Edinburgh University student was competing in the event for the first time as a senior oarsman in the under 23s.

Despite threatening rain clouds, the weather remained warm and sunny throughout the day, with a mild crosswind to contend with on the 2km Olympic standard eight lane rowing course over the weekend.

Competing in the men’s singles, Alistair was drawn in the second six-boat heat against the most accomplished scullers in Scotland, with the first four progressing to the final.

He started the race confidently but as it progressed to the final 250 metres he fell away and finished in fifth place.

On Sunday, Alistair rowed in the men’s doubles event.

In a very close nip and tuck race over the 2km distance they narrowly missed out on first place, beaten in the five boat final by a crew from Clydesdale ARC who finished half a length ahead of them.

It was a great weekend for the 19-year-old who will come away from the races with a gold medal and a lot of experience.