Swedish women rowers make an impression

Press, 13 March 1985, Page 40

Swedish women rowers make an impression

By

TIM DUNBAR

The little Wairau Rowing Club in Blenheim is becoming a popular base for overseas rowers and scullers for training during the northern winter. First it was the Swiss and now the Swedes. Last season four Swiss oarsmen trained with Wairau for several weeks but had to race in the colours of the Zurich Boating Club at the national regatta. Having arrived in New Zealand after December 1 they were ineligible for a national title and could not compete for Wairau. This season the overseas visitors have been three Swedish women scullers who competed with considerable success at .the national regatta which ended at Lake Ruataniwha on Sunday. One of them, Annelie Larsson, who comes from the northern part of Sweden, did not arrive in New Zealand until January

1 and raced as a member of the Solleron club at the nationals.

But officials still presented her with a championship gold medal and the winners red T-shirts after she dead-heated for first with Stephanie Foster (Cambridge) in the women’s single sculls.

Her compatriots, Marie Carlsson and Anna Claesson, both from the south-west of Sweden, near Gothenburg, were earlier arrivals in New Zealand and were allowed to race in the emerald green and white colours of Waiaru.

Together they won silver medals in the championship double sculls and later combined with two New Zealanders, Kay Surgenor and Jackie Hegglun, to win gold medals and the coveted blue coats in the quadruple sculls.

The single sculler, Larsson, aged only 20, was ecstatic after her race which produced the first

deadheat in a premier class event in the history of the championships. She said it was wonderful to be in New Zealand — “a country famous for its rowing” — and could not believe that she had matched Foster, the women’s singles champion seven times previously. “I come from a little, little village,” she said. “I am the only one rowing.” Larsson said that she had learnt a lot of new sculling techniques from the Wairau coaches, Sam Le Compte and Kevin Sutherland, both former winners of national titles.

“I don’t regret that I came here,” said Larsson, who is already talking about coming back next summer. Larsson, who is also a good middle-distance runner, has been sculling for nearly five years and is improving fast. She was placed third in the junior world championship in 1982 and competed in the singles at the Los Angeles Olym-

pics, finishing tenth, three places behind Foster. Her rowing season back home begins in May and she hopes to be included in the

Swedish team for the world championships in Belgium later this year. She would like to scull there in a double with Carlsson.