Loughborough Boat Club
Pauline Barrett’s hard work and dedication over recent months paid off last weekend when she won a silver medal as part of the England crew in the Women’s Eights at the Commonwealth Regatta. The event has full Commonwealth status but was run this year as a complimentary event to the Commonwealth Games as part of a wider Festival of Rowing at the National Watersports Centre at Holme Pierrepont - so there was plenty of support from an enthusiastic home crowd for the Loughborough Boat Club rower.
The England eight took an early lead but the Canadian crew edged back, overtaking England around the halfway mark on the 2000 metre course. England stayed in touch with the Canadians and fought off a strong challenge from Wales to be in the silver medal position at the line – just two seconds behind gold medal winners Canada.
This first international competition for Barrett built on an impressive gold medal win for the same crew at the recent National Rowing Championships when Loughborough Boat Club notched up a total of three medals. The other two medal successes included Emily Clarke who faced tough opposition in the final of the Women’s Single Sculls. She was in third place after 500 metres but by the half way mark had moved up to second, coming over the finish line in the silver medal position just three seconds behind the event winner Butler-Stoney from Wallingford.
And in the Women’s Double Sculls Sarah Mee and Marie Guingouain fought it out in a closely contested final to gain the bronze medal behind Wallingford and a joint Warwick and Worcester crew.
As a result of their strong performances Clarke, Mee and Guingouain also had a chance to represent England - in the Home Countries Regatta, where they helped the England team achieve victory over Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.