Handcycling champion Morris wins rowing silver

Rachel Morris, Liudmila Vauchok and Natalia Bolshakova

Former Paralympic hand-cycling champion Rachel Morris announced her transfer to para-rowing on Saturday with a silver medal in her first international arms-only sculling final, in Aiguebelette.  She passed world champion and record-holder Natalia Bolshakova in the last three strokes to clinch second behind Belarussian Liudmila Vauchok.

“It’s a really different feeling racing something so short, but it’s fantastic,” Morris said.  “I was aware of the others, but wasn’t going to let them through unless I had to.”

A few minutes later, Tom Aggar pulled off his own success, snatching gold from his long-time rival Russian Alexey Chuvashev with a shoulder-bending sprint in the last few strokes.  The two have been swapping places for the last four years, and this was an impressive performance in a tight race from the Briton.

“I did a really good time-trial a couple of days back so knew I was in quite good shape, I managed to stick close, and then had enough left to pull through,” Aggar said.  “She’s impressive, she’s come a long way in six months,” he said of Morris, whom he clearly enjoys training with, but admitted she can beat him on the hand-cycle at the moment.  New recruit to the para-rowing coxed four Grace Clough celebrated her 23rd birthday with a gold medal.

Earlier in the day, fifteen other crews joined the para-rowers in the finals to give several medal chances for Sunday.  There were heat wins for the senior women’s pair, lightweight women’s double and men’s four, as well as the men’s quad, with Helen Glover and Heather Stanning rowing imperiously and only 4 seconds off the world best time.  Ellie Piggott and Charlotte Taylor qualified for the final as a second lightweight double, and under-23 men’s double scullers Angus Groom and Jack Beaumont performed beautifully to win the C-final despite being the youngest and least experienced in the race.

The men’s eight were outclassed in a very tough heat, but managed a better race to qualify for the final from the repechage, as did the lightweight men’s four.  Lightweight scullers Will Fletcher and Jamie Kirkwood missed the final by 0.14 seconds and then overbalanced their shell after the finish line, receiving a dunking in the azure-blue lake.

Rachel Quarrell.

This article was originally commissioned by the Sunday Telegraph.