Row Nova Scotia developing, promoting and growing the sport of rowing in Nova Scotia
Claire Ellison (Halifax Rowing Club) placed fourth in the world, with her boat mates Lucy Black (NB), Aida Lissel-Decorby (Sask), and Maya Meschkuleit (ON), in the Junior Women’s Quad event at the 2019 World Rowing Junior Championship in Tokyo, Japan from August 7-11, 2019. Claire, 18, was a member of the junior women’s quad that placed sixth overall in last year’s event in the Czech Republic. This year’s event took place at the new Sea Forest Waterway and served as a test event for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Claire was joined at the World Championships by Nova Scotia’s Pat Cody, who was a lead coach for Team Canada at the event.
The competition in the Junior Women’s Quad event proved to be tough right from the first heat. The Canadian crew rowed in heat 1 where they placed second in what proved to be a very fast heat. This result gave them an automatic lane in the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, only the top three crews would advance and Canada lined up against a number of strong boats. In their semi-final, it was a tight race down the course, but in the last 500m of the race the Canadian crew was able to secure third place in the semi-final and a birth in the A final. In an extremely competitive final the Canadian quad rowed hard, but ultimately fell just short of a medal, placing fourth place marking Rowing Canada’s best finish in Junior Women’s quad at the World Rowing Junior Championships.
“Being a part of this junior team has given me many opportunities, both in and out of racing. This has been an incredible chance to build upon my experience in the quad last year, and I am very proud of the fourth place finish my crewmates and I achieved”, said Ellison. “It is exciting to be competing with the fastest junior rowers in the world, and experiencing the venue that will be used for the 2020 Olympic Games. Both experiences were amazing and inspiring. Finally, the support received from coaches, staff, local hosts, and those back home made this an amazing summer!”
“Claire has been working hard and is demonstrating to all young Nova Scotians that rowers from this province can make an impact on the international stage,” says Row Nova Scotia President, Katie Edwards. “We have exceptional talent and coaching coming out of this province and our hope is that more young athletes will engage in rowing as a competitive sport option.”