London Rowing Club will be well represented at the Olympic Games starting in Rio de Janeiro on 5 August 2016.
Jessica Eddie will compete in the Women's Eight. Phelan Hill will cox the Men's Eight. Mark Aldred will row in the Men's Lightweight Coxless Four. Imogen Walsh is the non-travelling reserve for the Women's Lightweight Double Scull.
Sir David Tanner CBE is the GB Team's Performance Director. Robin Williams MBE coaches the Women's Pair of Helen Glover and Heather Stanning. Paul Reedy coaches the Women's Lightweight Double of Kat Copeland and Charlotte Taylor.
We wish them every success in Rio.
Mark Aldred has sent us this photo and extract:
“We've been in Rio for just under a week and the time has flown by. I'm writing this from my hotel room in Ipanema - we're staying close to the course during the regatta itself before moving into the athletes' village (about an hour away) during the second week.
And what a course it is. The "Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas" is situated right in the heart of Rio a few minutes away from Ipanema beach and under the watchful eye of Christ the Redeemer. One of the first impressions I've had, apart from the stunning setting, is how noisy it is. Most courses I've rowed on are in pretty quiet settings (except docks!), so to have cars, helicopters and the general hustle and bustle of the city is quite different and very noticeable. The lake is quite open and prone to winds coming in off the coast so the water has been quite lively, and I'm hoping my time on the Tideway will come in useful!
Since the last World Cup race in Poznan we've been away on training camp clocking up the miles and taking in the delights of Italy, Germany and France before doing some final speed work at Caversham prior to flying out. We've settled in here quickly and are looking forward to getting going. This is my first Olympic Games and so far it feels very much like a World Cup regatta or World Championships with a little bit "extra" - the accreditation, security checks, new kit etc., and of course it's very hard to ignore the Olympic rings at the finish of the course! However, around the boat park you see the same faces and go through the same routines as you normally would.
Having said that, I know that, come the first race on Saturday, there will definitely be a few extra butterflies fluttering around!”
