Glasgow University rowing duo left disappointed

Glasgow University students Michael McNaul and Daniel Graham failed to come out on top despite an encouraging display at the seventh European University Rowing Championships in Russia earlier this month.

McNaul and Graham were selected following a positive result as Scotland’s senior men’s double scull at this year's home international regatta.

However, the pair found themselves in one of the toughest races of the tournament alongside a gold-winning University of East London side.

Great Britain sealed an overall third-placed finish for the championships and James Lee, manager of the European University Sports Association (EUSA) team, said: “The result of the Glasgow double proved how tough the competition is but was a fantastic result for the guys. I am sure that they have learnt a huge amount from the experience and had a great taste of racing at international level.

“There are always Scottish university crews qualifying to attend the EUSA Regatta and I wouldn’t expect this to change. There are consistently good results coming out of the Scottish universities and I know that is down to the hard work of their coaches – many of whom are volunteers."

A team of 64 rowers and nine coaches, some of them paying their own way, travelled to the Krylatskoe Canoeing and Rowing Course in Moscow, taking two golds, five silvers, and four bronze medals on the same lake used during the 1980 Olympic Games.

GB’s haul was down on last year, albeit remained a worthy achievement for university rowing given several institutions pulled out prior to the event getting underway.

Lee added: “It was quite a challenge and there was a point not long before the regatta where the whole event looked uncertain. At this stage, we lost some of our big universities (Newcastle, Durham, Loughborough) who all decided it wasn't worth committing more money in case the event didn't happen.

“It is a huge effort and expense to get people and boats there. The way the overall title works is based on points for participation, so when we lost over 10 crews – all of whom were medal contenders – we already knew it would be a tough ask to win.

“The Germans were always going to be strong and a threat to us and the Russians won simply because they were able to flood the event with entries being in their home country.”

ends