Duo up against Olympians

By Nick Mollet

TWO Guernsey rowers will be mixing it with the best of Britain and Olympic hopefuls in the British Indoor Rowing Championships. Ex-Muratti footballer Simon Johns, 31, and Tom de Kooker, 22, have embarked on a highly focused and intensive training regime at The Fitness Factory over the past two months in preparation for the challenge for elite rowers.

The championships in Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena, which attract in excess of 3,000 rowers, are being held tomorrow week.

It will be Johns’ first experience of the championships, with de Kooker going for the third time.

Last year at the event, the young carpenter, who works for M&R Construction, broke the 2,000m sprint Channel Islands record of 6min. 20.7sec. set by Matt Harradine in 2003.

But he is hoping to better his best time of 6-20.3 this time when he competes in the open heavyweights’ competition for 18 to 30-year-olds against Olympic gold medallists.

‘I’m hoping to beat 6-20 and the British Championships are bigger than the European in terms of competitors,’ he said.

Johns, who will be participating in the lightweight category for 30 to 34-year-olds, which includes the British record holder for the distance, has a best time of 6-40 over 2,000m.

‘We have got to aim at PBs. I have not done it before and it’s good to experience something different. It’s a different challenge to see how I get on,’ said Johns, manager of financial statements in compliance at Praxis Group.

‘You are racing against the best in Britain.’

Both have also been rowing offshore.

Johns was in the Green Boat fours team that came second in this year’s Sark to Jersey race and de Kooker came third with the Thames River Capital team.

The pair are indebted to Heritage who have sponsored their flights and entries.