Erica Bodman at Boston. (0863304)
ERICA BODMAN is targeting world under-23 rowing success after a storming performance on her debut at the Great Britain rowing ream trials.
After finishing within two places of current world under-23 champion Victoria Thornley on the water at Boston, Lincolnshire, at the weekend, she has high hopes of doing well at next summer’s Under-23 World Rowing Championships in Belarus.
‘I was completely shocked to find myself at the top of the under-23s, and so close to the top five senior women,’ she said afterwards.
‘I almost didn’t believe it when I saw the results, my progress in the sport has come so quickly I’m often surprised at what I’m achieving.
‘Despite this, I know that my training has been going really well recently and I felt like I raced the trial to the best of my ability so I was really chuffed that the results reflected this.’
The trials saw nearly 200 men and women in action ahead of the upcoming 2010 season.
For the converted high-jumper, this was a first appearance at these trials, having taken up the sport only 18 months ago.
The GB trials consist of a 2km race on a Concept2 rowing machine on the Saturday and a five-kilometre time trial on the river the following day.
To be eligible for the trials, under-23 women have to achieve a 2km Concept2 time of 7min. 15sec. or below and for senior women the cut-off is 7-05.
That was no problem for the Sarnian, who is in her last year of the under-23 age bracket and rows for Minerva Bath Rowing Club where, along with the University of Bath, she trains.
On the Concept2 Bodman set a 4sec. personal best time with 7-01.4.
This time ranked her as the overall seventh fastest woman on the rowing machine and gave her a strong starting position for the 5km time trial.
Despite it being her first experience of the GB trials system and her first 5km race, she emerged as the overall sixth fastest on the water and the quickest under-23 with a time of 21min. 34sec.
She was only five places behind Debbie Flood, the two times Olympic silver medallist, who won the trials with a time of 21-14 and only two places behind fellow Minerva Bath member and under-23 world champion Thornley.
Her next step towards the goal of the under-23 worlds will be the second GB rowing trial on 19 December.
Before then she races in the Chiswick to Putney on 14 November, when she will race crews from around the world at the Fours Head of the River.
‘I’ve settled into my new training set up in Bath and am being pushed all the time by the girls around me, so that is fantastic for my development.
‘We’ve got two months now until the December trials, so I have to get my head down and prepare for those.’
Bodman’s rowing career took off when she was identified by the GB Rowing Team’s Start Programme, which is funded by UKSport and sponsored by Siemens.
The programme has a remit to identify and develop talented individuals with the potential to represent Great Britain at Olympic level.
* The three-times Island Games high jump champion has recently agreed a sponsorship deal with Man Group plc.
Article posted on 28th October, 2009 - 2.30pm
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