The following day Leander's Dave Jones and Jono Clegg earned the ultimate accolade when their lightweight four, in which they were joined by Will Fletcher and Jamie Kirkwood, came from behind to win the world title.
The crew, who won the Visitors' Challenge Cup at Henley just three weeks previously, timed their final to perfection. Lying third behind Italy and the USA after 500m, they first took on the Americans before powering past the race leaders in the third quarter, extending their lead in the last 500m to win by 1.44sec.
It wasn't just the Leander athletes who excelled in Belarus - the club's coaches, many of whom double up with GB duties, had the medal winners in their charge. Rob Dauncey coached the lightweight four to perfection, while Chris Collerton was the man behind the silver medal coxless four.
His crew included Leander's Matt Rossiter who teamed up with Nathaniel Reilly O'Donnell, Constantine Louloudis and George Nash - they held off Australia by just 0.07sec to take second place behind Italy.
Britain added another silver in the afternoon from Leander's Kieren Emery - racing at this regatta for the first time as a lightweight - and Ben Rowe in the lightweight men's double scull. The duo were third at 500m behind Greece and Denmark and although they moved passed the Danes they could never get the better of the Greeks. |
