St Peter’s College wins gold in Rowing Australia’s Schoolboy’s Coxed Eight race
An Adelaide college has created history, becoming the SA first rowing crew since 1968 to win gold in the blue riband Australian Schoolboy’s Eight race.
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It has taken five decades but South Australia is a gold medallist once again in the blue riband national schoolboy’s eight rowing race.
St Peter’s College’s First VIII crew claimed the Schoolboy’s Coxed Eight title at Rowing Australia’s National Championships in Tasmania on Sunday.
It is the first time since 1968 a crew from SA triumphed in the event – and is Saints’ inaugural win.
The historic victory was done the hard way with the team having to qualify through a repechage – a trial heat giving first-round losers another chance to earn a finals berth.
It then won the final from the outside lane with a time of 6:28.33, in head breeze conditions on Lake Barrington.
Five Year 12 students – Nick Burr, Tom Oldfield, Felix Packer, Jeremy Beale, and cox Aidan Hughes – and four Year 11s – Edward Chipperfield, Faris Harb, Jake Nesbitt and William Howard – formed the crew.
Their coach, triple Olympian James McRae, said it was a gutsy performance.
“It was a challenging head breeze,” McRae said.
“In some of the preliminary races, the heats and the repechage, they were actually behind in the first 500m and worked their way through the field.
“They got out fast in the final and got out to a length in front and just held that for rest of the race.
“I think the excitement they had from being out in front helped them hold on throughout the last 1500m.”
McRae, who helped Australia’s men’s quad scull claim silver at the 2016 Olympic Games, said the win boosted the profile of the college’s athletes.
“We’ve been working over the past five years looking to put the program competitively nationally,” McRae said.
“But to win the event was our dream and to do it this year is a really standout performance.
“A lot of the boys have already been contacted by a few US universities who are very interested in getting student athletes over there.
“Traditionally they would've probably kept to the eastern state schools but that victory certainly put South Australian on the map for some of those scouts.
“We had lots of support from the school community as well, everyone is really excited.”
King’s College (now Pembroke) was the last South Australian school to win the boy’s event, 53 years ago.
NSW’s Shore School finished the race second, while (NSW) Brisbane Boy’s College claimed the bronze.
St Peter’s also won silver in the men’s under-19 Coxed Four and the composite crew with Scotch College won bronze in the under-19 men’s eight.
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