Tokyo Olympic rowing hopeful Georgie Rowe smashes erg time trial world record
Her legs “were just like jelly’’ but this northern beaches nurse had something very special to show for her pain - a world record.
Manly
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She couldn’t walk, she cried for five minutes and was in the worst pain of her life but 24 hours after she set an unofficial world record in the 5km ergometer time trial Georgie Rowe was still finding it difficult to wipe the smile off her face.
The northern beaches nurse, former Collaroy surf boat rower and Tokyo Olympic hopeful needed to produce a good time to meet ongoing selection criteria for the Rowing Australia team but never expected to wobble off the erg with a world record she will now seek to have officially ratified.
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“I got the record but I got an 11 second personal best which it the big win for me,’’ said the 27-year-old, who only moved across to stillwater rowing three years ago and set the record at the national centre at Penrith on Monday.
“I wasn’t going for the record. I just wanted to break 17 minutes.
“I couldn’t walk after I was through. I cried for five minutes because I was in such pain.
“One of the girls spewed everywhere. A coach had to help me stand up, my legs were just like jelly.’’
Rowe, who has rowed a series of international regattas with the Australian women’s eight this season, produced a blistering time of 16:54.2 on the erg.
Born and bred in Davidson and a former kayaker in her youth, Rowe was talent identified when she took part - and won - an Australian indoor rowing championship in 2016.
Working as a nurse at RSL Life Care at Narrabeen, she then enrolled in rowing lessons at UTS Haberfield.
“Ergs don’t float. I had to find a rowing club and ended up at UTS because a couple of the girls from surfboats had been there,’’ said Rowe, who has raced for both the Collaroy and Manly surf life saving clubs in the past.
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“The purpose of me doing this program was to go to the Olympics. When I went to UTS I said to them I’m doing this for fun. I’m doing it to go to the Olympics.’’
Less than three years later she is now living at Glenbrook and training full-time with the Australian rowing program.