Mosman’s Queenwood will have two old girls representing Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics
FORMER Queenwood girls Holly Lincoln-Smith and Georgie Gotch will represent Australia at the Rio Olympics.
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MOSMAN’S Queenwood School for Girls will have two former students representing Australia at the Rio Olympics.
2012 London Olympics bronze medallist Holly Lincoln-Smith is chasing gold as the centre forward on the women’s water polo team.
And just this week rower Georgie Gotch got the call-up to join the women’s sweep — coxed eight after the Russian team was banned.
Queenwood principal Elizabeth Stone said today that sport was important for girls and the school was proud to have two Rio Olympians.
“To have two of Queenwood’s graduates at Rio is a wonderful demonstration of what we are always saying to our students: high goals and a lot of work can take you to the top,” she said.
“We are thrilled to see Holly and Georgie on the world stage and will be cheering them on.
“Since rowing and water polo are particularly strong sports for us, I’m sure quite a few of our girls will be dreaming a little too!”
Gotch, who is training in Melbourne, said today that she was shocked, in disbelief but excited when she heard she had been selected.
The rowers had a teleconference on Tuesday night and heard the good news.
“I was obviously ecstatic that we had been given this opportunity, but it was shocking and exciting at the same time,” Gotch said.
The team was training at the Mosman Rowing Club until the qualification regatta two months ago.
Gotch has been a member of the Australian women’s rowing team for six years.
The Olympics will be her second time as a senior A team member.
“Probably my greatest achievement was last year when I came second — winning silver in the women’s quad in the under-23 world championships in Bulgaria,” she said.
“That was my only year I had done sculling; every other year I’d been sweeping.
“I decided to change it up last year and try sculling and it was a success.
“I got back into sweeping this season.
“Obviously my aim was to go for the Olympics and see how far I could get.”
Gotch will be reserve in Rio and will race if a teammate is sick or injured.
“It’s a great opportunity supporting all the girls and doing as much as I can to get them as far into the Games as I can,” she said.
“I get to do every training session with the girls who are in the boat, so it’s a great opportunity.
“I have to be in the same physical fitness as every other girl in the boat.”
Gotch said the team would do their best.
“There are crazy circumstances that we have gone through and it’s a great opportunity we have been given,” she said.
“We’ll just take each race as we go and try to get into the final and see what we can do from there.”
Gotch credited long-time coach Alfie Young for inspiring her to continue rowing after graduating from Queenwood.
Young is the director of rowing at Queenwood and a coach at Mosman Rowing Club.
The rowing team will leave Australia on Friday next week.
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