Kate Murdoch ready and raring to row to glory in Rio Paralympics

WHEN Kate Murdoch goes to Rio in September her dog Trixie won’t be there to guide her but she is confident her rowing crew team will help her bring back a medal from the Paralympics.

Champion rower Kate Murdoch is heading to Rio.

WHEN Kate Murdoch goes to Rio in September her dog Trixie won’t be there to guide her but she is confident her rowing crew team will help and also row brilliantly to bring back a medal from the Paralympics.

Murdoch, 29, of South Penrith, who is legally blind, has been rowing competitively for six years and is happy to be picked in Australia’s mixed cox four team.

The disability employment co-ordinator was in a national mixed cox four team which competed at the World Rowing Championships last year.

Kate Murdoch has rowed competitively for six years.

“We ranked ninth and needed to finish eighth, we just missed out qualifying for Rio,” she said.

“A series of trials and selections were held until Paralympics Australia came up with a new crew before they sent us to Italy for the final qualifying Paralympic event. We had to finish first or second to qualify and we finished first.’’

In late April, Murdoch accompanied fellow crew Brock Ingram, Jeremy McGrath, Davina Lefroy and coxswain Jo Burnand to win the A-Final and qualify the boat for the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

“After the qualifying event we raced in another event against the qualified rowers who we had competed against … when we finished ninth,” she said. “We beat them this time and that puts us in a good position.

“We look much stronger now … and have a chance for a medal, so that’s exciting.”

Kate Murdoch and ­Jeremy McGrath racing at the world rowing championships. Picture: Rowing Australia

Murdoch said the crew felt they were on the right track and just had to keep going.

Murdoch trains daily getting up at 4am and also training after work.

“I’m trying to balance it all with fulltime work so I have to be careful I don’t burn out,” she said.

In her rowing competitions Murdoch has won four gold medals with different crews.

In 2014, Murdoch won a silver with Jeremy McGrath who is a crew member.