Australia’s women’s rowers win remarkable Rio call-up after Russia ban

AUSTRALIA’S women’s rowing eight have officially been handed an extraordinary elevation to Rio’s Olympics with the ejection of the Russian team.

The women's eight rowing team gets ready for Rio: Sarah Banting, Georgina Gotch, Megan Volker, Charlotte Sutherland, Alex Hagan, Jessica Morrison, Fiona Albert, Molly Goodman and Lucy Stephan Picture: Tim Carrafa

“PACK your bags, you are going to Rio”.

Those sweet words from Rowing Australia CEO Rob Scott confirmed the news the Australia’s women’s eight had been waiting months to hear.

Scott’s pronouncement to those eight girls on a telephone hook-up at 9.30pm on Tuesday made official one of the strangest stories in Australian Olympic history.

The women's eight rowing team gets ready for Rio: Sarah Banting, Georgina Gotch, Megan Volker, Charlotte Sutherland, Alex Hagan, Jessica Morrison, Fiona Albert, Molly Goodman and Lucy Stephan Picture: Tim Carrafa

As revealed by News Corp, an Australian eight crew that had not rowed together since May 24 will replace Russia’s banned crew.

Rowing’s world body has ruled only five Russian rowers will be allowed to compete, with Australia the first alternate after missing qualifying in May.

Reassembled last Sunday for a frantic few days of training in Melbourne, they will only be reunited with crew member Olympia Aldersey on August 5 in Rio.

They had failed earlier this year to qualify for Rio by half a boat length at the final world cup meet, then disbanded around Australia and the world.

Having sweated on WADA’s McLaren Report and then the IOC’s decision not to ban Russia, that crew dialled into the phone hook-up on Tuesday night.

Australian women’s eight rower Meaghan Volker.

As Tasmanian Megan Volker said yesterday: “We had been waiting around for 45 minutes or an hour until we got told and then all hell broke loose,’’ she said.

“Michael was trying to talk to us about logistics and everyone was just crying and screaming down the phone.”

Queenslander Fiona Albert, who admits she had stalked every development in the hope of elevation to Rio, was just as nervous.

“I was sitting at home on my couch in my tiny apartment in South Yarra,’’ she said.

“We were scheduled for 8.15pm and then FISA weren’t on the line and then it was 9pm and then 9.30pm.

“There was a lot of anxiety. Then Michael said, “Pack your bags, you are going to Rio”.

“I have got goosebumps still thinking about it. It was just an incredible thing to hear after the massive rollercoaster of a year we have had.”

West Australian Alex Hagan is the only previous Olympian from the crew after the so-called “Motley Crew” represented Australia in London.

That crew was initially barred by Rowing Australia from London until a grassroots campaign and threats of a law suit paved the way for their remarkable qualification.

She was in the pub having dinner when Scott’s news came through.

“We all just yelled and cried. I wasn’t expecting it, so it was like, ‘Shit, we are on here’.

“We qualified late for London and fought a lot of battles to get there and that was a rollercoaster.

“Now we have qualified with nine days to go before the Olympic Games.

VIS coach Bill Tait, who has put together a fast-tracked plan to give these women a chance, says nothing is impossible in Rio.

“A medal would be a big stretch but the goal for these athletes (aged 22-26) has always been 2020 and 2024 so if they can go over and race with confidence and aggression who knows where they can find themselves,’’ he said.

“Every day this has gone from one per cent chance to five per cent to 50 per cent and from the very start we asked if they were in and they were adamant they were.

“As soon as there was a little whisper around where the IAAF’s ruling was heading then New Zealand recalled one of their crew, we reassembled them.”

Originally published as Australia’s women’s rowers win remarkable Rio call-up after Russia ban