PHOTO; 2008 WORLD CUP KIWI WINNERS NATHAN TWADDLE AND GEORGE BRIDGEWATER BESIDE SILVER MEDALISTS SHAUN KEELING AND RAMON DI CLEMENTE OFSOUTH AFRICA.

Our club will be hosting the South African World Championship Rowing team ….

…as part of their training programme prior to the World Champs.  It is a great opportunity for our rowers to be able to interact with an international team as part of the build up to the champs. A few points of interest:

- The squad is 6 at this stage plus Coach, Asst Coach and Physio

- Their equipment is a Filippi coxless four and Filippi pair

- They will probably row the Mens Pair and Mens Lightweight  Pair and possibly Mens Lightweight Four.

-The pair, a new combination of one very experience rower (Bronze in 2004 Athens, 5^th Beijing) and now working with young rower towards 2012

-  They are yet to confirm the times for their on-water training

- Their off-water training will be some ERG sessions at our clubrooms and were also some weight training at a Gym (currently sorting out)

- The plan at this stage is that the boats will be stored.

- They will also have exclusive use of two coach boats

- Hopefully we will get a chance to be on the water at the same time and we will certainly be interacting off the water.

Kevin Cooney, Club Captain

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Ramon Di Clemente -

Nationality:               South Africa (RSA)DOB 02.05.1975 AGE 35

Boat Class:              M2-

Key Results:            Olympic Games: 1 bronze,World Rowing Championships: 2 silver, 2 bronze, Rowing World Cups: 1 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze

3-time Olympian Ramon Di Clemente won the first Olympic rowing medal for his country with a bronze in the men’s pair in 2004 at Athens. Since he debuted on the international scene at age 18, he has won 12 South African titles, four World Championship medals, and holds four prestigious Henley Regatta victories. In 2008, a back injury for his former partner Donovan Cech meant starting with a new internationally inexperienced partner Shaun Keeling(23). After a successful experience at the Beijing Olympics, the 35-year-old Johannesburg native continues to thrive on his passion to excel in the boat and manage urban renewal projects in his city’s Central Business District (CBD).

Shaun Keeling

Nationality;               South African (RSA) DOB 21.01.1987 AGE 23

Boat Class               M2-

Key Results;

2009 Lucerne Rotsee, Switzerland

M2-          6th           06:46.46

2009 Banyoles Estany, Spain

M2-          2nd          06:33.85

2008 Olympic Games - Beijing Shunyi, People's Republic Of China

M2-          5th           06:47.83

2008 - Poznan Malta, Poland

M2-          3rd           06:48.12

2007  South Africa National Championships

1X            1^st           

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New Zealand and South Africa competed on the world stage a short time ago…

RWC III Poznan, Poland 20 - 22 June 2008

MENS PAIR

World Best Time: GBR CRACKNELL/ PINSENT Seville (ESP) 2002 6:14.27

World Champion: AUS GINN/ FREE Munich (GER) 2007 World Champ'ships 6:24.89

500m 1000m 1500m 2000m

NEW ZEALAND GOLD

TWADDLE Nathan

BRIDGEWATER George

500m     1000m   1500m   2000m

1:39.83 (3) 3:23.26 (3) 5:07.67 (2)6:42.95

 FRANCE SILVER

CHARDIN Germain

MORTELETTE Dorian

500m     1000m   1500m   2000m

1:38.58 (1) 3:21.32 (1)5:06.19 (1) 6:44.28

SOUTH AFRICA BRONZE

KEELING Shaun

DI CLEMENTE Ramon

500m     1000m   1500m   2000m

1:41.13 (4) 3:24.75 (4) 5:09.44 (3) 6:48.12