For the second consecutive time this year the ladies team have become champions with a whitewash at the 74th AREA – FEARA held in Pune, India. This is an achievement for the team comprising mostly of fresh talent to the boats.
An eleven member team with five boys and six girls from CRC rowed against oarsmen and women from Indian clubs and displayed that their techniques in handling the oars are superior to the home teams. Though the men’s crew could not make it to the finals, the ladies took the challenge to win each category of the races.
Ishara Abbey started the win by finishing the scull with more than a boat length gap letting the two Indian scullers to fight for the second and third place with a few seconds time apart. The winning streak for the Colombo crew was followed into the double scull event. Both the double scull teams entered finals increasing the probably for winning. The double with Samaakhya Gajanayake and Janethri Marapana took it home for the gold with a three minute lead against the Indian team. The double with BA Sasanda and Amani Tissera managed to finish the race just with the Indian team that grabbed the bronze.
In the sweepers’ event, pair BA Sasanda and Amani Tissera, also the double that missed the medals, compensated for it in the pair race by having a leading finish. And finally for the boat race Dilki Wijeysekara, Samaakhya Gajanayake, Janethri Marapana and Ishara Abbey pulled the four through not just to become champions but to have a white-wash at the event.
The team from Colombo have showcased their excellence in rowing yet again by winning all events in Indian waters, it is proved that the change in rowing conditions will never stop the true talent from the take-a-home finish.
