Rowing: Top performance from O'Leary in U18 single sculls

Jack O'Leary (Kavanagh College) proved he was the best junior sculler in the country at Lake Ruataniwha on Saturday.

O'Leary (17) won the boys' under-18 single sculls by the big margin of 5sec at the Maadi Cup.

O'Leary won the senior boys' title by two lengths in 7min 18.52sec,

followed home by James Walker (Timaru Boys' High School, 7min 23.56sec) and Olly Stephens (Nelson College, 7min 23.97sec).

It was the fastest under-18 single sculls rowed at the venue. The previous best Maadi Cup time at Ruataniwha, of 7min 22sec, was rowed by Ollie Behrent (James Hargest), in 2010.

It pleased coach John Parnell, who has guided O'Leary's progress at the Otago Rowing Club.

''It was a comprehensive, complete and commanding performance,'' Parnell said.

''It was Jack's best single sculls race.''

O'Leary had his nose in front at 250m and gained ground with each little move. The gap widened when he made his big push at 1000m and he had clear water for the rest of the race.

''It's the best race I've ever rowed,'' O'Leary said.

''Everything went according to plan. It gave me a lot of satisfaction to have my own plan and carry it out. It was a dream row and I'm over the moon.''

O'Leary won the Charlie Stapp Cup, donated to the Maadi Cup for the senior boys' single sculls by Stapp, who was a life member of the Otago Rowing Club.

It has previously been won by Olympic gold medallists Nathan Cohen (James Hargest, 2003) and Joe Sullivan (Queen Charlotte, 2004 and 2005). Otago University Rowing Club manager Glen Sinclair (Southland Boys') won it in 1992.

O'Leary had good family support for his race. Grandparents Kevin and Eleanor O'Leary came from the Kapiti Coast, and grandmother Agatha Essenburg from Oamaru. An aunt came from Rotorua.

It was a successful regatta for scullers from Otago schools.

The Mt Aspiring combination of Riley Bruce and Nathan Redai held their nerve to win the boys' under-16 double sculls in a tight race in 7min 12.69sec, followed home by Matt Butler and Len Jenkins (Whakatane, 7min 13.40sec) and Tom Grave and Woody Kirkwood (John McGlashan College, 7min 14.89sec).

Bruce also won the boys' under-16 single sculls by an impressive 6sec from Tom Cummack (Wellington College) in 7min 38.48sec.

Grave was fourth in 7min 46.02sec and John McGlashan schoolmate Kirkwood was third in the B final in 7min 50.50sec. Wakatipu High School's Dylan O'Connor and Jacob Flanagan won their second title of the championships in the boys' under-18 lightweight double sculls in 7min 1.72sec.

Otago schools won eight medals - five gold, two silver and a bronze. Last year, at Lake Karapiro, Otago schools won 12 medals - eight gold, three silver and one bronze.

Placings in B finals were: Otago Boys' under-17 four (stroke Simon Bezett), first; John McGlashan under-15 quadruple sculls (stroke Lochie Bain), second; Columba College girls' under-16 four (stroke Shannon Harrison), third.

There were a record 2086 rowers from 125 schools competing at the week-long championships.

Hamilton Boys' High School won the under-18 eight to win the Maadi Cup in 5min 55.84sec. St Bede's College (5min 57.99sec) was second and Napier Boys' High School (5min 58.52sec) was third.


Maadi Cup

Otago championsDylan O'Connor, Jacob Flanagan (Wakatipu High School), Jack O'Leary (Kavanagh College), Riley Bruce, Nathan Redai (Mt Aspiring College).


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