The National Junior InterRegional Regatta is a major fixture on the UK’s national junior competition which has been promoting is adaptive racing for a number of years culminating in the biggest and most competitive adaptive events ever this weekend.
- “The Adaptive category also saw its highest ever entry into the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta (JIRR) and some very close racing came with it. The top two competitors in the Boys’ Adaptive Single Sculls, Rohan Ladva and Isaac Clarkson, were separated by just 2.1 seconds. In the Women’s Adaptive Single Sculls, there was a dominant performance from Amalia Sangiovanni Vincetelli representing the Eastern region, taking the win by 12.8 seconds, followed by Charlotte Taylor for the same region. Eimear Slee of the North West, who became the first ever completely blind rower to race at JIRR, took bronze. Talking about her achievement, Eimear said: “I only started rowing two years ago, I never imagined I could get to this point. The coaches I’ve had are absolutely amazing, they’ve gone above and beyond to be able to get me to where I am today. I feel like being involved in the sport of rowing has transformed who I am as a person. It’s not just about me though – I want to make adaptive rowing more accessible to people with disabilities – that’s what I’d like to be able to achieve.”
Congratulations to the medal winners (and all participants as all scored points for their respective teams:
GIRLS
- Amalia Sangiovanni Vincentelli, Eastern
- Charlotte Taylor, Eastern
- Eimear Slee, Northwest
BOYS
- Rohan Ladva, Thames London West
- Isaac Clarkson, West Midlands
- Gabriel Phillips Rusenieks, WAGS & Wales
