Coxed Doubles win gold

At their first attempt in the Thames Water Regatta Rowing Competition at Docklands on 9th June Tower Hamlets walked away with an impressive gold medal in the Coxed Doubles.  

Due to high winds the start of the event was delayed by about three hours, and when the competition eventually got under way it was still very challenging conditions, especially for the single sculls. Team Captain and Single scull Gabriel Miltenoff was first to compete in the boys single scull event, this was when the conditions were at their worst and as a result he did not produce his best result.

Next up to compete was the boy’s quad consisting of a team from Stepney Green School. Comprising of Jasim Ahmed, Hamza Hussain, Ijaz Uddin and Ishmaeel Haqq , all individuals were extremely nervous due to the conditions and being only the second time they have competed on the water in such a prestigious event. Once on the water the quad looked comfortable and put in a fantastic performance to finish in sixth place behind some of the top rowing boroughs.

The day was topped off by Sayeed Ahmed and Shah Ziaur, pictured, in the coxed doubles, producing an excellent and professional performance where they won the gold medal. This was a fantastic achievement considering the boys had only ever competed in one competition and had only a hand full of training sessions before the event. The two Stepney Green boys were intimidated by the regular club rowers but once in the boat their natural connection and team work shone through.  Team Captain Gabriel Said “The conditions were tough and I did not overly enjoy my race, the rest of the team did the borough proud we now have a platform to build on for next year”

The Rowing team and Stepney Green School as a whole would like to thank London Youth Rowing for all the support during the school year and the build up to the competition. London Youth Rowing support schools in Tower Hamlets through and extensive indoor rowing programme, where talented pupils are then encouraged to join the local clubs. This support has been greatly received and without this the team would not been as successful.