Windsor Boys School's van Gelderen pulls on Great Britain vest at Junior World Rowing Championships

Picture L - R: Miles Devereux, Julian van Gelderen, Roy Edwards, Issa Balthasar.

--

Windsor Boys School Boat Club’s Julian van Gelderen got his first taste of racing in a Great Britain vest at the Junior World Rowing Championships in Japan last week.

Competing in the men’s quadruple scull alongside rowers from Henley Rowing Club and Leander Rowing Club, the crew took on the best junior crews from across the world at the new 2,000m Sea Forest regatta course.

Julian and the team first had to make it through the heats and some repercharge races to qualify for the semi-finals, recording some excellent times and positions in the process.

Needing to finish third for a place in the final, the GB crew missed out by just 0.4 of a second, crossing the line behind the Czech Republic quad.

The outcome relegated them to the B final, but with something to prove the crew went all out for a positive result.

The fast moving Romanian boat led for most of therace, but a devastating push in the final 250m saw GB finish first, just 0.5 seconds ahead of a chasing pack that included the Netherlands, Canada, China and Switzerland.

Mark Wilkinson, Windsor Boys' director of rowing and also British Rowing coach, said: “Julian is an exceptional athlete and fully deserved the accolade of winning a GB vest. “He has worked very hard over the last twelve months, becoming the country's fastest single sculler.

“The outcome of the regatta is not what one would have wished, but racing at World level is not predictable.

“To achieve seventh overall is an outstanding achievement in itself. With the experience of racing at this level, he will undoubtedly move on and remains a very positive role model for the younger boys of what can be achieved through hard work and commitment."