Barnes blitzes rest at nationals

11:03am Wed Jul 28, 2010

Heather Barnes of Newark Rowing Club won a gold medal at the Great Britain Rowing Championships at Strathclyde Park in Glasgow with a stunning performance.

Barnes qualified for the finals of the junior women’s under-14 single sculls where she was up against top opposition from Henley, Avon, Oxford, Ely and Gibralta.

Strong cross-winds made conditions very testing, but Barnes took control of the race from the start, getting away fast and building a six-second lead by the 1,000m mark.

She led by seven seconds at the 1500m marker and was able to hold her lead despite strong finishes from the other scullers to win by four seconds from the Henley competitor, with the Avon sculler nine seconds behind.

Despite the conditions, she was only three seconds away from breaking the championship record.

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