Kentish Express Ashford & District
Fired up for Rio
Tom Ransley says the disappointment of only claiming bronze at last weekend’s World Championships will fuel him as the road to Rio enters the final straight.
Ashford-born Ransley also finished in third at the London 2012 Olympics but played his part as the GB men’s four secured a berth at the 2016 Games on the back of their performances at the World Championships in Lac d’Aiguebelette, France, last weekend.
With the top-11 boats securing an Olympic spot, the coxless four knew qualification for the World final would be enough to guarantee a place at Rio and despite needing to come through the repechage round to qualify, the Brits stormed to second place in their semi-final to achieve their goal.
Ransley, Alan Sinclair, Scott Durant and Stewart Innes overhauled Canada to finish in a time of 5min 52.52sec, behind eventual gold medallists Italy, although they were pipped to silver in the final by Australia by just 0.26secs.
The former King’s School (Canterbury) pupil said: “The most important objective for us was to qualify this boat class into the Rio Olympics next year.
“To be fractions of a second away from silver and just a couple of seats down on the gold has put our team in a strong position going into the Olympic year. I’m looking forward to it.”
He added: “I am glad to come away with the medal but the initial reaction on crossing the line – aside from the pain and exhaustion – was disappointment.
“The crew had set out to challenge at the front of the field and that ambition slipped out of our hands early on.
“I am proud of my crew. Although we didn’t have our best start, we reacted well. We didn’t panic and chase the race and get pulled off what we do well.”
Ransley, who turned 30 on Sunday, had claimed gold at the two previous World Championships in the eight but did collect his first fours medal this summer by claiming the European Championship title in Poznan, Poland.
He said: “I hope to use my experience in the eight for the benefit of the four and likewise I want to learn from the fours to improve myself as a rower.”
The World Championships was the culmination of a two month solid block of training, with Ransley admitting: “The energy and commitment is second to none and I am confident the hard work will be worth it.”