1981 World Championships- Munich Germany

Men's Four

bow Graham Jones, 2 Jim Battersby, 3 Tim Willoughby & str John Bentley

Selection

The new selectors for the 1984 Olympiad were Bruce Evans, Willy Hay and Islay Lee. Reinhold Batschi, the National Director of Coaching was appointed Chairman of Selectors. Even though in 1980 for the Olympic team there were some compulsory selection events at State Championships, the selection process was far more highly developed for the forthcoming four-year period. It was to a large degree the forerunner of our existing selection policy. The selections were based on small boat racing and were reasonably clear cut.

The team left Australia early to compete in lead up regattas in Europe. The lightweight four and the heavyweight coxed four combined to row in an eight in the Aarungen Regatta just out of Oslo Sweden. At the same regatta the lightweight four rowed in their event and won in 6.09, the fastest time a lightweight four had then ever rowed.

The highlight of the tour was the win by the lightweight four. The win in the final followed wins in the heat and semi-final.

The men's coxed four had a good start with a second placing in the heat, a win in the repechage but unfortunately a sixth place in the final. The men's coxed four had two people training in Adelaide during the week and joining the rest of the crew in Sydney on weekends. This crew swept through the lead up regattas undefeated and went to Munich widely tipped as silver medallists.

For the coach Mike Morgan and his crew it was shattering to be struggling in sixth place in the final after very good preliminary racing and very good performances in the heats and repechages.

The Manager for this Olympiad was Don Croot who was the Assistant General Manager of the 1968 New Zealand Olympic team. Bill Webb was the Medical Officer and from this point forward every Australian heavyweight team took medical support.

Results—Women's

Women's Single Scull

Final B: 7th FRA, 8th USA, 9th POL, 10th IRL, 11th SWE, 12th MEX
Final: 1st ROM, 2nd GBR, 3rd URS, 4th GDR, 5th NZL, 6th BUL

Women's Double Scull

Final B: 7th FRG, 8th NOR, 9th DEN, 10th HUN, 11th TCH, 12th YUG
Final: 1st URS, 2nd GDR, 3rg BUL, 4th ROM, 5th USA, 6th GBR

Women's Coxed Quad Scull

Final B: 7th POL, 8th USA, 9th NOR
Final: 1st URS, 2nd GDR, 3rd ROM, 4th HUN, 5th BUL, 6th DEN

Women's Coxless Pair

Final B: 7th NED, 8th AUS, 9th USA
Final: 1st GDR, 2nd CAN, 3rd ROM, 4th BUL, 5th POL, 6th URS

Women's Coxed Four

Final B: 7th NED, 8th GBR
Final: 1st URS, 2nd GDR, 3rd USA, 4th BUL, 5th ROM, 6th FRG

Women's Eight

Final: 1st URS, 2nd USA, 3rd ROM, 4th CAN, 5th GDR, 6th GBR