Filippi had a magnificant weekend at the National Schools’ Regatta, collecting 19 medals across two frantic days of racing. After weather forecasts forced the organising committee to cancel Sunday’s racing, all the drama and tension accompanying this festival of junior rowing was compressed into Friday and Saturday. Supporting various clubs from across the UK, Filippi were delighted to support so many newly-minted champions.
On the Friday, we collected four medals, including both gold and silver in the open junior 14 octuples. Radley College won gold ahead of St Paul’s School in silver and both competed in Filippi shells. Elsewhere, we won won the open junior 15 coxed fours whilst riding with Westminster School, who also collected bronze in the same contest (both Filippi shells).
The Saturday saw Filippi win 15 medals, starting with a gold in the very first A-final of the day. St Paul’s Girls’ School took the girls’ junior 15 eight title in spectacluar style before Radley College won silver in the open equivalent. In the open junior junior 16 coxed fours, Emanuel School won bronze before Radley College won a flurry of successive medals (bronze in open junior 16 second eighrs, bronze in open third eights, gold in open second eights and bronze in open junior 16 first eights). All were secured in Filippi shells.
In the girl’s junior 16 first eights, we finished in second and third as Surbiton High School collected silver, narrowly ahead of St Paul’s Girls’ School in bronze.
In the quads, Filippi again excelled; Maidenhead Rowing Club secured silver in the girls’ second quads before we won both silver and bronze in the open equivalent (Marlow Rowing Club in second and Commercial Boat Club in third). In the open championship coxed fours, King’s College Wimbledon were third.
One of our premier victories of the weekend came in the open championship single sculls, where Elias Tejpaul shocked the field to win a commanding gold whilst representing the American School in London.
Our final medal of the day came in the girls’ championship quads with long-standing partners, Marlow Rowing Club, who won bronze in a field packed with quality.
We cannot wait to support crews in their pursuit of honours this summer and are excited to watch some of these top-level junior boats progress towards the Henley series.
