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Greenwich Rower Earns Silver At Junior World Championships

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- Rowers from clubs in Connecticut brought home hardware from the Junior World Championships on Sunday in The Netherlands.

Kelsey McGinley, left, of Westport celebrates with teammates after winning a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships.

Kelsey McGinley, left, of Westport celebrates with teammates after winning a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships.

Photo Credit: USrowing.org
Westport's Harrison Burke, second from left, celebrates with other crew members after winning a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships.

Westport's Harrison Burke, second from left, celebrates with other crew members after winning a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships.

Photo Credit: USrowing.org
Grace McGinley (right) of Westport rows with the USA junior women's 8+, which placed fifth at the world junior rowing championships.

Grace McGinley (right) of Westport rows with the USA junior women's 8+, which placed fifth at the world junior rowing championships.

Photo Credit: USrowing.org

Greenwich’s Gordon Johnson captured a silver medal with the Men’s 8+. David Orner of Darien, who rows for Maritime Rowing Club in Norwalk, picked up a bronze medal in the Men’s Quadruple Sculls. Harrison Burke of Westport, who rows for Saugatuck Rowing Club, captured a bronze in the Men’s Four with coxswain. Kelsey McGinley of Westport, also of SRC, also captured a bronze in the Women’s Four. Kaitlyn Kynast of Ridgefield, who competes for Connecticut Boat Club, won bronze in the Women’s Pair.

Grace McGinley of Westport and SRC and Darien’s Julia Cornacchia, of CBC, competed for the Women’s 8+ that finished fifth. Sean Hayes of Greenwich finished fourth with the Men’s Four.

The U.S. had a record-haul of six medals at worlds.

In the men’s eight, Johnson and his team lost by just .03 seconds to Germany.

“I will never forget crossing the halfway mark,” Johnson said. “We were neck-in-neck with Germany and that was a very real moment. Coming into that final sprint and our coxswain yelling that they had that half a seat right before the race ended, that is going to stick with me forever.”

Orner was part of a crew that won a medal in the event for the first time. “It is so exciting to be a part of the first crew,” Orner said. “Training over the summer, we have had this goal to make the podium. Getting there and realizing that the dream that we had is now complete, it's really special.

Kynast and teammate Kaliani Marchak broke a 10-year-old World Rowing junior record in winning their heat. In the final, the U.S. finished behind gold-medal winning Italy and Denmark.

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