Fairfield County Rowers Medal At World Championships

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. – New Canaan’s Andrew Campbell won a bronze medal Sunday and several other rowers from Fairfield County took home hardware at this weekend's World Rowing Senior and Junior Championships in Bulgaria.

Campbell won bronze in the lightweight senior single. On Saturday, Fairfield’s Alexa Zadravec and Rosie Grinalds also won bronze in the quadruple sculls crew. Deirdre Fitzpatrick, who rowed for the Norwalk-based Connecticut Boat Club, won a bronze medal as part of the junior women’s four. Liz Trond, who coached Fitzpatrick, and Wilton’s Guenter Buetter, who coached Zadravec and Grinalds, were members of the U.S. coaching staff.

Campbell, a Harvard student who rowed at Maritime Rowing Club for Yan Vengerovskiy, continues to make strides on the international stage. He has already medaled in the junior and under-23 world championships and finished fourth in the world meet last year.

In Sunday’s 2,000 meter race, he led through the first 500 meters and was second until the final 300 meters. Henrik Stephansen of Denmark won in 6:56:41, followed by Hungary’s Peter Galambos in 6:57.50. Campbell finished in 6:57.88.

“There’s a lot of people out there who think Americans can’t scull, but I’m happy to be showing the world that we can scull and we’re coming to get you,’’ Campbell said on the USRowing website. “It’s great to make the podium. This is definitely a deeper crowd than last year and I’m very proud of what I did.”

Zadravec and Grinalds, who were teammates at GMS Rowing in New Milford, and won gold at the U.S. Youth Nationals in June, helped the U.S. medal for the first time in their event. In Fitzpatrick’s event, the U.S. medaled for the second straight year with an entirely new crew. Grinalds was part of the 2011 junior women’s four that won gold. Three U.S. junior women’s teams won medals on Saturday.

“This is the result of us being one united team, everyone working together,” Trond said on the USRowing site. She oversees the women’s program and coaches the four and coordinates with Buetter, who coached the quad and oversees the women scullers. “It’s an historic regatta for us. Seven of the eight women’s boats were in the A final between the junior team and the senior team.”

Besides the medalists, Fairfield County was represented by several other contestants. New Canaan’s Graham Mink, Greenwich’s Alex Buck, Darien’s Bradley Plunkett and Greenwich’s Rich Caputo also rowed for the U.S. Junior team.

 

 

 

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