12:41pm Monday 11th August 2008
By Stuart Amos
Molesey Boat Club cox Acer Nethercott has lavished praise on coaching team Mark Banks and John West after taking Team GB’s men’s rowing eight to Sunday’s Olympic final in Beijing.
The British crew - containing Wandsworth’s Alastair Heathcote - romped home to win their heat by more than a length from the USA and China on Monday.
The result puts them among the favourites to claim gold at the weekend with their time beating the winners of the other heat - Canada - by two seconds.
Britain finished third behind the Canadians and the Chinese at the Lucerne World Cup regatta in June, before claiming gold in the final Olympic qualifiers in Poznan a fortnight later.
And Nethercott reckons their resurgence over the last two months has been solely down to the two men working behind the scenes.
"Our coaches have done a fantastic job with this crew since the Lucerne World Cup,” he said.
“That was our last true test against the rest of the world and we knew we weren't up to speed then, so they have been taking us forward technically.
“It was a good, solid row.”
Britain trailed USA and China at the 500m stage, but bounced back to ease clear by the half-way stage from which point they never looked back.
But only Alex Partridge - who missed the 2004 Olympics through illness - allowed himself a moment of excitment.
“It's brilliant fun being here. It's like an experience you would never get anywhere else,” he added.
”When you are a length up on a crew like the USA and you are looking back at them it seems like an awful long way.”
Nethercott’s Molesey clubmates Andrew Triggs-Hodge and Tom James are through to the semi-finals in the blue riband men’s coxless fours on Wednesday.
The pair - along with team-mates Steve Williams and Peter Reed - made a controlled start to their gold medal quest to ease home ahead of of the dangerous Italians by two seconds.
Molesey’s Tom Solesbury is into the repechage of the Men’s pair with partner Robin Bourne-Taylor.
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