Five Former Cavaliers Head to World Rowing Championships

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Aug 23, 2013

World Championship Central
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—Five former Cavaliers are in Chungju, South Korea, for the 2013 World Rowing Championships, to be held Aug. 25-Sept. 1. The quintet includes 2013 graduate Susanne Grainger, Inge Janssen (Class of 2010), Christine Roper (Class of 2011), Helen Tompkins (Class of 2010) and former UVa softball and volleyball player Meghan O’Leary (Class of 2008).

The group of five represents the largest representation UVa has ever had at the World Rowing Championships and marks the 10th time in the last 11 years Virginia has had at least one rower at the regatta.

Grainger and Roper will compete in the Canadian women’s eight, while Roper will also row in the women’s four. The duo earned bronze in the women’s eight at the World Rowing Cup regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland, in July, while Roper earned gold in the women’s four.

Janssen will represent The Netherlands in the women’s single, the event she earned bronze in at the 2013 European Championships.

Tompkins will compete for the United States in the women’s lightweight quadruple sculls. She represented the U.S. at the 2008 and 2009 World Under-23 Championships in the women’s single and in the women’s quadruple sculls at the 2010 U23 regatta.

O’Leary will row in the American women’s double sculls, the same event she and teammate Ellen Tomek earned bronze in at the World Rowing Cup regatta in Lucerne.