Sullivan strikes gold at Dorney Lake

HENLEY’S new outrigger canoe crew are some of the fastest paddlers in the country following the Great Britain Outrigger Canoe National Championships held at Dorney Lake last weekend.

Teams from across the country descended on the former Olympic race venue to battle it out in 500m and 1,000m sprints with three turns.

A few weeks ago the Henley crew didn’t even have a boat but last weekend they medalled in every category, with gold medals in the 500m men’s and mixed, silvers in the 500m ladies, 1,000m ladies and 1,000m mixed and bronze in the 1,000m mixed.

Stars for the club were Sammy Sullivan, Laurence Plant and Chris Blacker who raced single outrigger canoes — known as V1s. Plant bagged a bronze while Sullivan, having only started the sport in January, beat the reigning champion outright and brought back gold.

The crew have been training together for months up and down the Thames and the club are always on the lookout for new members. Anyone interested in having a go at the sport should email henleydragons@ outlook.com for further details.