Dunkley-Smith to row Aust men's four

Olympic medallist Joshua Dunkley-Smith will switch from the Aust men's eight to the four for the upcoming rowing world champs after injury to Alex Lloyd.

Olympic silver medallist Joshua Dunkley-Smith has been switched into the Australian men's coxless four for this month's world rowing championships to replace injured Alexander Lloyd.

Dunkley-Smith, who won silver in the event at the 2012 London Olympics, had been in the men's eight preparing for the world titles in Aiguebelette, France, which double as the qualification regatta for next year's Rio Olympics.

But with Lloyd ruled out by a broken collarbone after crashing his bike, selectors opted for the coxless four experience of Dunkley-Smith over reserves Joshua Hicks and Christopher Cunningham-Reid.

One of those rowers will now take Dunkley-Smith's place in the eight, with their coach Tim McLaren to make the call.

Dunkley-Smith, 26, joins William Lockwood, also a 2012 Olympic silver medallist, in the coxless four with Alexander Hill and Spencer Turrin.

Chairman of selectors and head coach Chris O'Brien said Victorian Dunkley-Smith was the obvious choice.

"He has a proven track history in the boat having won silver at the London 2012 Olympic Games as well as recent world rowing cup and championship medals in the boat class," O'Brien said.

"While disruption to any crew is not ideal leading into the world championships and Olympic qualification regatta, we believe that the changes will lead to a relatively smooth transition."

The change doesn't mean Dunkley-Smith will hold the berth for Rio should the boat qualify.

The men's four are looking to repeat their gold medal performance at the recent Lucerne World Cup regatta.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world