World Rowing Coastal Championships – Oldham trades ripples for waves; Rive as focused as during his Commonwealth Games lawn bowls days
- Hong Kong plays host to the coastal rowing championships, as the ‘amazing’ skyline treats newcomer Oldham to a change of scene from fine boat rowing
A lifetime of rowing on rivers began to seem repetitive for Canadian Aubrey Oldham, but when friends took part in the Commonwealth Beach Sprints and 2018 World Rowing Coastal Championships his eyes opened to new possibilities.
“I've been in the bubble of the flat water rowing,” Oldham said. “In Canada, in North America, coastal rowing isn't on the radar at all even though Canada hosted the coastal champs last year. Most coastal boats are used to learn to row. It hasn't been seen as an elite sport in it's own right, which it should be and hopefully will become.
“It just looked like a great version of the sport which I hadn't tried,” he said.
Oldham is in Hong Kong this weekend. The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is playing host to the 2019 World Rowing Coastal Championships, with more than 500 rowers from around the world. Oldham is competing in the solo category.
Oldham, 38, is in his first year of coastal rowing, and although he came fourth in the mixed pairs in last weekend’s World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Shenzhen, he is just hoping to post a good time, so he has a reference for his improvement next year.