Longtails Rowers Win Medals In Florida
Longtails Rowing Club claimed two gold medals at the Halifax Summer Regatta in Daytona Beach, Florida, with six junior rowers representing the programme.
Nasser Fahy and Salem Jackson-Smith won gold in the doubles event before joining Zoe Oduntan and Diya Steede to secure another gold in the quad sculls.
The team also included Alasdair Penz and Yusuf Abdul-Rashid. Oduntan and Abdul-Rashid also competed in the singles, finishing fourth.
Founded by Oduntan in August last year, Longtails Rowing Club is an independent youth rowing initiative that works with volunteer coaches to provide training and create opportunities for young rowers.
Oduntan, a Saltus Grammar School student, said it was an “awesome experience” for the six rowers to compete at the regatta.
“We competed with much more experienced rowers, and this has opened our eyes to what we can achieve as Longtails in the future,” Oduntan told Bernews.
“I’m happy to report that Nasser and Salem won gold in their doubles event, and Diya and I, along with Nasser and Salem, won another gold in our quad event.
“Yusuf and I also challenged ourselves by competing in the single races.
“Although we didn’t medal, we both finished fourth and gave it our best.
“Racing alone takes courage, and experiences like this help us improve and step outside our comfort zones.
“Winning medals is a great achievement, and so is building the confidence to take on something difficult. That is something I’m personally working on.
“We’re excited for the coming school year and for more young people in Bermuda to experience the joy of rowing.”
Oduntan added: “We’re very grateful for our coaches in Bermuda because of the consistent training we received from them multiple times each week gave us the skills and confidence to even consider participating in this competition.
“Also thankful to the coaches at Lake Crew for their support and for the training this past week. The rowers at Lake Crew are also a great team; they made us feel welcome.”
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