YOG 2010: British pairs confident they've made improvements

From Tom Reynolds, Sportsbeat, in Singapore

ROOM for improvement was the message as Britain's coxless pairs prepared for Tuesday's semi-finals at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

Fiona Gammond and Georgia Howard-Merrill, fresh from their victory as part of the women's eight at the recent World Junior Championships, and Ed Nainby-Luxmoore and Casper Jopling both won their heats to avoid the need for another race in today's repechage.

But neither crew were content with their performance, even though they went second and third quickest respectively over the 1000m course.

"We definitely have some things to work on between now and the semi-final," said Gammond.

"We need to work out how we are going to sprint in the last 500m and hopefully we can get that sorted and then have a good performance in the semi-final.

"The conditions were nothing like we have experienced before and it was really bouncy and the races are so short, it is a bit strange but it's the same for everyone."

Nainby-Luxmoore and Jopling were back out on the water at the Marina Reservoir today. Both British pairs are getting used to rowing together having spent the season in other crews.

But Nainby-Luxmoore, part of the silver medal winning men's four at the World Junior Championships, is confident that they will soon click.

"Because we haven't been rowing in a pair together for long we have just got to work with the togetherness," he said.

"We weren't quite in time with each other and it was all rolling around a little bit. The coach didn't tell us off because he knows we have enough brute force to row quickly when we are rowing badly.

"But we want to row well and use the brute force to our advantage now and the extra day has been great for some more practice."

  Lloyds TSB, proud partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and supporter of Team GB on their journey to the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games. Visit LloydsTSB.com/London2012