Canadian Rowers Win At FISU World University Rowing Championship

Photo Credit Delta Deas Rowing FB

One sport that seldom gets coverage despite the fact that the Delta Deas Rowing Club is located at the Delta Slew off River Road.

We have done stories in the past but as like other sports either promotion or noting that the first ever rowing event was held May 10th and 11th (1986) for the BC Championship. 

It’s ironic that now retired rowing Olympians Lyle Gatley, Joy Fera, and Bill McKerlich worked with various volunteers to form a Society – thus  the Delta Deas Rowing Club was incorporated on December 3, 1986. Coaches Murray Johnson and Lyle Gatley prepared students for the 1987 B.C. Summer Games hosted by Delta Deas Rowing Club, with WestShore terminals providing a dock for the event.

It took a year before the GVRD granted approval for DDRC allowing them to operate in Deas Park that allowed them with a “Go BC.” grant along with donations from the Delta Credit Union and Delta Cablevision (now EastlinkTV) the groundbreaking for the boathouse kicked off March 1988. 

South Delta Secondary School students from Mr. Gatley’s Building Construction class, along with others, worked for many months on the project, completing it in time to host the B.C. Youth Championships in 1989.

In 1995 the DDRC expanded the dock to reduce the impact on  the foreshore to meet the  needs of the rowing club and ​the community that saw the construction of a 1500 square foot boat-shed and in  2015 saw additional work on the dock. 

The Delta Deas Rowing Club has hosted an annual High School Regatta for the past 26 years, and a Masters regatta for the past 18 years some of which have been covered by Delta TV.

If you turn your attention to Rowing Canada it’s noted that it made waves at the beginning of the 19th century on the east coast and spread to the west coast during the next hundred years. 

The first race was reported in 1811 and took place in Halifax Harbour.

Canadian rowers showcased their prowess at the 2024 FISU World University Rowing Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, achieving five podium finishes and expertly navigating strong tailwinds to secure top positions.

Leading the Canadian contingent were Sally Jones and Eliza Dawson in the women’s pair, who claimed gold with a 6.35-second lead over Austria and Lithuania. 

The Men’s Four, composed of Julian Black, Axel Ewashko, Sam Stewart, and Aidan Della Siega, earned silver after a close race with Italy, while Poland took bronze. 

In the Lightweight Men’s Single, Giancarlo Di Pompeo led until Italy’s strong finish secured them gold, with Canada taking silver and the Netherlands bronze.

The Women’s Eight, featuring Gabriella Diaz, Gabrielle Yarema, Gabriella Worobec, Rachel Weber, Ceilidh MacDonald, Gabrielle Kieser, Jacqueline Blunt, Danica Ariano, and Mikaela Holthuis, secured bronze in a tight race, with Italy taking silver and the USA gold. 

In the Lightweight Men’s Double, Connor Dodds and Charles Etienne Tabet claimed bronze.

Other notable performances included the Men’s Eight finishing 4th, the Lightweight Women’s Double placing 5th, and the Women’s Lightweight Single ending in 6th. 

Catherine Chénier-Gagnon finished 9th overall in the Women’s Single in her first international event.