UTokyo Rowing Team Earns Medal for the First Time in 30 Years at the All-Japan Rowing Newcomers Championship

Date of activity: August 20, 2016 - August 21, 2016

The 57th All-Japan Rowing Newcomers Championship was held at the Naganuma Boat Park in Tome, Miyagi Prefecture, on August 20-21.
UTokyo's Rowing Team participated in the single scull (1 person rowing) and the eight (a helmsman with eight rowers) competitions.
 
Only second-year university students and younger can compete in the All-Japan Rowing Newcomers Championship. The eight, with eight rowers and a helmsman, is considered to be a particularly important competition within the Championship because it is good at predicting the results of the All-Japan Collegiate Rowing Tournament held 1 or 2 years later.

In the eight race, the UTokyo team was narrowly defeated by Sendai University and Tohoku University, but they defeated Kyoto University and Keio University. They received a bronze medal for their efforts, making it the first time in 30 years that the UTokyo Rowing Team has earned a medal in this competition. Also, they completed the 2000m race in 5 minutes and 58 seconds, thereby becoming the first second-year UTokyo student crew to do so in under 6 minutes.

After this championship, the UTokyo Rowing Team will participate in the All-Japan Collegiate Rowing Tournament from September 22-25th. In the eight race, which will consist of third- and fourth-year students, UTokyo is expected to get a medal for the first time in 28 years and win the overall competition for the first time in 29 years. Also, the coxed four crew (a helmsman and four rowers), which is composed of some of the members of the All-Japan Rowing Newcomers Championship eight race crew, is expected to get a medal for the first time in 29 years. Please cheer for the UTokyo Rowing Team as they compete in these upcoming races!

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