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SHANGHAI, Sept. 21, 2023 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--

On September 16th, the 2023 Head of Shanghai River Regatta was held along the

Suzhou Creek. This year marks the third edition of the Regatta, which has been

expanded to include not only the university group and club group, but also the

elite group and youth group, making the race more professional. The organizing

committee invited famous Cambridge University Boat Club, Oxford Brookes

University Boat Club, Australian National Rowing Team, as well as domestic

strong teams with national team members.

Video: https://h.xinhuaxmt.com/vh512/share/11689641?d=134b308&channel=weixin

A total of nearly 700 atheletes from 51 teams in men's and women's eight, 10

quadruple sculls teams, and 14 single sculls rowers participated in the

competition. In the elite group, the Cambridge University Boat Club and the

Australian National Rowing Team won the men's eight and the women's eight

respectively in the 4.2km pursuit. The Australian National Rowing Team also

clinched the men's and women's championship titles in the elite group's 500m

sprint, according to Shanghai Administration of Sports.

Thomas Lynch from Cambridge University Boat Club, said "Rowing is an ancient

sport in the UK. Here in Shanghai, it feels very different. It's a new sport.

All these boat clubs started only five or ten years ago, and everyone is so

enthusiastic. I've been trying to learn as much Chinese as I can, so I could

say 'thank you' to all my competitors."

The slogan of this Regatta is "Pull together, Forge ahead", as it invites

rowers from all over the world to popularize the rowing culture on the mother

river of Shanghai.

Kong Qingtao, leader of the rowing team at Shanghai Ocean University, said:

"The level of rowing this year is relatively high. There are also teams of

overseas universities, which offers a great platform for our exchanges. Our

result in 4.2km pursuit is one minute faster than last year, and we were the

champion last year. We only finished third this year, because other teams have

made faster progress."

Shanghai has a history of rowing over a hundred years. In the future, the Head

of Shanghai River Regatta will continue to promote Shanghai as a world-renowned

sports city, and strengthen dialogues and exchanges between Shanghai and the

world through rowing.

Source: Shanghai Administration of Sports

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   Caption: 2023 Head of Shanghai River Regatta