Skip to content

Saanich rowers headed to Olympics

National team rowers Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee strike gold at World Cup in Switzerland
76721saanichRowingJennerich
Saanich’s Lindsay Jennerich pumps her arms as she wins World Cup gold with lightweight double sculls partner Patricia Obee in Lucerne

National team rowers Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee are heading to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games with a golden boost.

On Saturday the two upset pre-race favourites New Zealand and China to win gold in the lightweight double at the World Cup rowing regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland.

It’s the second World Cup gold medal for Jennerich, who won a 2010 World Cup gold medal in the double with (since-retired) Tracy Cameron. Jennerich, 33, and Obee, 24, have twice won silver at World Cup events in 2011 and 2014.

Lucerne was the second of three World Cup events for 2016 but is likely Jennerich and Obee’s final international competition ahead of Rio, Aug. 5 to 21.

“We hung in there enough that when we really started to turn that dial up, it was there,” Jennerich told Rowing Canada. “It’s all about timing, it’s about choosing that moment at the right time.”

Jennerich and Obee won gold with a time of seven minutes and 10 seconds, ahead of South Africa and New Zealand.

“In this field, it’s so tight and these girls are so good,” Jennerich said. “We also need to believe that we are. We haven’t been one of them but we are now. I’m really proud of [Obee] for getting to enjoy her first Lucerne gold medal and our first gold medal together.”

Jennerich is a former Claremont secondary student and former UVic Vike, while Obee is a Stelly’s secondary grad and former Washington Husky.

It was the only gold medal for Canada in Lucern though Carling Zeeman (women’s single sculls), Kate Sauks (lightweight women’s single sculls) and the women’s eight all competed in Final A heat.