Grainger facing toughest final

Published on Friday 28 August 2009 23:44

KATHERINE Grainger, Scotland's three-times Olympic silver medallist and four-times world champion, faces the toughest field of her single sculls career so far when she lines up in today's final at the World Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland.

Her strong semi-final performance has given her lane five with, crucially, scullers on either side to keep her in touch with the rest of the race.

She lines up with China's Xiuyun Zhang alongside her, but the main medal battle looks likely to be played out between reigning champion Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus, and pre-event favourite Mirka Knapkova from the Czech Republic, who won this season's World Cup ahead of Grainger.

Realistically the best that Grainger can set her sights on is bronze, but to win that she will have to defeat two scullers who have beaten her every time they have raced – New Zealand's Emma Twigg as well as Zhang. Completing the line-up is Russia's Julia Levina, and Grainger has beaten her twice.

Grainger knows she has a mammoth task on her hands in what is her first year in single sculls. She was pleased with the semi-final performance but conceded: "The final's going to be a different ball-game, but I'm hoping to step up at each stage of the regatta – one more step to go."

Grainger is one of five British crews contesting medal finals today, as well as three adaptive crews. Among the medal favourites are the British men's pair, who will have a battle royal with New Zealand, and the men's four, who face Australia's Olympic silver medallists.