- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Sally Robbins will consider her rowing future over the next week, after having her chance of Olympic redemption in Beijing officially ended today.
Why her rowing ‘mates’ will be happy with the news
As expected, Robbins’ underwhelming trial performances over the past two months failed to win her a spot in the Australian rowing team to compete in Beijing named today, with her lack of pace rather than controversial past the reason for her absence.
And while Rowing Australia high performance director Noel Donaldson did not rule out Robbins’ participation in London in 2012, the 26-year-old was giving no hints to her future today.
“Obviously I’m disappointed that I won’t have the chance to represent my country in the double scull and have the opportunity to qualify and compete at my third Olympic Games in Beijing,” Robbins said in a statement.
“The past four years have been tough but I’m proud of myself and all that I’ve achieved.
“It was a close battle throughout the selection process and I wish all the girls the best for the coming months and their Olympic campaign.
“I’d also like to thank the enormous number of people who have supported and assisted me on my journey to this point.
“I will be taking some time now to establish new goals and I’m looking forward to an exciting future. Currently time with my family and friends is what is important to me, without interruption.”
Robbins’ infamous “Lay Down Sally” moment at the Athens Games four years ago – when she stopped rowing in the final of the women’s eights – had focused attention on her bid to make the team.
But Donaldson said Robbins simply wasn’t fast enough to qualify for the women’s double sculls.
“She knew what she was in for at the recent trials and she got rowed out by other girls,” Donaldson said.
“The girls actually who are rowing in the boat she was trialling for – Catriona Sens and Sonia Mills – medalled at the World Cup a couple of years ago as well, so she was against some pretty good opposition.”
Donaldson said Robbins was obviously upset at missing out on Beijing and that he had spoken to her at length about her failure to make the team.
“With all the pressure on Sally over the years, we took a lot of time to debrief her and talk to her about her performance and how she went, and also to talk about the road ahead,” Donaldson said.
“She’s obviously very disappointed, there’s no doubt about that, and we followed that up with communication since and she seems quite stable at home.”
But the door remains open for Robbins to redeem herself, with Donaldson saying the rower’s future was in her own hands.
“We want to encourage her to continue in the sport and enjoy it, whether she competes internationally, that’s her choice,” Donaldson said.
“Those who have had perhaps negative experiences in the past always look forward to another opportunity, in many ways it’s why they stay in it, and Sally, she’ll just have to wait her time for another opportunity.”
Steve Lawrence, the executive director of Western Australia Institute of Sport where Robbins is based, said she could still be a chance for the 2012 Games.
“Our view of Sally is that at her age she has still got the capability of going to the 2012 Olympics if she chooses to, but really that is a decision for Sally and her family and her coach to make,” Lawrence said.
The Australian team has so far qualified 11 boats for Beijing with an Olympic qualification regatta in Poland in June, providing an opportunity to qualify the three remaining boats.
If those boats qualify it would make the rowers the largest of the Australian teams to compete in Beijing.