No whiplash on the water as local rower wins gold at worlds

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This article was published 24/11/2010 (5762 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Meghan Montgomery’s year started with a crash, but it ended with a bash.

The 29-year-old rower from St. Norbert was in a car accident shortly after she and her national team crewmates finished fourth at the 2009 World Championships.

Despite whiplash in her neck and shoulders that still lingers today, Montgomery and her adaptive coxed four boat rowed to gold for Canada earlier this month in New Zealand at the 2010 World Championships.

“I didn’t have a great training year,” Montgomery said by email from New Zealand. “I spent a lot of time working on being as technically efficient as possible. Rowing is a sport of strength and endurance, but it is also very technical.”

The gold medal was the biggest accomplishment to date for Montgomery, who rows in the adaptive category because she was born with an underdeveloped right hand that has only three fingers.

The Winnipeg Rowing Club member, who moved to Victoria to train full-time with the national team in 2007, was part of bronze-medal crews in the 2006 and 2007 events, and finished sixth at the 2008 Paralympics.

“It was one of my best races, and it was a big win!” she said. “I have been dreaming of standing on a podium and hearing the Canadian anthem for years. It was amazing to achieve that dream.”

Montgomery said the team went into the race believing it had a legitimate chance to win gold, but didn’t have the start it wanted. The Canadians were in third at the midway point of the 1,000-metre race — usually a position that is too far back for a realistic chance at a comeback — and didn’t take the lead until the final few strokes.

“After crossing the finish line it was hard to believe that we had won,” she said.

The victory was a team effort, with all four rowers — Montgomery, Tony Theriault, David Blair and Victoria Nolan — along with coxswain Laura Comeau and coach Jeff Dunbrack contributing to the end result. In the case of Montgomery, Theriault, Nolan and Comeau, it was the culmination of training together since 2007.

“It was great to finally achieve the ultimate goal with the ‘veterans’ of the crew,” Montgomery said, “but we couldn’t have done it without our coach or without David. Everyone contributed equally to our win.”

Another World Championship opportunity looms in 2011, but Montgomery is already looking past that to her true holy grail: the 2012 Paralympics in London.

While the World Championships offer adaptive rowers the opportunity to compete at the same meet as Olympic champions, the Paralympics remain the event that everyone gears up for.

“It is the big year that we all work towards,” Montgomery said.

But before the sacrifices and commitment begin anew, Montgomery is taking some time to reflect. She’s been touring New Zealand to unwind, and says the memory of the race still brings a smile to her face.

“I am looking forward to getting home to celebrate with my friends and family,” she said, adding that she hopes her success might inspire young people to give the sport a try.

“It’s a little overwhelming to think about my success in the bigger picture,” she said. “I know that the success of other Manitoba/Winnipeg/WRC athletes has always inspired and motivated me. I hope others feel the same.”

avi.saper@canstarnews.com