Elgin rower picked for uni race
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AN ELGIN rower will take part in the Scottish equivalent of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race.
John McIntyre has been named in the Aberdeen University team which will take on the Robert Gordon University crew next Saturday, March 10.
The 17th annual Aberdeen Asset Management Universities’ Boat Race will see the two teams battle it out by rowing 3.5km from the Bridge of Dee to Aberdeen Boat Club. The main race begins at 2.45pm.
McIntyre (22) is a fifth-year mechanical engineering student at Aberdeen University.
He will be taking the stroke position and says that being picked for the varsity team has been one of his biggest achievements in rowing.
"Before taking up rowing I played rugby at school. I was approached by a member of the boat club at a freshers’ sports fair and asked to join because of my height," he said.
He trains at least seven or eight times a week and follows a healthy diet
"Diet is important when you are training but although I eat much more than the average person, it’s all good food," he added.
McIntyre has also previously been part of the winning Scottish team at the Tideway Head of the River Race in London in 2010 and 2011.
His sporting heroes include Olympic rower Sir Matthew Pinsent, cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy and Scottish rugby legend Chris Paterson.
McIntyre will be joined in the boat by Alex Wohling (23) from Germany, Alex MacQueen (21) from Edinburgh, Andrew McNeil (23) from Edinburgh, Calum Thirlwell (23) from Northumberland, Ellie Wagstaff (21) from Perthshire, Ingibjorg Thomsen (24) from Faroe Islands, Jenny Allan (21) St Andrews, and Naomi Patterson (22) from Uplawmoor.
Hugh Little, of sponsors Aberdeen Asset Management, said: "We have sponsored the race for 12 years and each year we are impressed with the high calibre of athletes who compete in the challenge."
