Canadian world rowing champion Lindsay Jennerich will face a new wrinkle in her plans to defend her world title this week in the lightweight women's double at Bled, Slovenia.
Her partner, Tracy Cameron, who rowed with Jennerich to win this class a year ago, is still recovering from a rib stress fracture and has been taken out of the boat.
Cameron will row in the single boat, a non-Olympic boat.
"Given that I'm not yet 100 per cent, it's too much of a risk," said Cameron, who won an Olympic bronze medal in Beijing. "We are approaching this in a businesslike manner and the goal has always been to qualify the double for the Olympics."
Jennerich will now row the lightweight double with Patricia Obee, who , like Jennerich, is also from Victoria, B.C. Jennerich has rowed in a boat with her before.
But it will be the ultimate challenge for Obee, who is only 19 years old. A rising star, she was the youngest competitor on the under-23 boat, and she will be the youngest competitor among the Canadians at the world championships this week.
"I trust and believe that Lindsay and Patricia can get this job done," Cameron said.
Rowing Canada high performance director Peter Cookson said that Cameron has not completely healed to the level required for the double, but she has been progressing well with treatment and has been medically cleared to row in the single.
"I'm confident that we have a great replacement in Patricia Obee, and this boat can get in a position to qualify," Cookson said.
This week, Canada needs to finish in the top eight in the lightweight women's double to qualify a boat for the Olympics in London next year. The boat, not the athlete, gets the spot for the Games.
This is the only boat class for lightweight women at the Olympics.