When the Canadian women’s eight rowing team takes to the water in Serbia at the world championships this week for the opportunity to qualify a boat for its Olympic title defence, the squad will look markedly different from the one that crossed the finish line first in Tokyo.
Two years removed from Canada’s first Olympic gold medal in the women’s eight since 1992, only three rowers — Toronto’s Sydney Payne, Avalon Wasteneys of Campbell River, B.C., and Calgary’s Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski — will return to a crew in Belgrade looking to be among five countries that can qualify in the women’s eight for the
