Crashes, buoys and navigation for World Rowing coastal championship finals

The day began with the B-finals which were raced over the same 4km course as the heats. This was followed by the six A-finals raced over a 6km course. This course seemed to be very challenging and caused a couple of crews to have navigation problems.

This year’s overall Team Trophy went to Italy. Also a new record was broken with the biggest number of nations winning medals – a total of 12.  

Women’s Coxed Quadruple Sculls (CW4x+) – Final

GRE01, ITA01, RUS01 and GER01 were the leading crews with a massive advantage to the rest of the field for the majority of the race. GRE01 was the dominant crew and got to the 6km finish first. ITA01 came second. RUS01 and GER01 both fought for the bronze medal, making the finish incredibly close with GER01 having only half a second of advantage at the end. This makes the first medal for a German crew in this boat class.

Bad luck for the local crew from Team Chablais Aviron (FRA02) after breaking an oar at the first 500 metres. Despite the circumstances, they managed to finish the remaining 5.5km with three athletes only.  

Results: GRE01, ITA01, GER01

Styliani Koumpli – GRE01 – gold
“We are very happy with this result and I feel honored to row in this crew of high class rowers. The first time we rowed together in this combination was two days ago and it went so well. Our coxswain is very experienced in coastal rowing and in future I would like to continue to row with my crew.”

Aneta Kyridou – GRE01 – gold
“I am very excited! Our race was very hard and we made a couple of navigation errors but we tried hard and pushed as much as we could until the end.”

Federica Molinaro – ITA01 – silver
“The race was fun and amazing at the same time. The course was difficult but our cox made the best of it. We didn’t expect to win a medal; all the other athletes in our race were so strong and experienced.”

Gaby Schulz – GER01 – bronze
“We did not expect this at all. The finish was so close and to me it looked like we came third but the rest of my crew was not sure about it. So it was exciting to find out that we actually won a medal! After our heat yesterday we hoped to come 6^th but this result is really great. Everyone in our crew had a certain role and in this combination it was an optimal cooperation. We managed to row together really well and made the best of it.”

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Men’s Double Sculls (CM2x) – Final

This race was almost affected by a large ferry crossing the middle of the course but it managed to time this very neatly. MON01 was really strong in the beginning and managed to stretch their lead but HUN01 was not willing to let go. MON01 struggled at a couple of buoys, giving HUN01 the chance to overtake convincingly in an amazing sprint. For the rest of the race HUN01 kept their advantage, making them the winner of the gold medal. ITA01 came third despite several navigation issues during the race.

Results: HUN01, MON01, ITA01

Bendeguz Petervari-Molnar – HUN01 – gold
“That was a great race. We had an early lead but lost our advantage due to a navigation error. We did our best to catch up so I guess we created some excitement for the spectators but it was also tiring. It is the second time for us to be in a boat together so maybe we continue in this combination in future”

Quentin Antognelli – MON01 – silver
“Last year I came third at the World Rowing Coastal Championships but this year I have a new partner and a new medal! We didn’t expect to be in the first three positions but to be honest we aimed for it. We will row again at next year’s World Rowing Coastal Championships but we don’t know yet in which crew. After this race we definitely want to stay in the double.”

Gustavo Ferrio – ITA01 – bronze
“That was a brave race. In the first part we were pushing so hard and then we made a navigation error at the fourth buoy which gave ESP01 the chance to catch up. But we kept very focused, especially in the last part of the race.”

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Women’s Solo (CM1x) – Final

By only half way around the course, the entire field of the women’s solo final was spread out by around 600 metres and Ukraine’s Diana Dymchenko was the clear leader with her amazing performance. She was leading basically from start to finish line and constantly built up the advantage over the rest of the field. Monika Dukarska (IRL01) was her strongest opponent in this race but had trouble after getting stuck at the first buoy. She managed to get back to her pace and to keep the silver position. The third medal was taken by the well-known local Edwige Alfred from Team Chablair Aviron. Big frustration came up for FRA11 after a navigation error which made her miss the second buoy completely and she had to turn back, facing all the other crews.

Results: UKR01, IRL01, FRA01

Diana Dymchenko – UKR01 – gold
“The race was super and I am very happy. The location of this event was lovely and the whole atmosphere was so nice. Everyone was very helpful and the organisation was really great.”

Monika Dukarska – IRL01 – silver
“The race was good and I got my layout fine even though the waves by a motor boat created problems for me. I already won gold and bronze medals at Coastal Championships so now I have got a whole collection.”

Edwige Alfred – FRA01- bronze
“The course was very hard with a lot of surprises. I am actually from Thonon so I felt really motivated by my local crowd – almost like ‘Red Bull gives you wings!’”

Men’s Coxed Quadruple Sculls (CM4x+) – Final

After a mass false start with many crews crossing the start line around five seconds before the start, this race had to be re-started. Once on the way, the race turned out to be a battle, especially at the second buoy. Multiple mass clashes and a couple of crews having broken blades was the result of this high tension. Despite these rough conditions, ITA01 managed to stay focused and crossed the finish line first with a solid advantage. They were followed by a strong crew around ITA06 who were happy silver medal winners. Coming in bronze position, POR01 took the first and only medal for Portugal at these championships.

Results: ITA0, ITA06, POR01

Stefano Morganti – ITA01- gold
“We are so happy. The race was very nice and we managed to lead straight away. It’s a very nice victory at the end of this season. This was also our first time ever to row together in this combination.”

Luca Chiumento – ITA06 – silver
“We gave our maximum right at the start of the race and everything paid off. We knew exactly what to do and had exactly the same rhythm. We are very satisfied. “

Nuno Goncalves Coelho – POR01 – bronze
“This was a nice race. We had some issues in the first part but the managed to catch up. This is the first time we row together in this composition and it was a nice experience. For sure we will do it again.”

Women’s Double Sculls (CW2x) – Final

The final of the women’s double sculls showed an incredibly spread out field and it almost seemed to be like a timed head race. Excitement was created by FRA07 and FRA11 clashing at the first buoy and both coming to complete stand-still. This gave Russia a chance. Juliia Volgina and Olga Khalaleeva pushed themselves to the lead of the field and did not let any crew come closer. They passed the finish line almost half a minute before silver medalists FRA01. ESP03 then came in third place after a strong sprint and only two seconds advantage before TUN01.

Results: RUS01, FRA01, ESP03

Juliia Volgina – RUS01 – gold
“What an amazing race. We pushed so hard and it was magic for us.”

Nathalie Collet– FRA01 – silver
“We are so happy. This is the fifth medal for this crew. It was great to have the Coastal Championships in France, the organisation was great here. However, the race was hard without any waves, there was no chance to surf on the waves and take advantage of them. Also the navigation was difficult.”

Maria Galvan Garcia- ESP03- bronze
“This was our first competition together and we could not believe the result when we crossed the finish line. We were so full of adrenaline!”

Men’s Solo (CM1x) – Final

This race concluded the 2017 World Rowing Championships and showed a high class race. Simone Martini (ITA01) took the lead very early in the race and maintained this position in an amazing performance. The silver medal went well deserved to Peru’s Eduardo Linares Ruiz, who took his second consecutive silver medal. Last year’s winner Adrian Miramon Quiroga of Spain lost touch with the head of the field after a navigation issue but put in a massive sprint finish in the last leg to take the bronze away from RUS02.

Results: ITA01, PER01, ESP01

Simone Martini – ITA01 – gold
“It went really well. I trained very hard for this and it actually went exactly how I expected. I am very satisfied.”

Eduardo Linares Ruiz – PER01 – silver
“This was a pretty good race for me but also really hard. I am very happy about the result.”

Adrian Miramon Quiroga – ESP01 – bronze
“The start went very well for me. I was first in the beginning but had some issues at the second buoy. That cost me a couple of positions. I needed to find the right chance to get back in the leading group.”