World Best Time set in adaptive rowing heats

Great Britain’s Helene Raynsford not only won the first event of the first ever Paralympic Games adaptive rowing event, but she did it in style by setting a new World Best Time. Raynsford achieved this in drizzly, cool conditions facing a very slight head wind and flat water.

Arms Only Women’s Single Sculls (AW1x)

Twelve boats qualified in this event and so were divided into two heats for the first round of racing. The top boat only would qualify directly for the Final. All other boats would return for the repechage.

Heat one featured 2006 World Champion Helene Raynsford of Great Britain. Raynsford was formerly a ballet dancer before a brain injury left her without the use of her legs. She came to rowing from wheelchair basketball and made the Paralympic Games her single-minded focus. By the 250m mark Raynsford had a full boat length over Liudmila Vauchok of Belarus and Israel’s Pascal Bercovitch. As Bercovitch dropped back Vauchok clearly established herself into second.

Raynsford continued to lead with Poland’s Martyna Snopek hauling in Israel and moving into third. Raynsford will go directly to the Final. Despite Raynsford’s reasonably relaxed pace of a 31 stroke rate, she set a new World Best Time of 5.38.44.

Results: GBR, BLR, POL, ISR, KOR, HKG

Heat two saw Ukraine’s Svitlana Kupriianova get off to a flying start but with Laura Schwanger of the United States hot on her tail. This is Schwanger’s fourth Paralympic Games, but her former experience has been in track & field events. By the half-way point Schwanger had moved into the lead. Kupriianova tried to hold on but decided to give it away in the second half of the race. Much to the crowd’s delight, Kupriianova’s slower pace gave Jinhong Zhang of China what she needed to move into second. But Schwanger now had an open water lead and will be the one to go directly to the Final.

Results: USA, CHN, UKR, BRA, ITA, POR

Arms Only Men’s Single Sculls (AM1x)

Like the women’s single, the men had twelve qualified boats spread over two heats. The top boat in each heat would be the one going directly to the Final on Thursday.

Oleksandr Petrenko of Ukraine sent out a very clear message in heat one. By the 250m mark Petrenko already had a full boat length lead over Yeteng Tan of China in second. Petrenko burst onto the adaptive rowing scene earlier this year when he took gold at the Munich Rowing World Cup in his first international race. By the finish line Petrenko had an open water lead and earned a day of rest by qualifying directly for the Final.

Results: UKR, CHN, ITA, USA, HUN, CAN

Great Britain’s Tom Aggar set the standard in heat two. Aggar is the current World Best Time holder as well as the World Champion in this event and he showed his dominance by easily leading from start to finish. Aggar left the starting blocks in the lead and already had a full length advantage by the 250m mark. As Brazil began to slip back, Israel’s Eli Nawi moved through the field and tried to edge closer to Aggar. But Aggar’s lead was formidable.

Crossing the line in 5:12.25 gave Aggar a chance to send a clear message out to the 11 other scullers in this event. The former rugby player will go directly to the Final on Thursday where he will meet Petrenko.

Results: GBR, ISR, FRA, AUS, BRA, ESP

Trunk & Arms Mixed Double Sculls (TAMix2x)

Coming first in each of these two heats meant a chance to go directly to the Final and China, in heat one, was the crew to secure the spot. The high rating Yangjing Zhou and Zilong Shan of China moved into the lead at the start over Australia.

John MacLean and Kathryn Ross, rowing for Australia, tried to hold on to the pace of Zhou and Shan, but the Chinese were able to react to any pieces that the Australians threw at them. The Chinese were also boosted by the vocal crowd, spurring them on with Zhou and Shan managing to hold off a strong finish by MacLean and Ross. Zhou and Shan go directly to the Final with all other boats returning for tomorrow’s repechage. This is a big step up for the Chinese who finished seventh last year.

Results: CHN, AUS, UKR, USA, GER, CAN

Leading the way in heat two was Elton Santana and Josiane Lima of Brazil. Lima is the reigning World Champion in this event with former partner Lucas Pagani. Santana, who has changed to sculling from racing last year in the coxed four, looks to be fitting in very nicely with the duo already nudging into the lead after 50m.

Behind the Brazilians, Poland, Great Britain and Italy carried out a close battle. Poland had a slight early advantage but lost it through the middle of the race when Daniele Stefanoni and Stefania Toscano of Italy did a strong push. Still Santana and Lima remained comfortably in the lead. Brazil will advance directly to the Final.

Results: BRA, ITA, GBR, POL, ISR, JPN

Legs, Trunk & Arms Mixed Coxed Four (LTAMix4+)

As some of these athletes are blind, at the start line the starting umpire calls out when the light turns red. The first finisher in each of the two heats would take a direct path to Thursday’s Final. This was very closely fought in heat one when the United States, Great Britain and Italy all refused to give up.

Great Britain had a slight edge at the start, but the Italians successfully challenged and moved into the lead. The British, who finished second at the World Rowing Championships last year, held on to Italy’s pace with the United States well within attacking range. Coming into the final 250m sprint Italy held their momentum and despite strokeman Graziana Saccocci missing a stroke, the crew remained swift. A big push by the United States moved them closer to the all-important qualifying spot. But the USA had left their run a little too late. Italy goes directly to the Final and Great Britain just holds off the USA.

Results: ITA, GBR, USA, CAN, RUS, DEN

Reigning World Champions Germany lined up in heat two but found themselves back in third coming out of the start. Instead it was Brazil and China setting the pace. There was very little in it however with all three boats well in the range of taking the lead. Brazil held on to a slight edge. Then a big push by the high rating Chinese, going through the third quarter of the race, put them into the front. Brazil had no comeback.

China, who finished 10th last year at the World Rowing Championships, finish first and earn a spot in the Final.

Results: CHN, GER, BRA, RSA, NED, ISR