27 Jun 2011
Super day for New Zealand in Hamburg finals
For the last couple of days rowers have rowed in predominantly tail-cross wind conditions. Today the winds were light at first, picking up throughout the racing session, causing slight bobbles on the water mainly in the last stretch of the race.
Women’s Pair (W2-) – Final
The women’s pair was won last year by New Zealand’s Juliette Haigh and Rebecca Scown. Despite Haigh spending a period of the ‘off season’ out of the boat due to back problems, the selectors had faith in her and kept the pain line up the same this season. Haigh proved that the selectors had made the right decision. The New Zealand duo led from start to finish and in dominating form.
Going through the middle of the race Haigh and Scown had gained open water over South Africa, now in second. Naydene Smith and Lee-Ann Persse of South Africa are in their first season together and the young duo were doing a fine job over their much senior rivals, Kerstin Hartmann and Marlene Sinnig of Germany. Hartmann and Sinnig are going into their third season together and they were receiving huge crowd support as they came into the close of the race as they tried to catch the South Africans.
Smith and Persse, however, had the power to hold off the Germans, although not enough to get closer to New Zealand. The order remained the same with Haigh and Scown maintaining a 37 – 38 stroke rate throughout the race and finishing with a clear water lead.
Results: NZL, RSA, GER, CRO, RUS, CHN3
Rebecca Scown (NZL) – Gold
"It was a difficult race and not very tidy. It's our first race in the World Cup Series, so were are happy with the result. We are looking for more competition."
Naydene Smith, Lee-Ann Persse (RSA) – Silver
"This is our first regatta as a pair and the race was a lot better than expected. We are very happy with the result. The windy weather conditions are okay because we are used to it in RSA. We went to give special thanks to our coach and our supporters."
Marlene Sinnig (Ger) – Bronze
"We are not happy with the result, we wanted to stay closer to the kiwis and beat the South Africans. The conditions on water were challenging but fair for everybody."
Men’s Pair (M2-) – Final
The reigning World Champions, Hamish Bond and Eric Murray of New Zealand arrived in Europe a week ago and in their heat two days ago they got within five seconds of the World Best Time. Would they go after the record in the final today?
Getting out to a solid start, Murray and Bond settled into a 36 stroke rate pace and held it virtually unchanged right to the finish line. The New Zealanders looked like they were doing a training piece as they demonstrated perfect symmetry rowing, their oars making puddles perfectly representing the enso circle of the World Rowing logo. Murray and Bond were so far ahead of the rest of the field they had no need to even contemplate a sprint. Still, their time of 6:20 was just six seconds outside of the World Best Time.
Meanwhile the real race was going on behind them between South Africa’s Ramon Di Clemente and Lawrence Brittain and Germany’s Felix Drahotta and Maximillian Munski. These two crews paced each other down the 2000m course with Munski and Drahotta holding just a slight advantage. At the line Germany rated 38 to South Africa’s 36 and secured the silver. Olympic medallist, Di Clemente and new partner Brittain secured bronze.
Results: NZL, GER1, RSA, GER2, POL, CZE
Eric Murray (NZL) – Gold
"It was a great race because we won. We are happy with the result. We’ve never raced here before and it’s just a shame other nations pulled out because of the health risks.”
Maximilian Munski (GER) –Silver
“It was a good experience to race the Kiwis, they are so astonishing. I would like to compete the pair at the world championships.”
Ramon Di Clemente, Lawrence Brittain (RSA)– Bronze
“We are happy with our race. It is a good step on our way to our Olympic dreams. We feel we have more potential and will give the best we can. We are a very good team and RSA is a great place to train.
Women’s Double Sculls (W2x) – Final
The Poles are back. Magdalena Fularczyk and Julia Michalska were World Champions in 2009 but had to claw their way to third last year after injury upset their season. Today they showed the World Champion form and very solid rowing. But at the start it was Germany's third boat leading the way. This did not last long, as Germany's first boat (Sophie Dunsing and Nina Wengert) asserted their dominance and pushed into the lead.
Going through the half way point an incredibly tight race was unfolding. Less than a second separated the top four crews with Dunsing and Wengert just a smidgen ahead of Fularczyk and Michalska and Belarus (Tatsiana Kukhta and Yuliya Bichyk) barely a pin prick back. As Germany's third boat dropped off the pace, Poland, Germany's first boat and Belarus remained closely packed together. These leading boats would have to sprint to the line.
Fularczyk and Michalska had what it took. Taking their stroke rate to 37, the Poles moved away from the field in a classy finishing sprint. Dunsing and Wengert held on to second and Kukhta and Bichyk ran out of steam but still managed third.
Results: POL, GER1, BLR1, GER3, GER2, AUT
Julia Michalska (POL) – Gold
“This was our first international race since New Zealand because we had some health problems. We are really happy about the gold medal and looking forward to be fit for the World Championships in Bled.”
Nina Wengert (GER1) – Silver
“We are very happy about our result. We came out better than we expected. The key moment was when Sophie said we are 2nd, that was 800m before the finish. That gave me wings. We would like to confirm our performance in Lucerne. Very special thanks to my coach Uwe Bender.”
Yuliya Bichyk (BEL) – Bronze
“It was a hot race, very close. I like the city of Hamburg, but not so much the weather! Lucerne will be good, because there will be more countries competing:“
Men’s Double Sculls (M2x) – Final
Coming through the racing earlier in the regatta, Argentina (Ariel Suarez and Cristian Rosso) showed that they are a crew to watch out for. Suarez and Rosso showed no evidence of this last month when they were back in the C-final despite finishing 10th last year at the World Rowing Championships.
However, reigning World Champions, Joseph Sullivan and Nathan Cohen of New Zealand had also showed fine form and they got out in front at the start of the race. By the half way point, Sullivan and Cohen, both from the South Island of New Zealand, had pressed away from Suarez and Rosso who were now in second. This order remained the same with Argentina pushing hard to close on the New Zealanders.
A big surprise, however, was yet to come. Lauris Sire and Dairis Adamaitis of Latvia where charging down the outside of the course and giving it their all in the final sprint. The statuesque Sire and Adamaitis had rowed together since their junior days in 2007 so knew international racing. They were leaving Estonia behind. Sire and Adamaitis earned the bronze, Argentina the silver and New Zealand the gold. On the medals podium the very happy Sire and Adamaitis towered over Cohen and Sullivan.
Results: NZL, ARG, LAT, EST, NOR, POL
Nathan Cohen (NZL) – Gold
“I am happy with my race. It is my first time here in Hamburg. I am looking forward to Lucerne where they'll be more competition.”
Cristian Rosso (ARG) – Silver
“It was difficult wind, but we are very, very happy about the silver medal because in Munich, we were only 14th.”
Lauris Sire, Dairis Adamaitis (LAT) – Bronze
“This is our first World Cup – we won a medal and that is amazing. Our goal is the World Championships in Bled and later the Olympics. We like this venue. Hamburg is a great city and Germany is a nice country.“
Men’s Four (M4-) – Final
The German sweep squad continues to reshuffle as they aim for the best combinations going into the 2011 World Rowing Championships. It looks like they may have found their four. Eric Johannesen, Andreas Kuffner, Richard Schmidt, and Kristof Wilke of Germany led this final from start to finish. Stroke, Wilke raced in the World Champion eight last year and today he showed his fours racing talent. Behind the Germans, New Zealand’s new 2011 line up was working their way through the field and working hard to close on the Germans. New Zealand had made two changes to this boat since announcing their crews back in April. Now the crew is fixed on Dallinger, Meyer, Harris and Hammond.
Behind Germany and New Zealand a race was going on for the bronze medal between Belarus and China. In the sprint for the line Belarus gave it their all with a 42 stroke rate. This gutsy challenge got them the bronze. The crowd went wild watching the Germans come in first.
Results: GER1, NZL, BLR, CHN1, CZE, ARG
Eric Johannesen (GER) – Gold
“This was a very special race for me because I grew up 5 km from here. I learned to row in this water. The people from the club and my friends supported me from the grandstand. Hamburg is a great venue and I hope the World Championships will take place here in the future.”
Ben Hammond (NZL) – Silver
“Our race was ok. We have only been together as a crew for two weeks. We are still finding our rhythm. I like Hamburg. We will be racing in Lucerne.”
Aliaksandr Kazubouski (BLR) – Bronze
“ We knew that Germany and New Zealand would be fast, so we hoped to come third. This is a new crew and our first international race. We are looking forward to the World Championships in Bled.”
Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (LW2x) – Final
Coming into this final it looked like the race would be all about Germany and the United States – the winners of each semifinal. And that’s exactly what it was. Despite Germany’s crew of Marie-Louise Draeger and Anja Noske being much more medalled and accomplished than the newly formed Kristin Hedstrom and Julie Nichols of the United States, Hedstrom and Nichols were showing no respect.
After an early lead by the United States, Draeger and Noske pushed ahead. Hedstrom and Nichols were ready for this attack and with a big piece through the 1250m mark, Hedstrom and Nichols were back in the lead. The Germans held on.
In the closing metres of the race Hedstrom and Nichols held on to a 35 stroke rate with Germany, rating 36, now under threat from a flying Denmark. Anne Thomsen and Juliane Rasmussen of Denmark had upped their stroke rate to 41 and were fast closing on the Germans. They nearly did it. Denmark finished just a smidgen behind Germany.
Results: USA, GER1, DEN, CHN1, POL1, GER2
Kristin Hedstrom, Julie Nichols (USA) – Gold
“It was our second race in Europe. We came third to Great Britain in Munich, so we are looking forward to race them again in Lucerne! The conditions were changing all the way down the course but we just stayed focused.”
Marie-Louise Draeger, Anja Noske (GER) – Silver
“We had a good start and we were able to keep going all through the race. It was our goal to win a medal but we thought it would be harder. There were very nasty weather conditions. We are aiming to keep going on this level."
Anne Thomsen, Julianne Rasmussen (DEN) – Bronze
“We had a great race and are very happy about reaching the podium. It was very windy but fortunately we came through. The organisation here has been really good and we have enjoyed the venue here in Hamburg.“
Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls (LM2x) – Final
At the start the two winners of the semifinals, New Zealand and China got off the line first. Both of these boats raced in the final of last year’s World Rowing Championships with New Zealand’s Storm Uru and Peter Taylor picking up the bronze. By the half way point China and New Zealand had moved away from the rest of the field in their own front line battle. Uru and Taylor had a bit of an advantage – but not much.
Uru and Taylor proved they had the better stamina and started to push away in the second half of the race. What could China do?
Coming into the end of the race New Zealand looked comfortable at a 36 stroke rate with China trying their best at 41. This is when Portugal’s Pedro Fraga and Nuno Mendes unleashed their now legendary sprint. In fourth place, Fraga and Mendes were wanting a medal. Like the Chinese, Portugal also hit 41, but their’s was more effective. Portugal earns a bronze medal.
Results: NZL, CHN, POR, GER, POL1, POL2
Peter Taylor (NZL) – Gold
“I am really happy with our race. We have only been in Europe for one week and it has taken a bit of time to adjust. We were not very happy with our heat and semi but we went out there with a purpose today. Next stop is training in France and then more racing in Lucerne.”
Pedro Fraga (POR ) – Bronze
“It was a very fast race. We had to improve our start but we had good speed in the end. We are very happy with the result because it is the first medal for Portugal in a World Cup. We enjoyed the venue. It was beautiful water and well organised.“
Lightweight Men’s Four (LM4-) – Final
Wow, what a race! These lightweights often display incredibly close racing and today was no exception. Even the commentators on the water were struggling to pick who was in front. With 40 strokes rowed there was barely a second separating all six crews. The second 500 began to sort things out. China's first boat seemed to find the pace too much and slipped back with Serbia also losing ground.
Much to the crowd’s pleasure, Germany1 had a slight lead, but the margins were closing up again and Denmark was very much on top of the Germans. As the finishing line came into view and the wind gusted just a bit more strongly, the field closed up again with all boats doing their best to sprint through the gusts.
The crowd was going wild as the German crew tried to do their best, but it was China that, at 44, were doing some damage. Denmark, at 39, was also flying. Then realising that 39 might not be enough, Denmark’s stroke Eskild Ebbesen got up into the mid-40s – and won. Denmark retain the World Cup leaders bib with their second win for the season and Ebbesen confirming that he is back with vengeance. All three crews looked happy on the winners podium after competing in such a great race.
Results: DEN, CHN, GER1, CZE, CHN2, SRB
Morten Joergensen (DEN) – Gold
“It was a tough race. The crosswind made the boat quite unstable. From 1000 m on we pushed hard. It is a great course.”
Martin Kuehner (GER) – Bronze
“We raced better than in Munich, it was a close race but it was a lot of fun. As a team we are on our way up. To row with a twin brother can be tough in training but it is a big advantage in a race because you can trust each other blindly without talking many words.“
Women’s Quadruple Sculls (W4x) – Final
Ukraine looked absolutely devastated. This key Ukraine crew, who won at the first World Rowing Cup last month, had not expected to come in second and had raced that way as well. Looking very happy at the finish was Germany. The Germans had finished second to Ukraine last month and must have been working to amend this over the last three weeks.
Ukraine had the lead in the first part of the race but a solid piece by Germany in the third 500 gave Richter, Manker, Schiller and Oppelt of Germany the lead. This completely unnerved the Ukrainians who appeared unable to react, so much so, their rhythm began to suffer. Coming into the final sprint Ukraine was unable to up their stroke rate and never got above 33. Meanwhile, Germany was relishing the lead and looked calm and together. Back in third place for the entire race, New Zealand picked up the bronze.
Results: GER, UKR, NZL, POL
Julia Richter (GER) – Gold
“It was tough with the wind and we had some problems to keep the boat straight at the start. In the middle of the race, we found a good rhythm and pushed harder and harder and managed to pass the Ukrainians. This afternoon there will be a coaches meeting and after that we will know the line ups for Lucerne.”
Louise Trappitt (NZL) – Bronze
“That was an improvement on our heat. We had a faster start and tried to keep up with the other crews. It is our first time in Hamburg and we are loving riding our bikes everywhere because the motorists are so much more friendly than in New Zealand!“
Men’s Quadruple Sculls (M4x) – Final
Last month in Munich, the Germans won over reigning World Champions, Croatia. Today Croatia turned that result around in a very close race. At the beginning Russia had the lead. Russia last found success in this event at the 2004 Athens Olympics, but haven’t been able to repeat that success since. Still with Olympic Champion, Sergey Fedorovtsev in stroke seat for the Russian’s they may have a good chance.
By the half way point Germany had pushed ahead of Russia with Croatia following in third. Then Croatia and Germany took off in a race of their own, leaving everyone else behind. In the final sprint the Croatians and Germany had dropped Russia completely as they charged for the line, Croatia on 39 and Germany rating 35. Croatia’s higher rate was enough to give them the win. The whole crew punched the air in delight after the finish.
Results: CRO, GER, RUS, SUI, CZE, DEN
David Schain (CRO) – Gold
“It was a very good race, better technique and blade work than in Munich. Germany were really good competitors but we were just a little better today. It is our first time in Hamburg. Next we are racing in Henley and then Lucerne.”
Philipp Wende (GER) – Silver
“We had a good start and until 1000m we were leading although the Croatians attacked strongly. But from 1750 m we ran out of steam. The cross wind was tough but the conditions were fair. It was really well organized, so it is a shame that so many nations pulled out.”
Nikita Morgachev (RUS) – Bronze
“All in all we are happy with this race although our performance was not as good as we wanted it. It was a steady race from the beginning to the end. We were affected by the wind conditions.“