2004 World Rowing Championships Semi-finals - Junior Events

By Melissa Bray

Lake Banyoles again turned on flat water with a slight hint of a head wind for semi-final Friday. Semi-finals narrow the field down to the top six rowers that will race either on Saturday or Sunday as the 2004 World Championships crowns new World Champions. The junior events opened the day with Germany qualifying the most number of crews for the final and Romania?s men?s sweep squad doubling up and winning the pair four and eight.

Junior Men?s Pair

Greek tunes in the grandstand made it all worth it for Yianis Tsilis and Pantazis Tsousis of Greece when they crossed the line first in semi-final one. Tsilis and Tsousis had demonstrated their strong finish earlier in the week, but today they showed what they could do in the first half of the race. Leading right from the start Greece was able to watch the fall of Estonia and the rise of Latvia followed by the threat of Serbia & Montenegro?s Goran Todorovich and Jovan Popovic.

Todorovich and Popovic had been sitting back, out of the qualifying spots, in fourth for most of the race when they decided to pick up the pace. Coming through the 1250 metre mark the duo took on Estonia and then went after Latvia. Pulling out a final sprint Todorovich and Popovic reduced a boat length deficit down to a canvas as they closed in on Greece. Tsousis and Tsilis hung on to first place followed by Todorovich and Popovic with Latvia gaining the third qualifying spot.

In semi-final two Romania?s Ciprian Nita and Leon Ani had already proved themselves to be the favourites going into the final when they executed a race plan that gave them such a solid lead in the first half of the race that Ani, in stroke, could afford to bring the pressure and rating down in the last quarter of the race. Meanwhile, behind Romania, Michael Flight and Kurtis Boyd of Canada battled with Germany to hold on to second. Germany, in third, also qualifies for the final.

Junior Men?s Four

The powerful Canadian crew met Belarus for the second time in semi-final one. Canada had got the upper hand in the heat but Belarus was targeting them and going through the middle of the race the Belarusian?s had the lead. Conducting their own private battle Canada and Belarus moved into the final sprint neck and neck. In the process the two crews failed to notice Switzerland charging down the outside lane.

Rik Vils, Marian Kupferschmidt, Christoph Leu and Ralph Wyrsch all from Zurich, Switzerland had been sitting back, outside the qualifying zone, in fourth position for most of the race but they decided to change this situation as the last quarter of the race came into view. The Swiss crew is in their second year as juniors being part of their country?s eight that finished seventh last year. Today in the final sprint they pulled themselves into second. Canada qualify by staying in first, Switzerland in second and Belarus in third also qualify. Belgium withdrew for medical reasons.

The second semi-final sorted out its order in the opening 500 metres of the race ? Romania in the lead followed by Germany and Croatia in third. The only change throughout the race was the slowly widening gap between Romania and nearest challengers, Germany. These three crews move on to the final.

Junior Women?s Single

Sally Kehoe of Australia increased her chances for a second junior gold medal when she led semi-final one. Coming out of the start Kehoe had a slight lead over last year?s fourth placed Latvia. In third Chrysoula Bougla of Greece was stumbling through the second 500 of the race. Italy?s Gisella Bascelli seized the opportunity and moved ahead of Bougla into third. But Bougla found her pace again and came back on Bascelli. In the final sprint Kehoe kept her rating up, her finishes long and her boat ahead as Bougla unleashed her power. Kehoe held on to first followed closely by Bougla with Bascelli picking up the final qualifying spot in third.

Camelia Lupascu of Romania must have been putting a lot of time into her starts. She opened up over a boat length lead with only 400 metres of the race completed. This left the rest of the field to fight it out for second and third with all five crews giving it a bash. Paraguay, then Bulgaria took the spot followed by Hungary?s Katalin Szabo who had worked her way up from the very back of the field after a slow start.

Coming into the final 500 metres Lupascu remained in the lead while Julia Kroeger of Germany and Szabo battled for second. Szabo held on and, together with Kroeger and Lupascu, all three boats move on to the final.

Junior Men?s Single

The 27 starters in this event had been whittled down to 18 crews, divided into three semi-finals, which meant only the top two boats would move on to the final. Semi-final one opened with last year?s silver medalist Nathan Cohen of New Zealand finding the lead over Ioannis Tsamis of Greece. Once Cohen had got his nose in front he showed the experience of a second-timer by moving away from the field. This left second spot to develop into a Greek-Lithuanian battle between Tsamis and Mindaugas Griskonis of Lithuania.

Griskonis is also in his second year at the international level after finishing sixth last year in Athens and he was going head-to-head with newcomer Tsamis. With Cohen still in the lead Griskonis and Tsamis were sprinting for the final qualifying spot taking it to a photo finish. Both scullers waited anxiously after the finish for the call. Griskonis had managed it ? in the very last stroke.

The second semi-final was all sorted by the half way point. Milan Uzunovic of Serbia & Montenegro and Daniel Frateanu of Romania had such a lead over the rest of the field that they could afford to enjoy the proceedings. As Frateanu and Uzunovic came into the final 300 metres Frateanu had the lead and felt comfortable to bring the rating down and the recovery ratio up. Both crews move on to the final.

Rodrigo Murillo of Argentina led the third semi-final over Italy?s Ciprian Cursaru. Murillo and Cursaru continued down the 2000 metre course doing just enough work to hold off Slovenia?s Klemen Kogler who was established firmly in third. Although Kogler gave second a good a go, he was unable to get up with the leaders and Murillo and Cursaru move on to the final.

Junior Women?s Double

A major scuffle was going on at the head of the field in the first of two semi-finals. Gabriela Varekova and Jitka Antosova of the Czech Republic were taking on last year?s silver medalists, Viviana Bulgarelli and Laura Schiavone of Italy. Antosova and Varekova gained the upper hand at the start but by only a canvas over Bulgarelli and Schiavone who came back to take the lead through the 1000 metre mark. But the Czech Republic decided they wanted first place and grabbed back the lead as Italy chose not to sprint the final 400 metres.

Meanwhile Poland spent the race firmly in third and also move on to the final.

In semi-final two Australia?s Kim Brown and Jacque Benson had the legacy of trying to match their country?s 2003 win in this event and with that they came out of the start just behind Spain and Germany. By the 1000 metre mark these three countries had opened up a gap on the rest of the field and were tussling between themselves for the lead position. Susanne Herbrand and Stephanie Schiller of Germany found the lead and at the line they had retained the top spot. Australia also moves on to the final after finishing second and Spain takes the third and final qualifying spot.

Junior Men?s Double

Great Britain took an early lead in the first of two semi-finals but it was not significant enough for them to hold and by the second 500 Germany had drawn themselves into the lead with Australia in hot pursuit. Poland?s Dawid Kubiak and Artur Sledzik then decided to step up the pace and as the finishing line came into sight Poland charged for first. Australia held on to take second and Germany qualify from third. At the line less than a second separated these three crews.

Italy?s Domenico Montrone and Andrea Tranquilli are some of the most experienced juniors at these championships having won silver in 2002 in the eight and finishing eighth last year in the quad. Tranquilli is also well known for his indoor rowing skills.  Together now in the double they grabbed a handy lead in semi-final two and with half the race gone Montrone and Tranquilli proceeded to widen an open water gap. In second and third respectively the Czech Republic and Switzerland could do little more than hold on to the final two qualifying spots.

Italy, out in front, felt comfortable enough to stop before the line. The Czech Republic remained in second and Switzerland had to recover from two crabs to cross the line in third.

Junior Men?s Quad

What do you do when there are three qualifying spots and five crews won?t give an inch? You race the full 2000 metres like every stroke is the most important. Belarus, Germany, Australia, Italy and France were all in the game. Although a reasonable spread had developed by the half way point, this was all about to change in the second half of the race as crews charged for the line. Taking it to a photo finish, in what looked like a Tour de France finish line sprint, the tightest race of the day had barely half a second separating the top five crews. Australia finished first, Germany second and an awesome closing sprint by France gave them the third qualifying spot.

The second semi-final was led by Slovenia who got out to a good start over the Netherlands. Behind these two crews third position was being exchanged between Argentina and last year?s silver medalists Russia. As the last 400 metres came into sight Slovenia remained in the lead followed by the Netherlands with Artem Kosov and Anton Petrov, in their second year competing for Russia, sprinting into third.   

Junior Men?s Eight

The Czech Republic found the coveted lead position in the first of two semi-finals but it was not enough to discourage Romania and France. Romania, made up of Ciprian Nita and Leon Ani who won the pair earlier today and Adrian Bucevschi, Marius Orosz, Lonel Strungaru and Cristian Sarbu who finished first in the four, also earlier today, was looking in control. They moved into the lead leaving the Czech Republic to hold off France. The order did not change in the final sprint and these three crews move on to the final. World Champions, Great Britain rowed out of contention at the back of the field while Spain?s crew made up of local Banyoles rowers just missed out on qualifying, much to the disappointment of the crowd.

The final race, number 148 of this regatta, had Germany and Russia fighting it out at the head of the field. Germany was unable to race last year when illness sent their whole team home. But today they earned another spot in the final when they overtook last year?s bronze medalists, Russia in the second half of the race. Behind them 2003 silver medalists, the United States ? well known for their sinking boat at last year?s Junior World in Athens ? held on to third.

The order remained the same in the final sprint ? Germany, Russia and the United States moving on to the final.