A Second Chance at the World Rowing Championships

Japan’s lightweight double: Suda Takahiro and Takeda Daisuku

By Melissa Bray

Repechages are all about giving rowers a second chance to advance. At the 2005 World Rowing Championships in Gifu, Japan, crews did more than that.

One World Best time was set when Japan’s Kazushige Ura sped home in the lightweight men’s single and in the lightweight men’s double Japan also impressed when Daisaku Takeda and Takahiro Suda came within 3/100th of a second of breaking the World Best time.

Women’s Pair (W2-)

This is the last chance for crews to advance to the final so a lot was at stake for these rowers. The top two crews in each of the two repechages would advance and the United States duo of Caroline Lind and Lindsay Shoop let their intentions known right from the green light. Shoop is in her first season on the international circuit and Lind is back after last racing internationally as a junior in 2000. Under the instruction of coach Tom Terhaar, the pair will also be racing in the eight.

Today the United States had a solid lead at the start leaving Germany and Tamara Samakhvalava and Natallia Helakh of Belarus to battle it out for the second qualifying spot. Samakhvalava already has a World Championship medal from the four while Helakh is a two-time Olympian with a medal in the pair. Getting the better of Germany, Belarus move on to the final along with the United States in first.

Romania’s new combination Rodica Florea and Simona Strimbeschi went head to head with Russia’s Vera Potchitaeva and Valerya Starodubrovskaya in repechage two with very little between them throughout the entire race. The Romanian-Russian battle got them further in front of the rest of the field and both countries now advance to the final.

Lightweight Women’s Single (LW1x)

A top two finish was necessary in these two repechages for advancement to the semi-final and in race one Laura Tasch of Germany showed that she had learnt a lesson from going out too fast in her heat on Monday. Today Tasch left the start a little more conservatively but by the half way point she had found the lead with Marika Page of the United States following in second. Tasch won a Rowing World Cup medal earlier this season in the lightweight double but missed out on being selected for this boat so races at the World Rowing Championships for the first time in the International event, the lightweight single.

Page is at her first international rowing event and chose to do the single after finding it a struggle to make the lighter weight target needed to race in the lightweight double. Tasch and Page both advance to the semi-final under no threat from Denmark in third.

Repechage two featured a close fought race between Michaela Taupe of Austria and Niamh Ni Cheilleacher of Ireland. Taupe has been plugging away internationally for 14 years but is yet to win a medal while Ni Cheilleacher is in her second international season. Together Taupe and Ni Cheilleacher were clearly ahead of the rest of the field but still raced each other for pride and a better lane in the semi-final. Taupe finished first and Ni Cheilleacher second.

Japanese lightweight single Kazushige Ura

Lightweight Men’s Single (LM1x)

As in the previous race, the top two crews would advance to the semi-final and it came down to a two-way battle with no threat from the rest of the field between Fabrice Moreau of France and Italy’s Marcello Miani. Moreau finished fifth at last year’s World Rowing Championships but he was up against World Champion (from the lightweight quad) 21 year old Miani.

Moreau ?rocketed? off the start at a 46 stroke rate with Miani following in second. But a stronger middle 1,000 by Miani took him into the lead. Moreau must have wanted to be first more than the Italian and so sprinted the last 500 metres, getting up to 42 strokes per minute. Miani let him have it, taking the pressure off in the last few strokes. Both boats move on to the semi-final.

To the delight of the Japanese supporters a new World Best time was set when Kazushige Ura of Japan, in the second repechage, went head to head with Edgar Nanne of Guatemala. Ura and Nanne used the slight tail wind and slight current to their best advantage as they both tried to shake off Denmark. Nanne, who does much of his training in New York City, had the first half advantage before Ura took over in the second half.

Ura has been racing internationally since 1999 and raced in the lightweight double at last year’s Olympics. He now holds the World Best time, knocking one and a half seconds off Denmark’s 1999 record. In second Nanne also went faster than the 1999 record.

Ura and Nanne move on to the semi-final with a definite psychological advantage.

Women’s Single Scull (W1x)

One repechage required a top three finish for advancement to the semi-final and it turned into a three-way dispute between Australia’s Kerry Hore, 2005 Under-23 Champion, Iva Obradovic of Serbia & Montenegro and Latvia’s Kristiana Rode-Gulova. Obradovic won her Under-23 gold by coming through from the back, but today she had found second place by the half way point behind Hore in first. Hore already has a World Champion title plus an Olympic bronze in the quad and she continued to lead the field rating a solid 30 strokes per minute. Hore, Obradovic and Rode-Gulova move on to the semi-final.

Yoennis Hernandez Arruez of Cuba in the men’s single

Men’s Single Scull (M1x)

In the four repechages a top two finish was necessary for crews to continue on to the semi-final and Great Britain’s Colin Smith carried on a close battle with David Crawshay of Australia. Smith comes to the single after spending most of the season in the double, but when his partner suffered from sports-induced asthma, Smith changed events.

Smith and Crawshay remained neck and neck and, despite both being comfortably in qualifying positions, they continued to sprint to the end. Smith had the better sprint to finish first with Crawshay advancing from second.

Olympic finalist Tim Maeyens of Belgium took time off after Athens to focus on his studies and only came back to full-on training a couple of months ago. Today Maeyens showed that he still had it by storming away from the rest of the field in repechage two and turning the race into a procession. Argentina’s Ariel Suarez slipped into second but never really threatened Maeyens’ position.

Despite the lack of any threats Maeyens came within a quarter of a second of breaking the World Best time, set by Germany’s Marcel Hacker in 2002. Maeyens and Suarez move on to the semi-final.

Cuba’s Yoennis Hernandez and 2005 Under-23 Champion, Sjoerd Hamburger of the Netherlands raced away from the rest of the field in repechage three with Hamburger having the first half advantage. Two-time Olympian Hernandez then added more speed while Hamburger, competing at his first World Rowing Championships, chose to back off in the closing metres of the race. Both boats advance to the semi-final.

A three-way dispute went on between Serbia & Montenegro’s two-time Olympian Nikola Stojic, Wyatt Allen of the United States and Sweden’s Lassi Karonen in repechage four. Stojic had the advantage of 13 years of international experience over his competitors, but Karonen is the only one of the three to have rowed last year in the single. Allen comes from his country’s gold medal Olympic eight, while Stojic did the last two Olympics in the pair.

Coming into the final sprint Karonen had first, Stojic second and Allen just back in third. Karonen, underrating Stojic, remained in first while Allen looked like he was struggling to get the stroke rate up. Karonen and Stojic move on to the semi-final.

Men’s Pair (M2-)

A top two finish was required for advancement to the semi-final and repechage one turned into a three-way battle between Australia, the United States and France. Australia’s Christian Ryan and Karsten Fosterling had the early advantage. Ryan won silver at the Sydney Olympics in the eight but missed out on the 2004 team. This could be his comeback year. Fosterling, meanwhile, is up-and-coming and in his second international season.

Coming into the final sprint Australia had a handy advantage with the United States four seconds back in second and France following closely. A better sprint by Germain Chardin and Benjamin Rondeau of France, rating 41, got them ahead of the Americans, rating 46, in the final 50 metres. Australia and France advance to the semi-finals.

Germany’s Tobias Kuehne and Jan Herzog led from start to finish in repechage two leaving the Czech Republic and Egypt to fight it out for second. Egypt’s El Bakry Yehia and Mohamed Gomaa had the early first half advantage, but going through the middle of the race the Czech Republic had found second and Germany and the Czech Republic both add another boat to Thursday’s semi-final day.

Women’s double scullers from Australia: Amber Bradley (bow) and Sally Kehoe

Women’s Double Sculls (W2x)

Repechage one required a top two finish for advancement to the final and an exciting first half turned into a second half procession with Germany’s Magdalena Schmude and Christiane Huth in front followed by 2005 Under-23 Champions Laura Schiavone and Elisabetta Sancassani of Italy. Belarus slipped off the pace and Germany and Italy advance to the final.

Great Britain last met Australia in the final at the first Rowing World Cup in Eton and today they met again, but this time Debbie Flood was in the British boat with Elise Laverick. Australia’s line-up remained the same as the bronze medal Eton crew of Amber Bradley and Sally Kehoe. Both boats were in qualifying position with Great Britain having the edge.

Norway, however, wasn’t going to let these two crews have it too easy. Coming into the final sprint Norway challenged for second. Australia held on and Great Britain, Australia now advance to the final.

Men’s Double (M2x)

The top two crews would advance to the final and five crews clearly wanted it. Ivo and little brother Martin Yanakiev of Bulgaria were there along with Switzerland, Norway, Americans Sloan Du Ross and Samuel Stitt and Estonia. Switzerland’s early advantage soon got eaten by Bulgaria with Olympic finalists, Norway coming back from a slow start and the United States moving with them.

Coming into the final sprint Estonia had dropped off the pace leaving a four-way fight. Bulgaria remained in the lead with the United States having just enough water to claim the second qualifying spot.

Poland and Croatia had a handy lead over the rest of the field in the second repechage and through to the last 500 metres they kept the heat on each other. Croatia then decided that they were content with second leaving Michal Sloma and Marcin Brzezinski of Poland to qualify from first. Korea, in third, put up a solid challenge but remained outside of striking range for qualification.

Men’s Four (M4-)

?Finally we’ve put 2,000 metres together,? was the comment from New Zealand’s two seat Eric Murray. In repechage one a top three position was necessary for advancement to the semi-final and New Zealand, who has struggled to make an A-final this season overtook a fast starting Ireland to take the lead.

However the Irish were not letting the New Zealanders get away and both boats moved away from Slovenia and Germany who were having their own battle for third. An impressive final sprint by Germany, which contains only bowman Sebastian Thormann, from the crew that has been regular medallists over the last four years got them into a qualifying spot. The Germans have only had four weeks together after illness took out two of the members from earlier this season.

New Zealand, Ireland and Germany advance to the semi-final.

Repechage two was all about Canada as they got their nose in front at the start over Poland with Australia working their way up from fourth position. Going through the 1,000 metre mark Australia had set their sights firmly on Poland with Canada still holding on to first. Australia continued to move and a fast final sprint put the Aussies into second with Poland holding onto third. Canada remained in first.

B Group Repechages to follow…

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