Asian Rowing Champs - Day 3 Report

For most crews today (Tuesday) was a rest day at the Asian Championships and Asian Junior Championships in Xi’an, China. There were however repechage races for three events – the junior men’s single, lightweight men’s double and men’s quad.

Heavy cloud and light rain returned to the skys above Yangling, but conditions on the water were perfect with almost no wind and completely flat water.

Korea won the repechage of the junior men’s single in a time of 7’53’72, just ahead of Chinese Taipei. China and Singapore were the other two qualifiers.

The lightweight men’s double scull produced another very exciting race today, with four crews racing virtually side by side over the first 1750 meters of the race. In the final sprint for the line, S.E.A. Games gold medallists Indonesia crossed the line first in 7’03’68 folllowed by Korea and Hong Kong just over a second behind, and DPR Korea in fourth. India was eliminated.

The repechage of the men’s quad was equally exciting. Uzebekistan took an early lead, which they were to hold all the way to the finish, but four other crews – Kazakstan, India, Chinese Taipei and Japan – battled each other all the way down the course, with one to be eliminated. Positions changed places several times within the last 500 meters but at the line it was to be Kazakstan, India and Chinese Taipei who, together with Uzbekistan, seized the qualifying spots. The young Japanese quad, containing mainly junior rowers, missed out by only a second. Japan’s World Championship team are not competing at the Asian Championships after a tough season of racing in Europe.

The Asian Rowing Federation will hold it’s Congress this afternoon and finals for Group A events will commence tomorow.

Chris Perry