Chinese women excel at FISA Team Cup

Spanish men’s four
© Javier Blázquez

The Guadalquivir River in Seville, Spain was buzzing with sprint racing activity as the FISA Team Cup and International Andalucian Regatta saw athletes take a break from winter training for a total of 26 races over two days covering 1,000 metres on Saturday and 500 metre on Sunday.

China’s women demonstrated early season promise by taking medals in four of the five events for women. The top two spots in the lightweight women’s double both went to China with Athens Olympic finalist Dong Xiang Xu joining international newcomer Ai Na Chen to win gold over both distances.

The women’s pair was also a display of Chinese talent with second and third positions going to China. But it was the Netherlands that came through in the leading position. Athens bronze medallist Anne Marieke Van Rumpt teamed up with Laura Posthuma in a new combination to secure gold both days.

All eyes were on local Sevillian Nuria Dominguez who paired up with Olympic Champion Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski of Germany in the double. After racing each other in the single the duo could only manage fourth position. Rutschow-Stomporowski cited fatigue promising better results for the following day. But over the 500 metre distance Dominguez and Rutschow-Stomporowski could only manage sixth position.

Instead, dominating the women’s double final both days was China. In first place 19 year old Athens Olympian Zi Wei Jin and partner Xin Gui Feng held off the might of Great Britain’s Olympic medallists Sarah Winckless and Katherine Grainger on the first day. Then on day two Jin and Feng came out ahead of four-time Olympic gold medallist Kathrin Boron and partner Britta Oppelt of Germany over the 500 metre distance. China’s second boat finished third both days.

The men’s eight event has been dominated by Great Britain since 2000 and this year’s new British line up again came out on top. The Brits lead a field dominated by a flotilla of Spanish boats on both days.

Peter Wells (GBR) wins gold in the single
© Javier Blázquez

The British squad also unveiled a potential new men’s four line up with sole survivor from the Olympic Champion four, Steve Williams, being joined by Alex Partridge, Phil Simmons and Jonno Devlin in stroke. But the four did not dominate proceedings finishing only one second ahead of Spain over the 1,000 metre distance and then slipping to second against the same Spanish crew on day two’s 500 metre course.

This standout performance by the Spanish men’s four of Angel Cesar, Eduardo and Pedro Murillo and Oriol Pueyo put them in first position by nearly two seconds over Great Britain.

Williams and Partridge also competed in the pair and ensured the continuation of a winning legacy that began with Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent at the very first race in 1995 over the 1,000 metre distance. Williams and Partridge recorded wins on both days.

In the men’s single Germany’s 2002 World Champion Marcel Hacker watched from the sidelines, claiming “rustiness” for his reason not to race. This opened the way for Sean Casey of Ireland to show some early season form. Casey held off Great Britain’s Alan Campbell to win the 1,000 metre single race by one second.

On the second day over 500 metres Campbell’s quad team mate from the Athens Olympics Peter Wells proved his sprinting abilities. Wells finished first ahead of a late entry by Belgium’s Olympic single finalist Tim Maeyens and ahead of Campbell in third. Casey, meanwhile, was out of the picture after failing to qualify through the heats.

Rutschow-Stomporowski (GER) wins gold in the single
© Javier Blázquez

Regular Team Cup racer, Rutschow-Stomporowski of Germany started off the two days of racing with a win in the women’s single followed by Sweden’s Olympian Frida Svennson in second and Rutschow-Stomporowski’s double team mate, Spain’s Olympic finalist Dominguez in third.

But on day two Rutschow-Stomporowski must have run out of steam and finished outside the medals. Instead Svensson came through to take gold followed by Great Britain’s Frances Houghton and Athens Olympian Olga Samulenkova of Russia in third.

Russia came through in the men’s lightweight categories winning both the single and four with a squad made up of a mixture of relative newcomers and those with smatterings of international experience including Olympian Sergey Bukreev in the lightweight four.

FINAL RESULTS

Saturday 19 February, 1,000 metres

Men’s Four
Great Britain
Spain
Spain

Men’s Eight
Great Britain
Spain
Spain

Men’s Single
Ireland – Sean Casey
Great Britain – Alan Campbell
Belgium – Stijm Smulders

Men’s Double
Russia
Great Britain
Russia

Men’s Pair
Great Britain
Argentina
Great Britain

Lightweight Women’s Double
China
China
Great Britain

Lightweight Women’s Single
Netherlands – Marit Van Eupen
Germany – Marie Louise Draeger
Spain – Teresa Mas de Xaxars

Women’s Single
Germany – Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski
Sweden – Frida Svensson
Spain – Nuria Dominguez

Women’s Double
China
Great Britain
China

Women’s Pair
Netherlands
China
China

Lightweight Men’s Double
Spain
Hong Kong
Greece

Lightweight Men’s Single
Russia – Denis Moisseev
Russia – Vladimir Varfolomeev
Netherlands – Gerard Van der Linden

Lightweight Men’s Four
Russia
Spain
Italy

 

Sunday 20 February, 500 metres

Men’s Four
Spain
Great Britain
Spain

Men’s Eight
Great Britain
Spain
Spain

Men’s Single
Great Britain – Peter Wells
Belgium – Tim Maeyens
Great Britain – Alex Gregory

Men’s Double
Russia
Russia
Great Britain

Men’s Pair
Great Britain
Spain
Spain

Lightweight Women’s Double
China
China
Spain

Lightweight Women’s Single
Spain – Teresa Mas de Xaxars
China – Feng Jun Fu
Germany – Daniela Reimer

Women’s Single
Sweden – Frida Svensson
Great Britain – Frances Houghton
Russia – Olga Samulenkova

Women’s Double
China
Germany
China

Women’s Pair
Netherlands
China
China

Lightweight Men’s Double
Spain
Hong Kong
Belgium

Lightweight Men’s Single
Russia – Denis Moisseev
Spain – Xavier Gonzalez
Netherlands – Gerard Van der Linden

Lightweight Men’s Four
Russia
Spain
Spain

For a full list of results go to www.deporteandaluz.com

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