Hungarian Rowing Championships Sees End of Partnership

Peto and Haller – no longer pushing off together
© Getty Images/Gary Prior

For two years Akos Haller and Tibor Peto were the best in the world. In 2001 and 2002 the double was their domain at every international regatta they entered including the World Championships. Then injury turned their 2003 season upside-down. Fortunately they still managed to scrape through Olympic qualification after finishing seventh at last year’s World Champs.

This year Haller and Peto have remained A-final contestants but without seeing any medal podium action.

Varga and Hirling, 5 seconds faster than the heavies.
© Getty Images/Gary Prior

Meanwhile their lightweight counterparts, Tamas Varga and Zsolt Hirling, burst onto the international rowing scene as a duo last year. As a double they won a couple of World Cup silvers and qualified for their first Olympics. The duo also secured a bronze at the final BearingPoint Rowing World Cup in Lucerne last month in a hard fought photo finish.

The Hungarian National Championships was billed as the showdown between the light and the heavy of Hungary’s Olympic team. In a shock result the heavies finished second to the lighties casting a shadow over Haller and Peto.

Haller and Peto then split into singles and raced again only to be pipped by their Olympic spare Gabor Bencsik. This sent head coach Zoltan Melis scampering back to the Olympic team drawing board and, together with his colleagues, Melis called for further trials at Szeged.

The final decision ? just released ? puts an end to the six year partnership of Haller and Peto. Bencsik will now stroke the Olympic double with Haller in bow and Peto becomes the spare.

Meanwhile at the Hungarian National Championships a further 2000 rowers took part ranging in age from the 12-year-old beginners, in specially designed mini skiffs, through to a 76-year-old veteran. Racing was held at the Szecheny International Rowing Course at Szeged.

Four thousand spectators lined the shores. Medals were presented by various notorieties including the Mayor of Szeged and the secretary of the Ministry of Sport and Youth while Hungarian State Radio updated the listening public under the title, ?Rowing is the voice of our Athens Olympic programme.?

The regatta also celebrated 111 years of the Hungarian Rowing Federation and to honour the occasion a 1111 metre long race was conducted with an average age of the boat having to equal 11 and a half years. All entries received 500 euros towards their local junior programme.

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