International juniors race in Germany

Windy conditions on Day 1
© Tom Schüler

Challenging conditions met top junior rowers from 15 countries as they got their 2005 season underway last weekend in Munich, Germany. The 1st International DRV Regatta for juniors had nearly 2,000 rowers from 199 clubs converge on the 1972 Olympic regatta course.

Better known as the Munich Junior Regatta, the competition was the first international racing of the season for some of the competitors. For others it was their first international regatta ever. Split into two divisions, ‘A’ races followed in the standard 2,000-metre distance, while ‘B’ races covered a 1,500-metre course.

Despite Munich’s Olympic regatta course being one of the best and fairest in the world some of the racing was made tough for the athletes who had to face strong wind and rain. “Most of them managed bravely and no serious incident occurred,” said organiser Andreas Haeussler. “Teams experienced in wavy conditions clearly had an advantage.”

Haeussler commented that compared to last year there was an increase in fours and eights but a drop in the number of singles and doubles racing. But the singles and doubles still received a large number of entries with six heats each being contended.

As in previous years it was the men’s and women’s eight and the singles that caught the crowd’s attention.

Germany’s top men’s eight held off Russia to win the race in 6.03 with France finishing third. In the women’s eight a closely fought battle had Romania overtake two German crews to finish first with only two seconds separating the top three boats. Romania won the eight at last year’s World Rowing Junior Championships and has retained Mihalea Coteata and Angelian Rosus in this year’s boat at Munich. 

Meanwhile Adelina Cojocariu, who rowed in last year’s Romanian eight at the Junior Worlds, successfully swapped to the single. Cojocariu finished second in the junior women’s single to France’s Clémentine Jullien with Katie Steenman of the Netherlands in third. Jullien goes into her second year of junior international competition. She raced in her country’s eight against Cojocariu at last year’s World Rowing Junior Championships.

Competitors from Germany had an added pressure in their racing as those aiming to secure a spot on the junior national team knew that this regatta counted as a pre-qualification event for later team selection. The regatta gave German national team managers a chance to look at possible crew combinations for the coming months.

The World Rowing Junior Championships will be held in Branderburg, Germany from 3 to 6 August 2005.

For more information and results please go to: www.regatta.de

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Related links
World champions created – 2004 World Rowing Junior Championships
2005 Belgrade International features tough juniors
Australia lines up the next generation
Asian junior champs test Gifu

Useful links for junior rowers
Events – Junior Rowing
FISA’s Youth Rowing Commission