Overseas racers crash indoor champs party

Open women Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell ready to start
© FISA

Travelling the furthest distance did not hinder Team New Zealand at last weekend’s World Indoor Rowing Championships, CRASH B’s, in Boston, United States. Pulling off a clean sweep in the open women’s event, current world record holder Georgina Evers-Swindell again staked her dominance.

Getting out to an early lead, Evers-Swindell’s pace got faster as the race progressed, with the only real threat coming from twin sister Caroline who remained firmly in second. Paula Twining completed the Kiwi triple-header by finishing third. 

The Evers-Swindell sisters hold the world record on the water in the double and last year took gold at Athens. Twining has a silver World Rowing Championships medal from the quad and is currently working her way up the ranks of single scullers in New Zealand.

Open men Shurmei and Bridgewater, Teti watching on
© FISA

The small Kiwi contingent then went on to finish second in the men’s open race. Athens Olympian George Bridgewater from New Zealand paced defending title holder Pavel Shurmei of Belarus. Sitting side by side Shurmei’s starting edge kept him in front of Bridgewater and in gold medal position. In third 20 year old Kristaps Bokums of Latvia held off US national team member Mark Flickinger.

This wrapped up a day of age group racing that stretched from high school rowers through to 87-year-old Paul Randall of the United States who was the oldest and only competitor in his category. Randall trains with world record holder in the 60 – 69 age group, Paul Hendershott from Indiana who again defended his title. Randall and Hendershott have been competing for a number of years at indoor rowing and neither of them have ever ventured into the water side of rowing.

The open lightweight events were hotly contested with world record holder United States’ Lisa Schlenker racing against Juliane Elander of Denmark. Both Olympians Schlenker and Elander last met at Athens where they competed against each other in the double. Over the 2,000 metre indoor rowing distance their pace was almost identical and the finishing margin ended in only half a second difference. Schlenker came through in the closing strokes to take the winners hammer and also claim another world record time for the 40-year-old lightweight age group.

Even closer racing went on in the lightweight men’s 30 – 39 age group. Olympic gold medallist from Athens Thomas Ebbert of Denmark was the favourite going into the event with Germany’s three-time Olympian Ingo Euler, also a hot contender. But it was Greg Ruckman of the United States who used negative splitting and a late challenge to come through finishing in a first place tie with Ebert. Euler finished third. Two-time Olympian Ruckman is back for another on-the-water season while Ebert plans to row the pair this year and Euler will go for the single.

Lightweight men 30-39: Ruckman, Ebert and Euler receive their prizes
© FISA

The men’s open lightweight race saw 21-year-old Eric Knittel of Germany execute a perfect race to finish first over Athens Olympian from Denmark Mads Rasmussen. Knittel goes into his third international season having already won silver and bronze at the World Rowing Under 23 Regatta. World Champion in the single Peter Ording of Germany finished third.

The junior women’s race had the top two medallists finishing in under seven minutes with Jitka Antosova of the Czech Republic staying ahead of Elise Wilson of the United States. In third Nora Franzen of Germany just slipped out of the under-seven-minute category but stayed well ahead of New Zealand’s Rebecca Ryall who finished fourth.

Masters men’s winner Graham Bentor
© FISA

The small Italian contingent cheered on Bruno Rosetti to a 6.03 winning time in the junior men’s race. Rosetti finished comfortably ahead of Roman Shor of the United States with Germany’s Dominic Rosetto taking third position. 

The growth of solely indoor rowers was heralded in the masters men’s category when Graham Benton of Great Britain finished first in a time of 5.53. Benton, however, could be heading for the water side of rowing after taking up the offer to try a single. Finishing behind Bentor, former junior medallist Lars Krisch of Germany stayed ahead of American Ian Coveny who took bronze.

For a full list of results: www.crash-b.org

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