Rowing Stars Gather in Duisburg

View of the Duisburg Regatta Course
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Athletes from across Europe and beyond are gathering this weekend at the Duisburg International Regatta in Germany for a last challenge before the beginning of the World Cup season. 

Over 20 nations will be represented in this year’s edition of the regatta, including Israel and India.

Among the races to look out for the men’s pair in which Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell are back in their boat class for the first international race this season and will to try to keep off last year’s strongest opponents–Djordje Visacki and Nikol Stojic from Yugoslavia. This race will also see two of the French men’s four crew members – Bastien Ripoll and Anthony Perrot try their luck in the pair.

Slovenians Jani Klemencic and Milan Jansa, as well as Croatians Kresimir Culjak and Igor Francetic will be part of the field.

In the women’s double sculls, 2001 double sculls world champion Kerstin El Qalqili (Kowalski) and partner Manuela Lutze will be up for a fight, as they tackle the 2000 metre course against Britain’s Katherine Grainger (5^th in last year’s women’s pair World Championship event) and Alison Mowbray from last year’ women’s quad. Dutch Olympian Femke Dekker who recently won the Heinecken Roeivierkamp in Amsterdam as part of a women’s eight crew is pairing up with Elien Meijer to take up the challenge. As for Britta Oppelt and Julia Heitmann from Germany they will also be of the race.

The men’s coxless four promises some exciting racing, as 2001 silver medallists Sebastien Thormann, Paul Dienstbach, Philipp Stüer and Bernd Heidicker try to get their own back over 2001 men’s four champions Toby Garbett, Stephen Williams and Richard Dunn. Ed Coode from last year’s crew will be replaced by Josh West. The two contending crews will also have to face up to a potentially strong Romanian crew made up of four of the winning Romanian eight in Lucerne Daniel Mastacan, Andrei Banica, Ovidiu Cornea and Florin Corbeanu.

Some top names feature in the men’s single sculls, where last season’s top two – Norway’s Olaf Tufte and Slovenia’s IztoK Cop take on a field of strong contenders. Among them Sydney bronze medallist Marcel Hacker form Germany, Dirk Lippits from the Netherlands, French Frederic Kowal and a Cop’s double partner Luka Spik.

Sinead Jennings, women’s single world champion from Ireland is pairing up with Heather Boyle in the lightweight women’s double. The two women will be up against Claudia Blasberg and Janet Radünzel World Champions in their discipline last year. Helen Casey from last year’s British lightweight double will be back, but this time with a new partner  – Tracy Langlands – 2001 lightweight single sculler.

The men’s eight on Saturday will be the showcase for last year’s winning Romanian crew opposing bronze medallist winners Germany. An interesting French crew will top the field containing last year’s coxless four crew and some new additions.

Many more of last year’s stars will be racing in Duisburg on Saturday and Sunday, including Belarus favourite Ekaterina Karsten whose 2001 season slowed down due to back injury and Ireland’s Gearoid Towey and Tony O’Connor – winners of last year’s lightweight coxless pair.

For more details on entries and reports during the event, visit the Rudern1.de website.