07 Dec 2011
Schleswag Canal-Cup
Germany takes the Schleswag Canal-Cup 2002
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Only one week after the closing of this year’s world championships in Seville, international athletes from around the world gathered again on Saturday and Sunday for the second edition of the Schleswag Canal Cup in Rendsburg, Germany.With the participation of elite rowing teams from Germany, the U.S.A, Great Britain and the Netherlands, this invitational eights head race up in the North of Germany has put the little town of Rendsburg by the North-Baltic Sea Canal on the map of world rowing events. Motivated by a great crowd of more than 100.000 spectators who lined the 12,7 km course – all participating nations made sure to send their best teams. The ongoing battle of Germany vs Great Britain was to continue here at the Schleswag Canal Cup, as for the second consecutive year, Great Britain presented a strong team of British rowing superstars. Led by world champions Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell, the eight was completed by Olympic Champions Toby Garbett, Steve Trapmore, Luka Grubor, Steve Williams along with Josh West and Richard Dunn from the British four, who took silver in Seville. Germany, went to the start with an equally strong team, including coxless four world champions Bernd Heidicker, Philipp Stuer and Sebastian Thormann teamed up for the event with their crew mates from the Seville silver medal winning eight Michael Ruhe, Ulf Siemes, Johannes Doberschuetz, Stephan Koltz, Thorsten Engelmann and coxswain Peter Thiede. World Championships bronze medallists in the eight – USA – were also part of the event. Stroked by Artour Samsonov and including Jason Flickinger, Lucas McGee, Mark Flickinger, Gabe Winkler, Joseph Hansen, Garrett Klugh, Paul Teti and coxed by Peter Cipollone they were ready to put up a strong fight against their three opponents.The fourth crew participating in this post World Championships regatta was the Netherlands who had taken 3rd place in 2001. The team arrived in Rendsburg with a rather mixed crew of lightweight, current and ex national team members as well as university rowers, including the following: Jurrien Rom Colthoff, Sander Smulders, Geert Jan Derksen, Ydo Klein-Lugtebelt, Merwijn Ligtenberg, Vincent de Loos, David Heineman, Marten Bosman and coxswain Niels van den Bovenkamp.The weekend was rythmed by three races – a 500 m sprint on the Ergometer, a 400 m sprint regatta on Saturday as well as a long distance race on Sunday. All three events identify the overall winner of this regatta.The erg and sprint events set the tone: with an average team time of 1:20,2 (678,5 watt) on the 500 m erg race, Germany beat the British team by only five tenths of a second. The British crew came second with 1:20,7 (666 watt), in front of the U.S. team 1:21,6 (645,4 watt). The Dutch team positioned fourth in this event with 1:25,4 (562,9 watt). Following the performance on the erg, the great attraction for the crowd continued, with all teams lining up at the 400m start for two rounds of sprint competition. Both heats saw a similar outcome with Germany winning twice in a close finish against a strong British crew. U.S.A finished third, the Dutch team came fourth. After these results, Germany and Great Britain promised to be the major opponents on the next day’s tough 12,7 km course along the North-Baltic Sea Canal.When asked before the race this also seemed to be the predominant opinion amongst the teams with Dieter Grahn, coach of the German eight, expecting “a close race between Great Britain and Germany” and Matthew Pinsent anticipating a “hard race with an expected decision around the 4/5 km mark”. And that is what happened. Right after the start the two boats of Germany and Great Britain quickly managed to get in front, leaving the US team behind them for the entire course of the race. Thus, it was the anticipated duel between the British and the German eight, with Great Britain leading the first 4-5 km by ¾ length. But a decisive push by the Germans put them in front, leading 5 seconds to Great Britain half way through the course. The 9 km mark saw Germany even further ahead in 26:16,14. The British crew followed by 22,5 seconds, as the U.S.A and the Netherlands chased up behind them with respectively +1:12 and +1:44 between them. Germany took the 12,7 km race in 37:04,67 – 39,03 seconds ahead of Great Britain, 1:45.73 ahead of the U.S.A and 2:11 ahead of the Netherlands. All teams have promised to be back for the 3rd edition of the Schleswag Canal Cup in 2003. A great success for the organizers of this still rather ‘new rowing event’ which is on its way to joining the list of well-established and ‘must-do’ events on the international rowing calendar.
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