Sweating it up at the European Indoor Rowing Champs

Pierre de Coubertin arena, Paris. Photo by Julien Crosnier
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Random drug testing, official weigh-in protocol and no coaching allowed were characteristics of the first ever European Indoor Rowing Championships held in Paris last weekend at Pierre de Coubertin stadium.

1,700 competitors from 19 countries turned out to compete in open, age group and slide double events on 160 Concept 2 indoor rowing machines, going head to head against machine and mind for 2000 metres.

With 4 by 3 metre screens displaying the competitors in the form of laned boats, racers and spectators alike were able to witness close finishes and record breaking times.

Denmark’s lightweight world record holder, Eskild Ebbesen, added another world record to his collection by finishing in 6.07.

In what organiser Thierry Louvet described as the best final of the day, Ebbesen stayed comfortably ahead of fellow Danish teammate Mads Andersen, while France’s Xavier Dorfman and Pascal Touron finished dead equal to win bronze.

Dorfman and Touron are World Champions from the 2001 men’s lightweight eight and both have Olympic medals. In 2000 Dorfman won gold over the Danish lightweight four while Touron collected bronze in the lightweight double. The pair is now aiming to represent France in the lightweight double at the Athens Olympics.

A very successful United States contingent of 12 rowers included lightweight world record holder Lisa Schlenker who dominated the open lightweight category and, at 39 years old, is aiming to row the lightweight double at the 2004 Olympics.

Setting a new world record in the over 60 category, Paul Hendershott smashed the former winning time by over three seconds when he finished in 6.27. Hendershott, a truck driver from Elkhart, Indiana, knows rowing only for its indoor variety and as a former power lifter he has been “erging” for over 10 years at his local YMCA.

Both the open men’s and women’s categories were won by Americans with the six foot eight frame of United States national team member, Jamie Schroeder, finishing in a personal best time of 5.43, well ahead of the rest of the field in the men’s category.

An all out battle went on between training partners Alison Cox and Michele Guerette in the open women’s event. In one of the most exciting races of the day Cox had the lead with less than 200 metres to go. But, with eyes closed, Guerette pulled off the better sprint finishing one second ahead of her teammate. This is the first time Guerette has beaten Cox and in a touching moment at the finish, Cox reached over, took Guerette’s hand and kissed it. 

The championships saw for the first time 1000 metre doubles races where two rowing machines are joined together on sliding tracks and duos work together. Journalists also joined in on the action with Ed Hewitt of www.row2k.com taking line honours in his 1000 metre race.

For a complete list of results please click on: http://www.concept2.fr/pages/C2/open03/resultats.html