The Morning of Heats ? 2004 BearingPoint World Cup in Poznan

The first day of the BearingPoint World Cup opened with cloudy, cool weather keeping all but the most dedicated spectators away from the Malta Regatta Course in Poznan, Poland. 

A steady head-cross wind caused rippling water as the World Cup season opened with a 30-country contingent that covered Europe but lacked American and Southern Hemisphere crews who will arrive in Europe later this season.

The morning opened with the women’s lightweight single that saw two heats with progression directly into the final requiring a first place finish. It was China’s Fengjun Fu and Julia Michalska of Poland who claimed these spots. 

Men’s Single

Thirty male single scullers made up the biggest number of entries of the regatta and Olympic bronze medallist Marcel Hacker of Germany got the action under way. The top spot was required for a direct path to the semi-final while all other entries return for an afternoon repechage. The line up in each heat is decided by a system that ranks athletes on past results and distributes them throughout the heats so that top rowers are not clumped together in one race.

Hacker made no bones about his intentions for this season by taking an early lead and remaining comfortably in front, dropping the stroke rate to cruising pace in the closing metres of the race. Slovenia’s Davor Mizerit felt no need to challenge the leader and will go to the repechage from his second place finish.

Heat two went to plan for Slovenia’s top sculler, Iztok Cop who left the remainder of the field to row in his shadow as he headed comfortably to the semi-final. All other boats will return for the afternoon repechages.

A blistering start by Switzerland’s Andre Vonarburg in the third heat was challenged by France’s World Champion from the double, Sebastien Vieilledent. But Vonarburg remained in control keeping a handy boat length between himself and Vieilledent at the finish.

The eternal Jueri Jaanson of Estonia was World Champion before some of his competitors started rowing and coming from his training base in the United States Jaanson comfortably led the fourth heat ahead of newcomer Gabor Bencsik of Hungary.

Olaf Tufte (Norway) in Poznan
© Getty Images/David Rogers

The Czech Republic promotes its peaceful lifestyle, but there was nothing peaceful about their fastest rower, Vaclav Chalupa. The quiet Chalupa is a frequent international finalist but often misses out on the medals and today he led the penultimate heat keeping clear water between himself and Jan Ziska of Slovakia.

The best came last. World Champion Olaf Tufte of Norway shook of winter injuries but chose to rate low leaving the head of the field to aggressive newcomer ? Austria’s number two sculler Raphael Hartl. Tufte however was just warming up and, in a demonstration of reverse splits, the Norwegian gained speed as the race progressed finishing with the fastest qualifying time of all the heats. 

Men’s Pair 

Rowing powerhouse Germany opened the proceedings in the first of four heats. With only one crew advancing to the semi-final Jan Herzog and Tobias Kuehne chose to take this route. They led from the start and left the rest of the field to return for a repechage.

Skelin Brothers (Croatia) in Poznan
© Getty Images/David Rogers

Unseeded Poland used the crowd support to open an early lead in heat number two. Dawid Raczes and Lukasz Kardas kept their country’s red and white colours at the front of the field for the majority of the race. But Slovenia’s Andrej Hrabar and Matija Pavsic had other ideas. With 300 metres to go Hrabar popped the rating up and Slovenia’s boat accelerated into the lead. Poland must now return to race the repechage.

A win for Croatia’s Skelin brothers in the third heat put them one step closer to an Olympic medal. The duo are currently number two in the world and have made no bones about their goal of an Olympic gold ever since Sydney when, as members of Croatia’s eight, they finished third. The Skelin’s secured a spot in the semi-final by leading from the start. But it was the battle for second that made for the first true race of the day. Pride or practice? Poland, Great Britain and Denmark forced the pace with less than two seconds separating them at the line. They, however, will return for the repechage.

The long laid-back strokes of Nikola Stojic and Mladen Stegic rowing for Serbia and Montenegro comfortably led the final heat. The pair are in their second season together after Stegic replaced Djordie Visacki in their country’s flagship boat.

Women’s Double

This event turned into a parade of the talent in German women’s sculling under the tutelage of Jutta Lau. With three boats entered this appeared like a mini-trial for the Germans as the final line-up for the double and quad is yet to be finalised.

A very happy Meike Evers and Britta Oppelt of Germany showed that a last minute substitution did not hinder their spirit. Oppelt replaced an ill Kathrin Boron In Germany’s number two crew and they led the field over Great Britain’s new combination of Elise Laverick and Sarah Winckless. Germany will now go directly to the semi-final.

In the second of three heats past junior champions Bulgaria’s Miglena Markova and Anet-Jaklin Bushman took their heat by storm using long aggressive strokes to make their mark. They led over Romania’s new line up to move onto the semi-final.

It was a race of the red, black and yellow with Germany One and Three battling it out and in the process leaving the rest of the field in their wake. At the line Manuela Lutze and Christiane Huth demonstrated a superior second half of the 2000 metre race finishing ahead of Peggy Waleska and Kerstin El Qualqili. Possibly these two crews will go on to become Germany’s quad later this season.

Men’s Double

Two heats with the top finisher going directly to the final was minus current World Champions, Adrien Hardy and Sebastien Vielledent who feature in the single instead. Outshining the rest of the field was Leonid Gulov and Tonu Endrekson of Estonia who qualified with the fastest time ahead of Norway and two-time World Champions Akos Haller and Tibor Petoe of Hungary. The Hungarians appeared laboured and hunched in the boat and will have much work to do to make up the gap.

Germany’s Rene Bertram and Christian Schreiber had a battle with Poland’s Adam Wojciechowski and Michal Jelinski and Great Britain to win the second heat. Wojciechowski and Jelinski overcame a slow start to give the horn-blowing supporters something to watch as they outpaced Great Britain to finish second.

Great Britain’s four in Poznan
© Getty Images/David Rogers

Men’s Four

The much-awaited new Great Britain line up took to the water in the first of two heats. Minus an injured James Cracknell, Matthew Pinsent stroked the crew of Alex Partridge, Steve Williams and Ed Coode. The crew did not disappoint. But, the big surprise was Denmark’s fire. Overrating the Brits by two to four strokes per minute they remained in contact to the line however they will have to return to race the repechage.

Slovenia just snuck into last year’s World Championship final after a gutsy season and today they sent a statement to world bronze medallists Germany by holding on throughout the race. Germany retains their same line up from the past three years of Bernd Heidicker, Sebastian Thormann, Paul Dienstbach and Phillip Stueer and held off the Slovenians to go directly to the final.

Lightweight Women’s Double

Strongly contested, this race started with 22 boats in four heats, all aiming for a direct path to the semis by finishing in first place and therefore avoiding another weigh-in session that precedes every race.

The opening heat had Poznan’s home crowd on their feet as newcomers Magdalena Kemnitz and Ilona Mokronowska led a gutsy race from the start over Olympic qualifiers ? the Netherlands. Rating 31 Poland led the Dutch across the finish line.

In the second heat a fast starting Spain number two soon slipped back to be overtaken first by Sweden, then China and finally their compatriots, Spain One. Sweden’s Lena and Sara Karlsson continued to gain momentum finishing ahead of China in the top qualifying spot.

Reimer & Blasberg (GER) in Poznan
© Getty Images/David Rogers

World Champion’s Germany have altered their line up as Claudia Blasberg took to the water with Daniela Reimer replacing an injured Marie-Louise Draeger. The pair used a formidable opening sprint to take an early lead and maintain clear water throughout the race over Denmark.

But the fastest qualifying time went to comeback crew extraordinaire ? Constanta Burcica and Camelia Mihalcea of Romania. This event has been raced at the Olympic Games since 1996 and Burcica and Mihalcea were the first ever winners. Burcica added a second gold in Sydney and looks to be going for a clean sweep. Both Mihalcea and Burcica took a break and came back in 2003 to win bronze. This is a crew worth watching.

Lightweight Men’s Double

Hungary’s Zsolt Hirling and Tamas Varga burst onto the double scene last year and with their Olympic spot secured it looks like the duo is on track to challenge the event’s front-runners when they meet Italy and Poland. Varga and Hirling comfortably won the first heat over Spain and will go directly to the semi-final.

With Olympic Champions and last year’s silver medallists, Poland, scratched due to Robert Sycz recovering from a back injury the field opened up a fraction. This let France’s top lightweight scullers Pascal Touron and Frederic Dufour leave with the fastest qualifying time by winning the second heat.

The final heat was a comfortable win for Denmark’s Mads Rasmussen and Rasmus Quist. They got off to a flying start and continued to open up water over fifth in the world, Germany.

Lightweight Men’s Four

The head wind reduced as the heats continued and the opening of three heats presented the first major upset of the morning when France and Germany’s number three crew pushed World Champions Denmark into third. Denmark’s enviable track record did not help them today. However the top three crews all qualify for the semi-final so these crews all avoid an extra race.

Russia’s flying start could not be maintained in the second heat as the Netherlands and Germany’s number two crew pushed past the smooth looking blues. In the final sprint the Netherlands got the upper hand with barely half a second separating the buzzer.

But it was Germany’s number one crew that took out the fastest qualifying time by winning the third heat. Martin Mueller-Falcke, Axel Schuster, Stefan Locher and Andreas Bech finished fourth last year and today overtook Austria and Spain to win the heat. All three crews advance directly to the semi-final.

Men’s Quad

The first boat of each heat would advance to the final and the top three crews were not letting go of this opportunity in heat number one. Showing no respect for the World Champions from Germany, Switzerland and Belgium pushed Robert Sens, Marco Geisler, Stephan Volkert and Angre Willms to the line. Germany, however, held off the challenges and retained their superiority moving on directly to the final.

The second heat was a crowd pleaser as Poland’s Adam Korol, Slawomir Kruszkowski, Marek Kolbowicz and Adam Bronikowski powered through from third position to win by less than a second at the line. Russia, who led for most of the race, must return for the repechage.

Men’s Eight

Germany will not easily forget their sixth place finish at last year’s World Championships and with two changes from their 2003 line-up coxswain Peter Thiede kept his crew in front throughout the 2000 metre race. The pink eight retained nearly a boat length lead over France and will go directly to the final for their effort.

Finishing in the same time as Germany in heat two, Romania also goes directly to the final. They overtook a fast starting British crew who in turn were chased by the red and white colours of Poland.

Racing continues in the afternoon with crews returning for repechages.