Top Juniors and Seniors to Compete in Banyoles

Calm waters of Lake Banyoles
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More than 1,000 athletes will take part in the World Rowing Senior and Junior Championships and Adaptive Events in Banyoles, Spain from Tuesday 27 July to Sunday 1 August 2004. Hailing from 54 countries the athletes will race on 1992 Barcelona Olympics course of Lake Banyoles.

As it is an Olympic year the senior champ events include all international events that will not be raced in Athens. Among the competitors are those who are on the edge of making their country's Olympic team, some of them currently Olympic spares, as well as those who have been successful at World Cup and past World Championship regattas.

The lightweight women's single will be hotly contested. Twenty-one nations are vying for the top three positions with Nina Gaesler of Germany, winner of the 2004 BearingPoint Rowing World Cup in Lucerne and Munich, looking to be a strong medal contender. But she will have to contend with last year's silver medallist, Croatia's Mirna Rajle.

Di Somma and Moriconi, Italy's medal hope
© Getty Images/Gary Prior

Winners of the lightweight men's pair from last month's World Cup in Lucerne, Nicola Moriconi and Salvatore Di Somma lead Italy's team for medal chances. They will again face current World Champions, Bo Helleberg and Mads Andersen of Denmark.

The World Rowing Junior Championships, for athletes 18 years of age or under, has attracted 650 rowers. Competition will go from 28 ? 31 August. Banyoles last hosted the Junior Champs in 1991 when current World Champion Rumyana Neykova of Bulgaria started her international career by beating Germany's Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski in the single.

This time Latvia's Kristine Gosa is in with a medal chance in the single having finished fourth last year. With an extra year of experience behind her she will face 14 other nations, many competing internationally for the first time. But also aiming for gold in the single is Sally Kehoe from Australia. She already has a gold from last year's junior champs when she won the double and Banyoles is part of her long-term plan to compete in the 2008 Olympics.

Germany returns to junior racing after missing 2003 due to illness and will be aiming for medals in several races with rowers entered in all of the 14 events with the men's eight being a priority. Last year's winners, Great Britain have a new line up while 2003 silver medallists, the United States has Charlie Cole racing for his second year.

Cohen going for gold
© Getty Images

Nathan Cohen of New Zealand returns to race the junior men's single. After finishing second last year, Cohen will be the favourite going into this event, but in the biggest event of this regatta, he faces competition from 24 other nations.

Banyoles also features the Adaptive Rowing Championships. This event has attracted entries from 14 countries. Adaptive boat classes are divided according to the individuals rowing functionality and China leads the entries with 4 crews, followed by the USA and Italy each entering 3 crews.

Returning to defend his title in the adaptive single is Peter Taylor of Australia. He will again encounter Great Britain's Rob Holliday who finished second last year. Competing for the first time in this event is Canada's Rich Vander Wal who returns to rowing after a break to pursue other sports.

Live scoring, race updates and results will be available throughout the regatta on www.worldrowing.com.

Please also find attached the summary of entries and provisional competition schedule. A full list of entries is available as downloadable .pdf files from http://www.worldrowing.com/events/report.sps?iEventID=592&categoryid=72.

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