World Championship Racing Begins in Banoyles

Banyoles, Spain has been buzzing with rowing fever ever since teams from 54 nations started to arrive last week. A mixture of senior World Championship crews, juniors and adaptive rowers started today at 9.30 CET with flat water, sunny skies and barely a breath of a tail wind. A day of heats in the senior and junior class had crews aiming for either a direct path to the final or advancement to the semi-final.

Senior Events

Women’s Four

An almost identical time between the winners of the two heats sets this race up for a tight final. Belarus in heat two and stroked by Hanna Nakhayeva, hold a smidgen of an advantage over winners of the first heat, Great Britain. These two crews go directly to the final. But right on the pace and second in heat one was Australia who worked their way up from the back of the field to get within striking distance of Great Britain. By finishing second, the Australians return to race the repechage and will definitely be a strong contender to move forward.

Men’s Coxed Pair

The race was all about finishing first when the two heats lined up as the first boat only would go through to the final. Nothing was decided until the line in heat one. Italy got out to a healthy start holding the position over Spain and Serbia & Montenegro with the United States hanging on to the pace. Then a second half comeback from France accelerated them from the back of the field and into a final sprint with Serbia & Montenegro who had moved easily away from Spain and defending World Champions the United States. Italy finished first with France and Serbia & Montenegro finishing second and third respectively in a photo finish. Italy remained in first and go to the final while all other crews return for a repechage.

The second heat had Poland overtaking a fast starting Great Britain crew to finish first and take out the fastest qualifying time. But there is very little in it and when Poland meets winner of heat one, Italy, the racing will be close.

Lightweight Women’s Single Scull

A definite hierarchy is forming here with experience dominating over the newer crews and the hierarchy is being led by this year’s World Cup winner, Nina Gaesler of Germany. But Gaesler had to overtake a strong challenge by Minna Nieminen of Finland who raced last month in the double and just missed out on Olympic qualification. Behind them in third 2001 World Champion, Sinead Jennings of Ireland will have to return, along with Nieminen, for the repechage.

The fastest qualifying time took place in the second heat when last year’s silver medalist Mirna Rajle of Croatia overtook Bulgaria in the second half of the race opening up a handy gap over the rest of the field in the process. Meanwhile Great Britain’s Jo Hammond moved through to second but did not get close enough to strike Rajle.

A slower final heat had Adeline Maddaloni-Gouelle of France unable to keep her initial pace and slip into second behind a strong performance from Denmark’s Kirsten Jepsen who easily qualified for the semi-final over France.

Lightweight Men’s Single Scull

Four heats required scullers to finish in the top spot for direct advancement to the semi-final. In lightweight rowing this is always an advantage as it means one less time to make weight and with many of these rowers, making weight is often a fine balancing act between food and liquid intake and the required 72.5kg maximum weight. With this in mind Switzerland’s Stephan Steiner took off at a cracking pace in heat one and never looked back. By the 500 metre mark Steiner had created a boat length lead over nearest rival Guatemala and apart from a brief challenge from Portugal, the race was all about Steiner.

In heat two France’s Fabrice Moreau pushed past Austria and then defending World Champion, Stefano Basalini of Italy to take the lead and remain there until the line. But it was heat three that recorded the fastest time when this year’s World Cup winner Peter Ording of Germany commanded an early lead and held it ? if only just. Newcomer to the single, Oleksandr Serdyuk of Ukraine has moved from the double after not qualifying for Athens and looks to be a force to be reckoned with when he paced Ording for the full 2000 metres. But Serdyuk in second will have to return for the repechage while Ording goes directly to the semi-final.

Winner of the fourth heat, Denis Moiseyev of Russia has also moved from the double after not qualifying for Athens and showed fine form in the single by overtaking Great Britain’s Stephen Lee in the last 1000 metres of the race. For his effort Moiseyev recorded the second fastest time of the event.