2009 racing has begun - Rowing World Cup

Today it was the venue for the first Rowing World Cup of the 2009 season. A warm 20 degrees greeted rowers for a morning of heats with the wind settling down to calm conditions for racing. Lightweight rowers got the ball rolling bringing the regatta course once more to life.

Lightweight Women’s Single Scull (LW1x)

The very first race of the regatta, the first race of the 2009 Rowing World Cup season: the first race of the start of the four-year cycle towards the next Olympic Games and it opened with six crews from a real cross-section of the world from three continents. The top boat only from this first heat would earn a direct path to the Finals on Saturday. All other entries would have to return for a Saturday morning repechage. Leading the way was Jo Hammond of Belgium. Hammond formerly raced for Great Britain, but after a three-year international hiatus, she has come back racing for Belgium. Hammond was chased hard at the start by Croatia’s Mirna Rajle Brodanac, but the Croatian couldn’t hold the pace and slipped back. Then coming into the second half of the race Brodanac came alive. Closing the gap on Hammond, Brodanac came within spitting distance of beating Hammond. Hammond had just enough to hold off Brodanac and the Belgian will go straight to the Final.

In Heat Two, fans from Great Britain came out to support Laura Greenhalgh. The British sculler made a valiant effort but, right from the start, was down on Alexandra Tsiavou of Greece. Tsiavou raced last year in the lightweight double at the Beijing Olympics and has formerly made her mark in the single by winning at the under-23 championships. Tsiavou raced a solid, steady race with a clear water lead by the first 500m mark. Italy’s Laura Milani gave it a good go through the middle of the race, but Tsiavou was clearly in control. Tsiavou goes directly to the Final.

Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls (LM1x)

The 14 boats lined up were spread over three heats with the top three boats from each heat making their way directly to the semifinal. Amongst these boats Italy fronted up with an impressive four entries. This looks to be a chance for Italian coaches to test their athletes under top racing conditions. In Heat One it was France’s Frederic Dufour who showed the way. Dufour is in his second decade of international racing and in that time has seen two Olympic Games. Today in the single he shook off the entire field in a commanding style and was therefore under no pressure to sprint to the finish. Italy’s Francesco Rigon came from the back of the field to take second and Spain’s Jesus Gonzalez Alvarez qualifies for the semifinal from third.

With Croatia dropping off the pace in heat two the race turned into a four-boat fight through the middle of the 2000m rowing course. Great Britain held a fast start. Then Italy’s Lorenzo Bertini pushed into the lead. Going through the middle of the race, however, there was very little between Bertini, Great Britain (Adam Freeman-Pask), Denmark (Mads Rasmussen) and the Netherlands (Timothee Heijbrock). These four rowers continued to challenge each other and with just three places available it was going to be a fight to the line. Who had an early season sprint on hand? Bertini, rating 34, certainly did and crossed the line first. Heijbrock followed with Rasmussen right with him. Freeman-Pask was unable to sustain the pace and will return for the repechage.

France had earned a second spot in the semifinal at the finish of heat three. Jeremie Azou came out of the starting blocks in third place behind two extremely classy lightweight scullers, Italy’s Daniele Gilardoni and Greece’s Vasileios Polymeros. Azou, 20, is coming up through French lightweight ranks. He finished second at last year’s World Rowing Championships in the lightweight quad and was not going to let the pedigree of other rowers affect him. In the second half of the race Polymeros began to slip back looking content to qualify from third. Azou and Gilardoni continued to battle it out. Azou had a bow ball advantage at the line. All three scullers go to the semifinal.

Lightweight Men’s Pair (LM2-)

This event presented two heats with the top two boats in each heat going directly to the Final. In heat one it was no surprise to see Italy’s Andrea Caianiello and Armando Dell’Aquila in the lead. The Italian duo have gold medals at the senior and under-23 levels and last year they were in the winning lightweight four at the European Championships. France had to shake off challenges from the Netherlands and Denmark to get the second qualifying spot. It took the French right into the final 500m of the race to break free of the Dutch and the Danes. Italy and France go directly to the Final.

The very talented Jean-Christophe Bette of France has done a lot of rowing in his time. Bette is in his 13th year of international rowing and in that time he has become an Olympic champion (lightweight four, Sydney 2000) and a two-time Olympian. Today Bette raced in Heat Two with partner Fabien Tilliet. Together they started out at the head of the field and used the leaders’ advantage to hold off a strong challenge from Serbia’s Nenad Babovic and Milos Tomic. France kept pressuring on right to the line and qualify for the Final with Serbia taking the second spot.

Men’s Pair (M2-)

The men’s pair always looked like it was going to be the event to attract a lot of interest and be highly contested. The first of three Heats did not disappoint. With the top two spots in each Heat going directly to the semifinal Greece’s Nikolaos and Apostolos Gkountoulas shot out of the starting blocks with the new Canadian combination of Derek O’Farrell and James Dunaway holding on to their tails. Greece continued to remain strong and looked to be creeping away from Canada. But O’Farrell and Dunaway hung on with Serbia moving through to challenge. At the line it was impossible to tell between Canada, Greece and Serbia. A photo finish gave first to Canada and second to Greece. Serbia will race in the repechage.

Heat Two had the expectations of Great Britain riding on the shoulders of Andy Triggs Hodge and Peter Reed. Head coach Juergen Grobler has chosen the pair as the flagship boat and Triggs Hodge and Reed as the best of the sweep rowers. Together the British took an early lead and by the halfway point had open water over the rest of the field that were fighting virtually neck and neck. Coming into the final sprint some order had been established. Great Britain remained at 35 strokes per minute and in the lead. The Czech Republic’s Chalupa and Makovicka broke through into second and the remaining boats held back in the sprint. Great Britain and the Czechs go to the semifinal.

Heat Three opened with Shaun Keeling and Ramon Di Clemente of South Africa in the lead. The Beijing Olympic finalists looked together and in control as they moved out to a boat length lead over France’s Germain Chardin and Dorian Mortelette. Nothing changed between first and second although Poland, in third, attempted an all-out sprint of a 39 stroke rating at the end, but still remained in third. South Africa and France are in the semifinal.

Women’s Double Sculls (W2x)

This event opened its 2009 season with two heats meaning the top two boats in each heat earned a berth in the Final. Olympians Annie Vernon and Anna Bebington of Great Britain set off in the lead of Heat One. Poland tried to stay with them at the start, but soon dropped back. Italy’s Laura Schiavone and Elisabetta Sancassani then moved through to challenge. And challenge they did. As Italy moved up on the British, the two boats sat side by side, matching each other stroke for stroke on a 32 rating. Vernon and Bebington then moved into a last push to cross the line first. Italy, in second, will also go to the Final.  

All of the action was happening in lanes four and five in Heat Two. Poland and Belarus took off together at the start and by the halfway point they had moved away from the rest of the field with their boats still side by side. Through the middle of the race Poland’s top single sculler Julia Michalska and her new doubles partner Agata Gramatyka had managed to inch away from Belarus, who were rating a steady 32. The rest of the field looked content to throw this race and save energy for the repechage. Belarus held solidly to the line. Poland and Belarus go directly to the Final.

Men’s Double Sculls (M2x)

An 18-boat field divided into three heats lined up in this event. The top two boats in each Heat would go directly to the semifinal and some of the toughest racing of the morning thus unfolded. In Heat One Cuba, Italy and France chased each other out of the starting zone. By the halfway point Cuba had dropped back slightly with France’s Jonathan Coeffic and Pierre-Jean Peltier going neck-and-neck with Matteo Stefanini and Simone Raineri of Italy. The two boats remained locked together at a matching 36 stroke rate. Coeffic and Peltier had a better sprint to cross the line first with Italy sticking closely to their side. Both France and Italy are in the semifinal.

The commentators were sounding excited. The crowd was making noise. Heat two presented some of the best racing of the morning with the lead changing several times and the top boats almost impossible to pick at the finish. Egypt opened the race in the lead. They held on strongly until France pushed through to show a strong middle 1,000m. Egypt dropped off the pace with France being wholeheartedly challenged by Croatia1 and Great Britain. The charge for the line then saw Croatia2 throw down a huge sprint. At the end four boats had almost tied. Great Britain’s Olympic medallists Mathew Wells and Stephen Rowbotham had crossed the line in first just an inch ahead of Martin and Valent Sinkovic of Croatia. Great Britain and Croatia are in the semifinal.

Heat three was slightly more pedestrian than the previous Heat but still doled out some tough racing. France’s number one boat of Julien Bahain and Cedric Berrest got out into the lead with Belarus, Italy and Poland closely following. By the halfway point Italy’s Luca Ghezzi and Romano Battisti had become France’s only major challenger. Italy held a 31 stroke rate with France remaining safe on 33 strokes per minute. These two boats will go to the semifinal.

Men’s Four (M4-)

Two heats and the top two crews from each heat getting a direct path to the Final was the recipe in this event. Heat One opened with France in the lead followed closely by Croatia. The two remained tied neck-and-neck going through the middle 1,000m with Greece and the Czech Republic now moving up to join the leaders. Croatia then began to tire, leaving France, the Czech Republic and Greece to fight it out for the top two spots. France didn’t quite have it. Greece, stroked by Pavlos Gavriilidis, finishes first and the Czechs take second.

The second heat turned out to be the faster of the two when Great Britain charged past early leaders, France, to get out in front and remain there. Great Britain has an entirely new boat from the one that won gold at the Olympics just nine months ago, but it looks as though they have the will and the boat speed to be in the lead. Under the influence of a 36 stroke rate set by Matthew Langridge, Great Britain moved away from the rest of the field. Coming into the line, and to the sounds of a supportive crowd, Spain lifted their rating to 40 and charged for the line. Great Britain had enough space to hold them off. Great Britain and Spain go to the Final.

Men’s Single Sculls (M1x)

The biggest event at this regatta, the men’s single, opened with four heats with the top boat only in each heat advancing directly to the semifinal on Saturday. All other boats would have to return for repechages this afternoon. In Heat One the racing was intense enough that eventual winner Tim Maeyens of Belgium ‘hit the wall’ before the finish line and stopped rowing. Maeyens had just enough energy to get across the line ahead of Slovenia’s Iztok Cop. Maeyens was helped by his coach Frans Claes after the finish but was able to soon row away. Beijing Olympic finalist Maeyens will be going directly to the semifinal.

The second heat featured Olympic silver medallist Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic. Obvious favourite Synek received a strong challenge in the first half of the race from Russia’s Sergey Fedorovtsev who then faded out of contention. Then Cuba’s Angel Fournier Rodriguez went after Synek. But the confident Czech was able to do just enough to hold off the Cuban. Synek goes directly to the semifinal.

Two-time Olympic Champion in the single Olaf Tufte of Norway is back for another season and was there lining up in Heat Three. Often Tufte starts off the season slowly, but today he led from start to finish. It looked as though Tufte’s rowing pedigree had completely psyched out the rest of the field. Tufte finished the race in front and unchallenged with a huge open water lead. 

Olympic finalist Alan Campbell of Great Britain drew Heat Four along with fellow Olympic finalist Lassi Karonon of Sweden. Both of them must have been eyeing each other up from their seeded middle lane positions. But it was the American singles newcomer Warren Anderson that surprised everyone. Campbell got out to his signature fast start and into the lead with only Anderson able to hold on to his pace. Karonen remained behind in fourth. Coming into the final sprint Campbell didn’t have to worry about Karonen at all. Instead he was being solidly chased by Anderson. Anderson is not new to tough competition. At the Beijing Olympics he had competed in the quad. Campbell however was able to outclass Anderson in the final 500m of the race and will go directly to the semifinal.

Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (LW2x)

This event featured two heats with the top boat in each heat going straight to the Final. The inspired Spanish duo in Heat One gave the local crowd something to get excited about. Teresa Mas De Xaxars and Ursula Grobler of Spain overtook a fast starting Canadian crew to take the lead and remain there for the rest of the race. Great Britain put up a fair challenge to the Spanish, but Spain retained the lead to earn a spot in the Final.

After an initial opening flurry of boats, Germany got down to business and into a comfortable leaders position in Heat Two. The German crew is being stroked by Olympic finalist Marie-Louise Draeger with Anja Noske in bow. Together they held the lead and had enough space to watch a battle going on for second between Poland and the Netherlands. At the line Germany move on to the Final with the second-place battle outcome going Poland’s way. But a fine effort by the Dutch should be noted for this new crew.

Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls (LM2x)

Three heats in this event required a top three finish for advancement directly to the semifinal and heat one opened with the Greeks in the lead. As top Greek sculler Vaselios Polymeros is competing in the single at this regatta, Dimitrios Mougios has partnered up with his country’s usual single racer, Ilias Pappas. By the halfway point the race had turned into a tight three-way battle between the United States, France and Greece and France’s Maxime Goisset and Stany Delayre had moved into a tiny lead. Greece fought back. The United States followed suit. But it was all semantics as all three boats would be going to the semifinal. At the line a photo finish gave the Greeks first place, France second and the United States third.

There is no doubting that Italy’s Marcello Miani and Elia Luini were the crew to watch in Heat Two. The duo have been together three years now and finished fourth at the Beijing Olympics. But at the start of the race it was Great Britain’s new combination of Robert Williams and Paul Mattick that were in the lead. By the first 500m mark, however, there was very little water between the entire race giving every indication that this would be a full 2000m fight to the finish. But heats are always hard to predict and by the halfway point Italy’s second crew had dropped back along with Denmark, leaving France, Great Britain and the Miani and Luini to work it out.

Coming through to the final 500m Great Britain were just down on the top Italian boat. Both crews were rating 35 strokes per minute. Italy was just a tad more effective through the water. Miani and Luini finish first, Williams and Mattick take second and France’s Menet and Pollez qualify from third.

Canada had only one position on their mind in heat three – first. Douglas Vandor and Cameron Sylvester raced together for Canada at last year’s Olympics and they have remained as a duo coming into this 2009 season. Leaving the rest of the field in their wake, Vandor and Sylvester had an open-water lead by the halfway point. This lead remained coming into the final 500m and it was only a last flurry of activity from Pedro Fraga and Nuno Mendes of Portugal that brought them closer to the Canadians. Portugal take second and the Netherlands qualify for the semifinal from third.

Lightweight Men’s Four (LM4-)

The last event of the morning, the lightweight men’s four, consisted of two heats with the top finishing boat only going directly to the Final. Italy’s second crew were the leaders in Heat One. Stroked by Giorgio Tuccinardi, the Italians must be out to prove to their coaches that they are the worthy crew as they gave up no ground to the rest of the field. By the halfway point Italy had gained nearly a boat length lead over France. Tuccinardi kept the rating high and the French at bay. Coming into the final sprint, France came back to play catch-up. They nearly pulled off an upset, but Italy, rating 39 strokes per minute, were able to cross the line in first. Italy will be going directly to the Final.

In Heat Two Germany showed the way. The German crew is creating a lot of interest as the boat consists of two brothers teamed up with twins. Matthias and Jost Schoemann-Finck sit in the bow pair with twins Jochen and Martin Kuehner taking up the stroke pair. The line-up worked fine today at Banyoles with the crew able to lead from start to finish. Denmark tried to challenge the Germans for that one qualifying spot, but they had lost too much ground in the middle of the race and couldn’t make it up in the final sprint. Germany goes directly to the Final on Sunday.