Great weather for heats at the third Rowing World Cup

This, the final Rowing World Cup, starts today with a morning of heats and closes with an afternoon of repechages and quarterfinals. The international events (those not on the Olympic programme) opened the day.

Lightweight Women's Single Sculls (LW1x)

First or second was the required placing in each of the four heats and with crews seeded by their skills it would take an extraordinary effort for lesser crews to push into those spots. Heat one looked like a race to the 1000m mark before the top two seeded crews, Germany’s Laura Tasch and Denmark's Maria Pertl (who finished an unlucky fourth at the last Rowing World Cup) took over easily filling the two qualifying spots with Denmark in front.

Michaela Taupe of Austria is having a great season. She’s already won two silvers at the two Rowing World Cups of 2007 and today she stayed in control of heat two. In a very spread-out race, Valentina Galmarini of Italy slipped into the second spot. Galmarini, 34, is a late starter to elite rowing. She popped up a couple of times in 2005 and is back on the Italian team this year. Galmarini goes with Taupe directly to the semifinal.

Heat three had France’s Benedicte Dorfman and Mirna Rajle of Croatia leaving the lightweight double and coming back to their specialist event – the single. Both Dorfman and Rajle are former medallists in the single but being up against the reigning World Champion and winner of the last Rowing World Cup, Marit van Eupen of the Netherlands, meant a race for second. Van Eupen came through to take first, Dorfman won the qualifying battle to finish second. Rajle will have to return for the repechage.

Orla Duddy of Ireland set her international debut on fire this season with already a bronze medal from the last Rowing World Cup, but in heat four she was up against the strength of Kirsten Jepsen of Denmark and Jepsen, despite a slow start, did not want second. By the half-way point Jepsen had the lead and goes on to the semifinal with Duddy from second.

Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls (LW1x)

The men in the lightweight single needed to finish first to advance directly to the semifinal and in heat one three scullers gave it their best shot – Alwin Snijders of the Netherlands, Bine Pislar of Slovenia and Pierre-Etienne Pollez of France. The Frenchman had the best run. Pollez finished fourth at the last Rowing World Cup and is looking to step up a notch for this final Rowing World Cup of the season. He takes the semifinal spot with a last 500m sprint by Pislar giving him second but also a race in the repechage.

Duncan Grant of New Zealand arrived in Europe in time for the last Rowing World Cup and won it. Today in heat two he took charge over the very talented Italians – many-time World Champion Franco Sancassani and Lorenzo Bertini – to finish easily in first and with the fastest qualifying time. New Zealand’s second entry, Storm Uru made it a Kiwi double-header by winning heat three. Kazushige Ura of Japan gave it his best shot to keep up with Uru, but had to concede to the strength of the southern New Zealander who comes to the 2007 season as the under 23 World Champion.

The final heat saw a very tight first 1000m with Jonathan Koch of Germany right on top of Jaap Schouten of the Netherlands. Koch was so much on top that he managed to get his nose in front with 1500m rowed. But Schouten fought back with Koch completely running out of steam. Schouten goes directly to the semifinal.

Lightweight Men’s Pair (LM2-)

Two heats with the first only going straight to the final made for a hearty struggle between Matt Beechey and Daniel Harte of Great Britain over Ross Brown and Michael McBryde of Australia. Brown and McBryde stuck with Beechey and Harte through the first half of the race but gave it away after the half-way point. Beechey and Harte move directly to the final.

Italy has bred many top lightweight men and Armando Dell’Aquila and Andrea Caianiello are two of them. The duo led heat two shaking off Germany to sit easily in first position and will meet Great Britain now in the final.

Lightweight Men’s Quadruple Sculls (LM4x)

Italy has returned to the tried and true. After some playing about with their World Champion quad – Gilardoni even having a shot at the lightweight men’s four at the first Rowing World Cup of the season – last year’s winners are back together. They return in exactly the same order and exactly the same winning form. Gilardoni, Pellolio, Moncada and Danesin take first in heat one to advance directly to the final. Germany’s second crew gave it a good shot but could never pull even with the Italians and will return for the repechage this afternoon.

There was very little in it for the first half of heat two. All four boats – Austria, Switzerland, Great Britain and Germany – were in loud whispering distance of each other. But in the second half it was a different story. Great Britain and Germany showed their racing superiority with Great Britain the better boat in the final sprint. The British join the Italians from heat one in the final.