Missing the semifinal, racing the C Final – Rowing World Cup II

In very favourable conditions – a light tail wind with cloudy skies and temperatures around 18 degrees Celsius – athletes came back to Amsterdam’s Bosbaan for the C Finals.

The first two events, the lightweight women’s single and the lightweight men’s single both went Finland’s way with Ilona Hiltunen, in her 10th year of competition, winning for the women and Matti Jaeaeskelainen doing it for the men.

The C Final for the women’s single had Daniela Molle of Germany finishing first. Molle last raced internationally in 1997 in a sporadic international career that began in 1991 for the 35-year-old. Her 2007 comeback to the elite rowing world puts her into 13th overall at this Rowing World Cup. Dutch man Dirk Lippits has had a tumultuous career filled with good results, bad results and injuries and now heading for retirement he is making the most of his home course. But at this regatta he had to settle for the C Final and battle with Cuba’s Yuleidys Cascaret Iznaga. Cuba got the upper hand and Lippits will have to settle for 14th overall in the men’s single. Surprisingly Olympic medallist Ivo Yanakiev of Bulgaria sat back in the field.

Debuting on the international scene put Olivia Whitlam and Heather Stanning of Great Britain into 13th position of the women’s pair. They did this by rating 34 strokes per minute over the higher rating Czech Republic. The men’s pair had Brazil pushing past Ukraine and Australia to find first. Anderson Nocetti has been plugging away at the international level for a decade while partner Allan Bitencourt went to the Nations Cup in 2000. Here they finish 13th overall.

It was no competition for Cuba in the women’s double. Racing India, Yurisneidy Torres and Maria Gonzalez Borroto of Cuba still sprinted the end to finish in 13th place overall. China’s Zheng Chen and Hui Su managed to stay ahead of Croatia to win the C Final in the men's double. But this must feel like a step down for Chen and Su as they finished 8th overall at the first Rowing World Cup earlier this month. Croatia come into this event having been in the B Final at last year’s World Rowing Championships so will also be looking to improve.

The men’s four has been diluted in the absence of World Champions Great Britain, but the country still boated a development crew that battled with China and managed to be in front at the finish to win the C Final. China’s fourth crew in the lightweight women’s double led from start to finish. Jing Liu, 19, and Xuefei Fan, 16, may not be their country’s Olympic boat next year, but they will be looking to continue to represent their country in the future. Switzerland finished second.

Last year’s Under 23 World Champions Graham Oberlin-Brown and Peter Taylor of New Zealand led the lightweight men’s double and by the second half of the race had open water over nearest rival France3. Finishing 13th puts the New Zealander’s one step closer to their Olympic qualifying goal.

The final race of the morning, the lightweight men’s four went to Guatemala when they wrapped up the C Final in their bucket rigged boat.