15 Dec 2011
Races and weather heats up: Rowing World Cup III
Lighter skies with sporadic sun breaking through the clouds brought out the colour as calm conditions continued for an afternoon of semifinals and repechages. Event of the day goes to the return of close racing in the lightweight men’s four. Read on to find out how the afternoon unfolded.
Women’s Single Sculls (W1x) – Semifinals
With the retirement of Germany’s top sculler, Olympic Champion Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski, Peggy Waleska stepped out of the quad and into the single making the A Final at the Rowing World Cup last month. Today the arrival of new competition in the form of six-foot tall Gabriella Bascelli of Italy denied Waleska of an A Final position. Normally found rowing in a double or quad, Bascelli seems to be coming into her own as a single sculler as she rowed a very consistent race to finish third behind the two 2005 medallists, Michelle Guerette of the United States and Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic.
Knapkova and Guerette established themselves firmly in first and second respectively requiring the final sprint to be little more than a high 20s rating workout. Bascelli, after wearing Waleska out, moves on to the A Final.
The power of Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus is a sight to see at the start of this 2000 metre race. In semifinal two Karsten took a flier of a start with Russia’s Julia Levina doing her best to hold onto Karsten’s coat-tails. The fast start done, Karsten then settled into a comfortable pace confident enough to sit just ahead of Levina. Sweden’s Frida Svensson followed in third and a humdrum last 500 metres of the race. These three scullers will meet again in the A Final.
Olaf Tufte of Norway is often seen lounging back at the rear of the field only to work his way through to a better position. Today he got out only just behind known fast starter, Alan Campbell of Great Britain. But, impressively, right in the pack was Sjoerd Hamburger of the Netherlands with Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic holding the pace. Less than a second separated these four crews going through the half-way point with Tufte edging into the lead. Only three crews would qualify. The pace remained.
Then 23-year-old Synek began to move, pushing past 23-year-old Hamburger with 23-year-old Campbell hanging on. The crews were going to have to sprint. Tufte, in the lead, stayed calm. Synek, now in second, looked long in the water and confident, Campbell unleashed his sprint. Hamburger couldn’t hold on to the pace. Tufte, Synek and Campbell will meet in Final A.
Semifinal two brought out more of the heavyweights. Sweden’s Lassi Karonen weighs in slightly heavier than Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand. A little shorter, Andre Vonarburg of Switzerland is a touch lighter. But very little separates these three scullers from the colour of their hair down to their socks. As soon as the starter’s gun sounded however, the difference was revealed. Drysdale shot out of the start using a power unable to be matched by any of the competition. Playing the Henley gentleman’s game Drysdale let Karonen get a bit closer. But Karonen was much more worried about local hero Vonarburg.
A Karonen-Vonarburg battle kept the excitement alive before Vonarburg decided they had moved far enough ahead of the rest of the field and buttoned off to take third. Karonen kept the pressure on to move close to Drysdale. Drysdale, Karonen and Vonarburg will meet again in the final.
Women’s Pairs (W2-) – Repechages
American’s Megan Cooke and Anna Mickelson finished fifth at the first Rowing World Cup and today they rowed a more confident race to lead. This left Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh of New Zealand to do their best from second. With four boats going through to the final a huge gap then formed back to Belarus in third and Germany’s number two crew in fourth. Cooke and Mickelson remained comfortable enough not to sprint. Coles and Haigh looked content in second and Belarus and Germany will join them in the Final.
Two boats would get through from each of the two repechages. Olaf van Andel and Mitchel Steenman of the Netherlands let their intentions known by taking off at the start in the lead. Van Andel and Steenman come into this event from last year’s Dutch eight and at the first stage of the Rowing World Cup this year, they finished eighth in the pair. With half the race gone van Andel and Steenman were not enough in a lead to back off. France, Germany and Italy were still very much in contention.
Finding another gear the new Italian combination of Francesco Gabriele and Lorenzo Porzio started to move up from their un-qualifying fourth position into qualifying contention. Gabriele comes to the pair after racing in practically every other sweep boat possible including the lightweight eight, while Porzio moves from the this year’s eight into the pair. Taking it to the line Italy managed to get the second qualifying spot by pushing past Germany in the last five strokes. The Netherlands and Italy will race the A Final tomorrow.
In the second repechage Germany and Croatia stamped their name on the two qualifying spots both rowing a practically even splitting race. Germany’s Jochen Urban and Andreas Penkner using a slightly faster split and a slightly higher rating, while Croatia, stroked by Olympic medallist Niksa Skelin seemed content in second.
Meeting current World Champions New Zealand in the heat meant that Yuliya Bichyk and Volha Berazniova of Belarus would likely have to return for the repechage. Today they lined up again with their sights set on a top two position for advancement to the Final. Settling into first Bichyk and Berazniova discovered themselves up against a new challenge. Current Junior Champions, Jitka Antosova and Gabriela Varekova of the Czech Republic were charging down the Rotsee at an alarming rate and taking the Belarusians to a final sprint. Both boats, rating 36 at the end, qualify for the Final.
A head-to-head battle went on between Annekatrin Thiele and Jeannine Hennicke of Germany and 2005 Under 23 Champions Laura Schiavone and Elisabetta Sancassani of Italy. With three-quarters of the race gone there was still nothing in it between these two crews taking up the two qualifying spots. Were they having their own race? Or were they worried about the United States charging up the middle lane? The US tried but couldn’t quite close the gap. Italy and Germany move on to the Final.
Would this be a repeat of last month’s Rowing World Cup final? Sitting in the three middle lanes were France, Slovenia and Hungary. Last month barely one second separated these crews with France having the advantage and setting a new World Best Time in the process. Today the current World Champions decided to stamp a bit of Slovenian dominance onto this group. Getting off the line in first Iztok Cop and Luka Spik showed why they are Slovenia’s most accomplished duo. Getting off the line ahead of Akos Haller and Tibor Peto of Hungary, Cop and Spik worked their way to a boat length lead by the Rotsee boat park. Haller and Peto, deciding that third was just fine for them watched France’s Adrien Hardy and Jean-Baptiste Macquet go by. But it was the Slovenians that the French were after.
At the line a very happy Cop and Spik held on to first, France, getting up to 41 strokes per minute, took second and Hungary qualify from third.
Germany got off to a great start in the second semifinal, but Great Britain, Henley winners Matt Wells and Stephen Rowbotham, were moving well and with the Germans. Also on the pace, Estonia’s Allar Raja and Igor Kuzmin sat in the third qualifying spot just ahead of last year’s silver medallists, Italy. These four crews all had a chance for first coming into the final sprint, Italy couldn’t pull it off. Great Britain, Estonia and Germany move on to the final.
Slovenia showed that they have stepped up their game this season by winning silver at last month’s Rowing World Cup and today facing bronze medal winners, New Zealand, they held a 1000 metre tussle at the head of the field. New Zealand then slipped back but still remained ahead of the Czech Republic and Italy. Were the New Zealanders foxing? Did the Kiwis need a bit more juice? Stroke Eric Murray will know the answer.
Either way the last very little separated all six boats coming into the final sprint. Slovenia held on to first. New Zealand looked to be doing just enough to hold second. The Czech Republic looked across at the line not sure of their position – they had just snuck through to take third and a spot in the final.
The Dutch-Great Britain showdown that never occurred at the Henley Royal Regatta last weekend got to go for a trial run today. Tussling for the first half of the race Andy Hodge, stroke for Great Britain, got his boat ahead and kept a wary eye on his Dutch counterpart, Gijs Vermeulen, sitting in stroke for the Netherlands.
Great Britain retained a slim margin, but there was practically nothing between these two crews with half of the race gone and they had opened up a handy gap between them and the remainder of the field. The Dutch, however, were making it look a little too easy. Were they doing like the New Zealanders and keeping something for the final? Or were the British just a little too fast? Meanwhile Germany was doing their hardest to get past Ireland and into a qualifying spot. It was enough. Great Britain, the Netherlands and Germany will meet again in tomorrows final.
Canada demonstrated a small sample of their new combination by clearly and cleanly winning the heat and today, after sneaking past a German fast start, Tracy Cameron and Mara Jones, took the lead. But hanging onto their every stroke, last year’s bronze medallists, Sanna Sten and Minna Nieminen of Finland showed that they still had what it takes to be near the front. This left Germany and Australia to battle it out for third. Canada, Finland and Australia are the qualifiers.
Last year’s silver medallists Renee Hykel and Julia Nichols of the United States had a bad start to their international season by finishing in the C Final at the first Rowing World Cup. Returning to the United States, Hykel and Nichols must have done the right mix of training as they came back today to lead the first semifinal. But close on the American coat-tails was Great Britain and Ireland. Former single World Champion Sinead Jennings and partner Niamh Ni Cheilleachair have been improving with every race this season and today they rowed a superior second half to pull into second ahead of Great Britain. The United States, Ireland and Great Britain will row in tomorrow’s final.
Semifinal one saw one of the best finishes of the day when Canada turned on a closing sprint that turned a safe qualifying finish for Italy, Germany and Great Britain into a fight to hold a spot. Canada had been sitting firmly in fourth throughout the race but came alive in the last 500 metres. This forced Great Britain, in third, to get a huge fright and get as high as 45 on the rating scale. Canada, however, had left their charge a bit too late. Italy, Germany and Great Britain move to the final.
Denmark’s Mads Rasumssen and Rasmus Quist looked like a sculling version of their famous lightweight winning four by going out fast at the start, rating high and maintaining their pace. This left World Champions, Zsolt Hirling and Tamas Varga of Hungary to try and hold the pace. But the big surprise was going on in lane five. Current lightweight single sculls World Champion Vasileios Polymeros was adding his smooth style to the new double line-up with Dimitrios Mougios. Gliding their way down the course they had moved from fourth, overtaken Japan and were pushing past Hungary.
Denmark remained in the lead with Greece taking second and Hungary doing just enough to keep the final qualifying spot.
I will have to call this the event of the regatta. Tight racing, fast and furious finishes and joy for some, devastation for others. It opened with semifinal one dubbed as the first showdown of the season between the Irish World Cup leaders and last year’s World Champions, France. France had the edge at the start of the race with Ireland sticking to them like glue. But going with these two fine crews, Germany and South Africa weren’t going to be left out. At the half-way point nothing separated these four crews.
Ireland then laid down the law, pulling in front of France. Coming into the final sprint Italy also joined the chase for the two spots. All crews were rating 40 and above – Ireland even hitting 45. Ireland take first, France second, Germany third. The South Africans miss out but full credit goes to Bruce Turvey, Lawrence Ndlovu, Roderick MacDonald and stroke, Tony Paladin. One of their best efforts to date.
The second semi again featured an African team and, again, one of the best races of the day. Great Britain shot off the starting line and held a small margin over the always fast starting Egyptians with the Dutch, the Greeks and Belgium within striking distance. Three quarters of the race had gone and Great Britain still had to edge, but less than three seconds separated the top five boats. Sprinting to the line Egypt showed that the last Rowing World Cup was no fluke by finishing first, the Netherlands take second and a very happy Greece grab third. The days of close lightweight fours racing is back!
Women’s Quadruple Sculls (W4x) – Repechages
Four boats would advance, one would miss out. Russia and the United States battled it out for line honours. The Danish lightweights held the pace and Romania had no challenge for fourth from the Czech Republic who sat well back in fifth.
Women’s Eight (W8+) – Repechages
Five crews lined up, one would not advance to the final. This was sorted out relatively early in the piece with France not holding the pace. Despite being in qualifying position leaders Great Britain, Germany and New Zealand still raced the full 2000 metres in preparation for the Final tomorrow. The Netherlands also qualify from fourth.
Poland have been plugging away in the eight and today they showed that the work is paying off when they went head to head with the Netherlands in repechage one. The Dutch coxed by Olympic silver medallist Wei Chun Cheung never let the Polish get more than a seat ahead of them and at the finish the two crews were less than nine seconds outside of the World Best Time. Romania tried to hold on, but it will be Poland and the Netherlands in the Final.
In repechage two, three boats raced, two would advance and with half of the race completed all three boats still had a shot. But the priority boat for Switzerland was making the most of the home crowd and after pushing past Russia they went after leaders, Great Britain in first. As the crowds got louder towards the finish of the race, the Swiss poured on the speed. Great Britain held them off, albeit only just. Great Britain and Switzerland will be in the final.