Australia adds three boats in B Finals at the World Rowing Champs

In ever so slight cross wind conditions with slightly warmer temperatures of around 18 degrees Celsius, Australia added three boats to their Olympic tally.

The thousands of spectators enjoyed Dixieland jazz band music in between racing as the atmosphere continued to be lively and warming.

Lightweight men’s pair (LM2-)

Japan continues to have a solid showing amongst the lightweight men’s events and today Yu Kataoka and Tatsuya Mizobe of Japan dominated this B Final. The Netherlands tried to hold on but didn’t quite have the same push as Japan. With a 70kg average weight for the rowers, usually this racing is very close. At the finish less than 2 seconds separated the top four.

Results: JPN, NED, CAN, USA, ESP, DEN

Lightweight women’s quadruple sculls (LW4x)

Just two boats in this B Final with Italy taking off at a hot 51 stroke rate pace under the pressure of Francesca Gallo of Italy. This hefty rating start moved the Italians away from Myanmar in second. The Italians won easily.

Results: ITA, MYA

Lightweight men’s quadruple sculls (LM4x)

Again a two-boat race saw a much closer battle with Hungary, in second, staying within striking distance of Serbia. Steering problems for Hungary set them back a fraction going through the middle of the race and, although they put in a big charge at the end, the Hungarians remained in second.

Results: SRB, HUN

Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (LW2x)

The heat was well and truly on. The top two boats in this B Final would qualify for the Olympic Games. All crews knew this, all crews had shown earlier in the week that they had the capability. Whose race would it be today? Poland’s Magdalena Kemnitz and Ilona Mokronowska finished sixth at the last Olympic Games and were the most stable crew in this race. They took off in the lead at the start but were soon swallowed up by Lindsay Jennerich and Tracy Cameron of Canada. The margin was small and five boats still had a shot at the lead going through the middle of the race. The fight for the top two spots was going to be tight.

Poland came back at Canada and regained the lead coming into the final sprint with Helen Casey and Hester Goodsell of Great Britain going for bust. Jennerich and Cameron charged back with their rating getting to 42. Poland looked spent. Japan’s Misaki Kumakura and Akiko Iwamoto gave it all they had, finding second with 100m left to row. At the line no one knew who were the top two boats. Silence. All six boats sat there for several minutes not moving, no more energy. Canada and Great Britain had done it. Kumakura and Iwamoto miss out by a heartbreaking 0.05 second.

Tracy Cameron (CAN)
“I think Lindsay and I have our best races when we are completely focused on being internal. We kept with our out process. In the race we didn’t have a sense for the other crews Great Britain and Japan because they were in the outside lanes. Normally there’s that intensity right beside us, but we couldn’t have that feeling this time. But Lindsay took a look over and we knew in the last 100 meters it was anyone’s game. She gave a hard stroke that meant we had to go. We threw everything out technique wise and just attacked for the line. That just came down to the last strokes of the race.”
"That’s racing, and that’s what I love about the sport. When I saw Canada number one on the screen I just put my head down still trying to recover. It took a long time to be able to celebrate.”

Hester Goodsell (GBR)
“Never has coming 8th been so great.”

Helen Casey (GBR) (was in Athens)
“Everyone was fighting for it. It was so close. Today wasn’t about medals. We did what we had to do.”

Results: CAN, GBR, JPN, POL, USA, ITA

Lightweight men’s double sculls (LM2x)

Coming last in this race would be more than devastating, it would mean not qualifying for the Olympics. All of the coaches knew it and all 12 athletes knew it. The race plan must have been “don’t come last.” Hungary’s Zsolt Hirling and Tamas Varga took this the most seriously. They grabbed the lead ahead of China’s Guolin Zhang and Jie Sun and continued to push ahead. Hirling and Varga found World Champion success in 2005 but have not done anything close to that since. China’s best result is a B Final win at the second Rowing World Cup this season. Zhang and Sun continued to hold on to the Hungarians' pace as Joerg Lehnigk and Manuel Brehmer of Germany picked up their pace. Lehnigk and Brehmer took sixth in 2005 and 2006 and have spent this season racing as heavyweights. The gutsy Chinese held on with Hungary continuing to lead. Coming into the final sprint all six boats still had a chance to be in the top five. All six boats charged. A photo finish was needed to identify the order. Canada were the unlucky ones, missing out on fifth by a mere 0.26 second. Austria, in fifth, looked to be the happiest at the line.

Zsolt Hirling (HUN)
“It was bitter sweet victory. It was a great race. We were first from the start. It was great to see all the other boats behind us. We did a very hard start. We’re not a B Final team. We had a very severe injury just three weeks before and I was unable to do anything for a while. Of course we can get back to A Final for a medal at Olympic Games.”

Joerg Lehnigk (GER)
“It was a very hard race. A lot of boats were at the same level. Austria came very hard in the last 500 meters. We hung in and it was game over then.”

Sebastien Sageder (AUT)
“We are very happy to be fifth. With every step we were lucky. This week was not our best. We had technical problems. We’re very lucky to qualify.”

Results: HUN, GER, CHN, FRA, AUT, CAN

Lightweight men’s four (LM4-)

Like the previous race it was all about not coming last and therefore not qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Games. Taking the lead was Australia. The crew includes Ben Cureton and Anthony Edwards who medalled in this event at the Athens Olympics. They have been joined by Rod Chisholm and Todd Skipworth and together they set up a rhythm of long, fluid strokes. Behind the Australians a very close battle went on between the rest of the field that formed a line across the course. With Australia still in the lead through the third 500m, the remaining five boats continued to race neck and neck.

Ratings rose into the low 40s. Australia take first. Poland come in second. Egypt in third become the first lightweight four ever to qualify for the Olympics for their nation. The Netherlands earn fourth, and the United States take fifth. Unlucky Ireland, whose crew has been plagued by injury this season, finish in sixth.

Rod Chisholm (AUS)
“It was nice to finish off the regatta with a win. We had a bit of a disappointment in the semis so we thought we had to put things right today.”

Roeland Lievens (NED)
“We were glad we came out on top. We rowed quite well this year. The B Final was a bit of a disappointment. Everyone was fighting right to the end.”

Ireland declined comment…

Results: AUS, POL, EGY, NED, USA, IRL

Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x)

It was all about finishing first in this race as total qualifiers for the 2008 Olympics from the Munich World Rowing Championships was the magic number of seven. Romania went after the position with vengeance. The young crew stroked by 20-year-old Roxana Cogianu, found the lead and did all that they could to hold on. The closest threat was Australia made up of Amy Ives, Sonia Mills, Catriona Sens, who rowed at the last Olympic Games in the eight, and Brooke Pratley in stroke. Pratley shot to fame by becoming World Champion in the women’s double and with that earning Rower of the Year in Australia.

France also tried to hold on to the Romanian pace, but could make no dent in their lead. Australia then decided enough was enough and charged. Romania had no answer. Australia qualify for the Olympic Games.

Amy Ives (AUS) (originally American, went to school in US but married a Australian)
“I think we really kept our heads in the boat and did what we needed to do. It was really well paced by us, and we kept our cool.”

Results: AUS, ROU, FRA, RUS, BLR, LTU

Men’s quadruple sculls (M4x)

Russia came out of the woodwork in 2004 to win the Olympics. Since then their quad has made very little impression at the top. But when they brought together Nikita Morgachev, Alexey Svirin, Alexander Kornilov and Nikael Bikua-Mfantse, it looked like things were starting to click. Today the Russians led the B Final in a race that needed a top five finish for Olympic qualification. Behind the leaders, who rated 36 through the body of the race, the remaining five boats swapped and jostled for positions.

Estonia, who won the World Champs in 2005 with the help of Jueri Jaanson, were the closest to attacking Russia’s lead. The United States also had good speed. At the line Russia remained in first with Estonia and the USA taking second and third respectively. Belarus miss out on qualification at the back of the field.

Sloan Du Ross (USA)
“We started out with a solid start and executed our race plan. We stayed within ourselves. WE were racing to qualify and we accomplished our goal today.”

Chris Morgan (AUS)
“A lot of crews really stepped up today. We went in with a lot of confidence for the win. But desperation makes people do strange things. These boats dug deep today. We’re a qualifying boat today and we’ll be making good for next year. That’s the big one.”
On Australian crew for next year: “There are very competitive scullers in this boat so I expect it will be hard for other Australian scullers to make it in. But I’m always up for a challenge. I look forward to racing for a spot for next year.”

Angel Fournier (CUB)
“Very good for Olympics first time. Very hard race.”

Results: RUS, EST, USA, AUS, CUB, BLR

Women’s eight (W8+)

Only the top five at this regatta qualify for the Olympic Games, so this race did not have that extra meaning. Still all three boats – weighing 96kg each and extending 80m long – lining up at the start of the 2000m course were going to race with heart and soul as their last major race for 2007. The Netherlands, who won bronze at the 2004 Olympics, took off in the lead with New Zealand taking chase. The smooth Dutch style extended their lead to open water going through the third 500. All crews began to wind for the final sprint. China, in third, wound the most. Overtaking New Zealand in the last 200m stretch, China takes second behind the Dutch.

Sarah Siegelaar (NED) (was in Athens)
“It feels very bad to be out of qualifying, but we had to make sure we were in the right head and still make a good race today and be on the road to Beijing. It’s still the B Final, it’s still hard not to be in the A Final. But better to leave here with a good feeling than to come last.”

Rene Mijnders, coach (NED)
“We are of course satisfied with the race, but we are not satisfied with the rep. I think they rowed better today. We had boat problems that were repaired only yesterday. We are not alone. China is out too. It will be tough racing in Lucerne but we are confident.”

Results: NED, CHN, NZL

Men’s eight (M8+)

Only the top boat, seventh overall, would earn an Olympic qualification position. China come into this race with their best result being a silver medal at the second Rowing World Cup. They also come here with a very popular reality Chinese television show to find an Olympic coxswain, adding to the excitement of this event. Australia come here having put legendary Olympic Champion, James Tomkins in stroke seat. They come with the dreams of another Olympic Games. Switzerland are here with the full support of their federation behind them and the Netherlands come after medalling at the last Olympics.

After a short time in the lead by Australia, China took over in the lead. Australia were unable to react back as China continued to move ahead. With these two boats in the lead there was little between the remainder of the field. In the final sprint Australia tried to break China. They couldn’t. China earns a spot at their Olympic Games.

Xiangdan Wang (CHN)
“We’re happy yes!”
After the Chinese men crossed the finish line in the 8+ the cox stook up and clapped. There was lots of laughter and raw expressions of emotion. Once at the dock Chinese men posed for photos with the team and their delegation and stood their oars up. All smiles…

Daniel Menisch (NED) (was in Athens)
“We were just really gutting it out so that we did make it. We needed to win this. It just wasn’t happening. We had a good race, but it wasn’t as share as we needed to do.”

Results: CHN, AUS, SUI, NED, FRA, BLR