B Finals at the Junior World Rowing Champs

The bigger events, like the junior men’s double, went right down to the F Finals. Reporting here on racing in the B Finals, crews fought hard to earn spots seven through to 12 in the world. Conditions were great for rowing. Flat water, practically no wind, and mainly cloudy skies with temperatures around 18 degrees Celsius, made for another perfect day of rowing on the Linz/Ottensheim rowing course on the edge of the Danube River.

Junior Women’s Four (JW4-)

The higher-rating Austrians got into the lead of the race stroked by 17-year-old Lisa Steinecker at her first junior champs. Austria maintained a 37 stroke rate through the body of the race, but the lower-rating Czech Republic (on a 35 stroke rate) still managed to push into the lead. The Czech Republic finish first, or seventh overall.

Results: CZE, AUT, UKR, HUN

Junior Men’s Coxed Four (JM4+)

New Zealand missed out on making the A Final by just a fraction of a second and they went into this B Final with much zest. Coxed by Taylor Bond, the New Zealanders jumped out into the lead and despite a very hearty challenge by the United States, New Zealand managed to hold them off and stay in the lead finishing at a very respectable time of 6:39.30.

Results: NZL, USA, RSA

Junior Women’s Single Sculls (JW1x)

Bulgaria’s Nadya Yovcheva had quite a race. She started off right at the back of the field, in sixth place, but Yovcheva then managed to pass four crews within a short 500m stretch to get into second behind Ukraine. Her stroke rate was at 33. Fortunately for Yovcheva, Ukraine had run out of steam. Yovcheva took over in the lead and remained there until the end of the race.

Results: BUL, HUN, UKR, AUT, PAR, SLO

Junior Men’s Single Sculls (JM1x)

Kaur Kuslap of Estonia got a reputation for going out hard in races earlier this week. Today Kuslap again did that. This time the Estonian managed to hold it until the final sprint. Then Kevin Hermansson of Sweden, who had been sitting back in the middle of the field, went for broke. At the line Hermansson managed to overtake Kuslap.

Results: SWE, EST, UKR, TUN, AUT, RUS

Junior Women’s Pair (JW2-)

Poland took off in the lead with Ukraine and the United States following. Then Shannon Stief and Mary Maginnis of the United States began to draw the Poles in and with 500m left to row the USA, rating 34, had the lead. This is the first time for both Stief and Maginnis on the junior national team and they finish their first international regatta sitting seventh overall in the world in their event.

Results: USA, POL, UKR, IRI

Junior Men’s Pair (JM2-)

Nikolaj Hoegsted and Jonas Fich of Denmark grabbed the lead and did all that they could to hold on to it. By the half-way point Hoegsted and Fich had a handy margin over Romania in second. Then Romania didn’t have a second 1000m in them and started to fade. Croatia took over in second and closed in on Denmark. The Danes remained in front.

Results: DEN, CRO, LTU, TUR, GEO, ROU

Junior Women’s Double Sculls (JW2x)

Spain decided that a fast start was their best bet. They took off in the lead but it was soon gobbled up by the Czech Republic. The Czechs, rating 31, remained in front up until the half-way mark when Australia’s Anna Kaszycki and Maddie Edmunds started to take over. Kaszycki and Edmunds had timed their race well and stayed in front until the line.

Results: AUS, CZE, DEN, ESP, FRA, USA

Junior Men’s Double Sculls (JM2x)

At the start Serbia were the fastest, but their margin over Bjoern-Jostein Singstad and Kjetil Borch of Norway was slight. Singstad and Borch raced together in the quad last year, but being in this B Final was already an improvement on their 2007 results. Singstad and Borch took the lead and remained in front to the line. Despite their 42 stroke rate sprint, Serbia was overtaken by Denmark in the last part of the race.

Results: NOR, DEN, SRB, ITA, UKR, USA

Junior Men’s Four (JM4-)

The long, strong strokes of Bulgaria got them into the lead and held them there. Despite rating relatively low, around 33 strokes per minute, Gancho Bankov, in stroke seat for Bulgaria, kept his boat in front. Croatia, rating 35, challenged hard, but could not close the gap. Bulgaria finish first.

Results: BUL, CRO, ITA, CZE, POL, FRA

Junior Women’s Quadruple Sculls (JW4x)

The junior women’s quad turned out to be one of the tightest races of the morning. At the start four boats were all very much on the pace with the Netherlands slightly in the lead. By the half-way point five boats had joined in on the scramble to the line. The Netherlands still held the edge, but Sweden made a final move in the last part of the race and took the front. South Africa gave it their all. The finish was extremely close.

Results: SWE, NED, RSA, RUS, HUN, POL

Junior Men’s Quadruple Sculls (JM4x)

Just like the women’s quad, the men’s quad also turned into a very tight and close battle. The large and powerful Romanians got out to a small lead over Australia and Hungary. By the half-way point the smooth-stroking Czech Republic team had moved into second and were challenging the Romanians. Smooth won out over brute power. Romania gave up just before the line and the Czech Republic finish first.

Results: CZE, ROU, AUS, HUN, CRO, SLO

Junior Men’s Eight (JM8+)

Turkey got off to a flying start with a thin margin over the Czech Republic and Russia. But then the Turks began to fade leaving the Czech Republic to slot into first with Russia following very closely. Turkey tried to regain their position, but did not have the same power as the leading two crews. The Czech Republic cross the line in first.

Results: CZE, RUS, TUR, DEN, CRO, AUT