Italian rowing's Gilardoni wins ninth title

By the end of the eight events medals had been spread evenly between countries with no nation earning more than one gold, with Italian Daniele Gilardoni winning his eighth World Championship title in the lightweight men’s quadruple sculls.

Women’s Four (W4-)

After this event Belarus will be sending two of their four to the Olympics. Yuliya Bichyk and Natallia Helakh of Belarus are the current World Champions in the pair and they are using this race as part of their Olympic preparation. They made good use of it today. The crew from Belarus started out in the lead and through the middle of the race held off reigning World Champions in this event, the United States.

The USA had gotten off to a slow start but had worked their way past Denmark and Canada and into second. Meanwhile Belarus was making sure the United States did not catch them. Coming into the final sprint Belarus remained in the lead. But over in lane one, Russia was having steering problems and had moved towards Denmark in lane two. A clash of blades caused Denmark to catch a crab. Belarus crossed the line in first, the United States takes second and Denmark still manages third. A jury decision excluded Russia for interference.

Results: BLR, USA, DEN, ITA, CAN

Silver: Esther LOFGREN (USA)
 “It was the best race until now and especially in the last 500 meters we found the right gear and so we are very, very happy.”

Men’s Coxed Pair (M2+)

Reigning World Champions Poland (David Paczes and Lukasz Kardas) found themselves scraping through to today’s Final when they finished third in the semifinal. This put them in the outside lane and the potential to be on the edge of the action. With that Poland created the action, their strategy, to lead and hold on.

With Poland in front, Canada’s Gabriel Bergen and James Dunaway with coxswain Mark Laidlaw chased hard. By the half-way point Paczes and Kardas had pulled further away from Canada with Italy coming through in third. But all of this was about to change. In the final sprint France went for broke, Australia followed suit, getting their rating to 42 strokes per minute. Canada tried to hold them off and in the process moved ahead of Poland. But then, with just 50m left to row, Paczes stopped rowing, collapsing in the boat. Drifting to the line Poland had just enough momentum to remain ahead of Ukraine in sixth. Bergen and Dunaway take gold. France sprint through to silver and Australia roar through to bronze.

Results: CAN, FRA, AUS, ITA, POL, UKR

Gold: Gabriel BERGEN (CAN)
“When we were crossing the line we just couldn't realize that we had won the race and now we are just happy. Wow!”

Silver: Sebastien LENTE (FRA)
“We didn't think that we could reach the second place. And we are very happy about that.”

Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls (LW1x)

These six finalists are all very accomplished with experience and international medals between them. Ireland’s Sinead Jennings was a World Champion in this event back in 2001. Lindsay Jennerich of Canada has medals from the lightweight double. Both Croatia’s Mirna Rajle Brodanac and Pamela Weisshaupt of Switzerland have been racing internationally for over a decade and they both have World Cup medals in this event.

At the start Julie Nichols of the United States got into the lead followed closely by Weisshaupt. This order remained through the first half of the race. Then Jennings, from third, did a huge piece and gained the lead. Weisshaupt held on and so did Nichols. These three sprinted for the line with Rajle Brodanac giving it her all for a medal chance and Jennings and Weisshaupt going stroke for stroke.

A huge push in the last 150m gave Weisshaupt the lead. An exhausted Weisshaupt takes gold. Jennings takes silver and bronze goes to Rajle Brodanac.

Results: SUI, IRL, CRO, USA, ESP, CAN

Silver: Sinead JENNINGS (IRL)
“I was a little bit disappointed because I was leading in the beginning, but now I am happy about my silver medal.”

Bronze: Mirna RAJLE BRODANAC (CRO)
“I just closed my eyes and waited until the announcer confirmed that I got the third place. Now I'm happy.”

Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls (LM1x)

Reigning World Champion Duncan Grant of New Zealand and Jaap Schouten of the Netherlands have been going head to head all season. At each of the Rowing World Cups, at each of their meetings, Schouten has gotten the better of Grant and won. Grant gave it his best shot two days ago to beat Schouten in the semifinal, but he was unable to. Today, after a false start, Grant jumped out into the lead followed by Olympic medallist Lorenzo Bertini of Italy with Schouten back in fifth.

Going through the middle of the race, Grant, Bertini and Shadi Naghadeh of Iran were all in medal spots with a gap back to Schouten, now in fourth. Then going through the third 500, around the 1200m mark, Schouten began to move. Schouten overtook Iran, then Italy and went after Grant. Grant was waiting for him. The sprint to the line was on with Greece’s Ilias Pappas joining in. With every stroke Schouten gained on Grant. Grant held on. At the line Grant had defended his title, just. Schouten takes silver and a massive sprint by Pappas gives him bronze with a shattered Bertini stopping just before the line.

Results: NZL, NED, GRE, ITA, IRI, AUT

Gold: Duncan GRANT (NZL)
“It's just a great feeling. As I had a back injury I was struggling. Some months ago when we arrived in Europe I started to prepare for this big day and now it's just an amazing moment.”

Bronze: Ilias PAPPAS (GRE)
“I had to fight a lot and it's just an amazing feeling. It's a good place to make perfect races.”

Lightweight Men’s Pair (LM2-)

In the semifinals Greece’s Nikolaos and Apostolos Gkountoulas managed to beat the reigning World Champions, Andrea Caianiello and Armando Dell’Aquila of Italy. Could they do it where it counted, in the Final? The Gkountoulas brothers got out to a massive start forcing Caianiello and Dell’Aquila to take up chase. Serbia followed in third. Going through the middle of the race the Gkountoulas’s continued to hold the edge over Italy. The Greek pair have been competing together internationally in various boats since 2001, and this year at the Poznan Rowing World Cup, they took gold.

Today the Gkountoulas brothers earned their first senior World Championship title by staying ahead of Italy right to the line. The Italians take second and Serbia’s Goran Nedeljkovic and Milos Tomic hold on for third.

Results: GRE, ITA, SRB, NED, RUS, AUT

Gold: Nikolaos GKOUNTOULAS (GRE)
“We had a good start and a good feeling and a good chance to continue the race.”

Silver: Andrea CAIANIELLO (ITA)
“It was a very hot race as we nearly crashed with the Greeks. And now we are happy to celebrate this day.”

Lightweight Women’s Quadruple Sculls (LW4x)

The Australians are the defending World Champions but at the start of this Final it was Poland in the lead with Australia back in fourth. But there was very little in it between Great Britain, Australia, Poland and the United States. By the half-way point the United States had pushed into first. But the margin between the top four crews remained tiny.

With the third 500m coming into view Australia maintained a 36 stroke rate and moved ahead of Great Britain and Poland. The Poles, rating 39, were not looking so smooth or efficient. Coming down to the line Australia showed their superiority and moved away from the field. Poland, now rating 42, was trying to hold off the United States who, in turn, was keeping a wary eye on last year’s silver medallists, Great Britain.

At the line Australia had defended their title, Poland had held on to silver and the United States take bronze.

Results: AUS, POL, USA, GBR, GER, DEN

Silver: Ilona MOKRONOWSKA (POL)
“Everybody tries to win gold. The joy is very big because a medal is a medal.”

Lightweight Men’s Quadruple Sculls (LM4x)

Daniele Gilardoni of Italy has sat in this boat at the World Champs every year since 1999. In that time Gilardoni and his team have won gold all but once (2000). Today Gilardoni was going for his ninth World Championship title. But France, who finished second last year behind Italy, had other ideas.

At the start France and Italy barreled off the line together. Italy then gained a slight edge. France fought back and going through the middle of the race France, stroked by Remi Di Girolamo, had the edge. But there was very little in it with the two crews matching each other’s moves and both holding the pace. In third Germany also held on to the leaders’ boat speed. France, who won at the Poznan Rowing World Cup, continued to hold a tiny margin. It would have to come down to the closing sprint. Both boats charged. Italy charged a little faster. Gilardoni earns his ninth World Championship title. France take silver and Germany hold on for bronze.

Results: ITA, FRA, GER, CZE, TUR, USA

Silver: Jeremie AZOU (FRA)
“We are a little bit disappointed, because Italy has beaten us again.”

Lightweight Men’s Eight (LM8+)

The Netherlands had a World Championship title to defend. But they were up against a very medalled Italy and the United States which contained their Olympic lightweight four within their boat. Still the Dutch jumped out into the lead and held on to it for the first half of the race. The Netherlands’ leading margin was small and coming into the third 500m the United States and Italy began to eat into the minor Dutch lead. Coming into the final sprint the United States remained in first with Germany now charging down to the line, having moved up from fifth at the 1500m mark, and the Netherlands doing everything they could to hang on.

The United States had done it. Germany had provided an awesome sprint. The Netherlands had held in there. The Italians had missed out.

Results: USA, GER, NED, ITA, POL, CAN

 

 Gold: (USA)
“Unbelievable, we are World Champions.”

Silver: (GER)
“What a crazy moment, we won the second place. It's wonderful.”