Italian under 23 rowers break Germany’s 15 year run

Four gold medals for Italy at the 2007 World Rowing Under 23 Championships spelt the end of Germany’s 15-year domination of the U23 regatta. The Paolo d’Aloja Challenge Cup for the top country overall had been in German hands since 1991 and through the competition’s evolution from Match des Séniors (1976-1991), to Nations Cup (1992-2000), to World U23 Regatta (2001-2003), to World Rowing U23 Regatta (2004), to championship event (since 2005).

Italy's lightweight men's quad test the medals

In its third year as a championship event Strathclyde, Scotland hosted over 700 athletes from 52 nations. At the end of the competition Italy had taken away six medals including gold in the women’s four (Anna Bonciani, Cristna Romiti, Carlotta Baratto, Anita Pinto), men’s coxed four (Leopoldo Sansore, Vincenzo Capelli, Romano Battisti, Andrea Palmisano, Leonardo Bellucci), lightweight men’s pair (Andrea Caianiello, Armando Dell’Aquila) and the only crew to set a new under 23 World Best Time at Strathclyde, the lightweight men’s quad (Matteo Amigoni, Filippo Manfredi, Antonio Pizzurro, Daniele Danesin).

This year saw a more even medal spread than in former years with 20 countries earning medals. Last year, of the 20 events Germany won medals in 12 of them. This year Germany finished up fourth on the medals table with two gold medals. Also down in the rankings was Romania who last year finished third but this year could only manage15th =.

Behind Italy, New Zealand placed second overall with four medals, three of them gold. The New Zealanders almost managed a clean sweep of the single sculling events by winning the men’s single (Joseph Sullivan), women’s single (Emma Twigg) as well as the lightweight men’s single (Storm Uru).

Greece pulled in at third by earning three gold medals. Germany finished with a total of ten medals, but as only two of them were gold they ranked fourth overall.

Strathclyde recorded the largest number of competitors ever at an under 23 world event. The youngest competitor was Italy’s coxswain for the men’s eight, Simone Peraz who was 13 years old. The youngest rowers were all 17 years old and included Lithuania’s Nerijus Vasiliauskas, Sargis Gharabaghtsyan of Armenia and Paschalina Karamytiliou of Greece.