23 Jan 2012
More times broken at the Under 23 Champs
This is the second year the under 23 regatta has been a championship event and already a marked rise in standards is evident.
In temperatures that pushed into the low 30s Celsius, the final six teams in each of the 20 events vied for a medal winning spot. At the end of the day Germany had earned the most points overall, followed by Italy then Romania.
Iva Obradovic of Serbia & Montenegro had a relatively easy time getting through to today’s final, but she was yet to meet Julia Michalska of Poland. Obradovic and Michalska went head to head last year at Amsterdam when Obradovic got the upper hand, finishing first over Michalska in dominating fashion. Today the roles looked to be reversed. Out in front Michalska was dominating while Obradovic sat back in third behind Regina Naunheim of Switzerland.
Naunheim finished seventh last year in this event and was doing an impressive effort to keep in touch with the leader. Then Obradovic moved. Pushing past Naunheim, Obradovic went after Michalska. Michalska reacted back and keeping Obradovic in check retained a decent margin. Obradovic couldn’t hold on and in the final sprint looked a bit panicked compared to Michalska’s long, steady, flowing strokes and constant mid 30s stroke rate. Michalska earns gold, Obradovic silver and a very happy Naunheim takes bronze.
Icing on the cake for Michalska, she becomes under 23 World Best Time holder with a time of 7:27 and six seconds faster than the former record.
Men’s Single Sculls (BM1X)
Karsten Brodowski of Germany and New Zealand’s Nathan Cohen met yesterday in the semifinal where Cohen got the edge by taking first. Today they met again along with second semifinal winner Romania’s Daniel Frateanu. All of these athletes have medals at the international level with Brodowski competing last year in his country’s senior quad joining some of his country’s sculling greats.
At the start the Netherlands took a slight lead but couldn’t hold his initial pace leaving Brodowski to take over followed closely by Cohen and Frateanu well on the pace in third. Through the middle of the race the 205cm Brodowski unleashed his power moving clean away from the rest of the field and earning an open water lead. Cohen and Frateanu did all that they could to keep up but this race was all about Brodowski.
At the line Brodowski becomes gold medallist and new under 23 World Best Time holder, breaking the record by four seconds. The aggressive Cohen takes silver and Frateanu earns bronze.
Women’s Pairs (BW2-)
Remember these names, Camelia Lupascu and Ana Maria Apachitei of Romania are already members of their nation’s famed women’s eight and the duo already have a senior World Champion silver medal to prove it. Today they rowed at the front of the women’s pairs final. However the less experienced Phoebe Stanley (at her first international competition) and Katelyn Gray (in her second year of international competition) were not letting the Romanians get away. Lupascu and Apachitei kept the pressure on and the stroke rate in the high 30s to stay ahead of the Australians, rating in the low 30s. Coming into the final sprint Romania remained in the lead with the Australians trying to hold off a flying Kerstin Hartmann and Katrin Reinert of Germany. Hartmann and Reinert finished second last year as juniors and another year together has set them in good stead. Sprinting past the Australians Hartmann and Reinert went after the lead. An exhausted looking Romania held the German’s off. Australia couldn’t do the same.
Romania sets a new under 23 World Best Time by a small 2/100 of a second, Germany take silver and Australia finish with bronze. Romania and Australia now return to their squad to get ready to race again in their country’s eight.
Men’s Pairs (BM2-)
Serbia & Montenegro’s Marko Marjanovic and Jovan Popovic look to be continuing the tradition of top pairs rowing for their country having come through to today’s finals from the top semifinal position. Taking the lead Marjanovic and Popovic settled into their pace and worked on moving away from Kristof Wilke and Sebastian Schmidt of Germany in second.
Progressing over the course Serbia & Montenegro with Germany in close tow moved away from the rest of the field. But it was looking like Marjanovic and Popovic didn’t quite have the juice of the Germans. Coming into the final sprint Wilke and Schmidt had the edge with Marjanovic and Popovic now up against a new threat. Sprinting down the side Ben Smith and Oliver Moore of Great Britain were going for broke. Heads down, tails up rating 39, Smith and Moore had overtaken the Czech Republic and were closing on Serbia & Montenegro. They ran out of metres.
Germany take first and set a new under 23 World Best time two seconds faster than the old one. Marjanovic and Popovic hold on to second and Smith and Moore take the bronze.
Women's Double Sculls (BW2x)
Last year’s junior champions Jitka Antosova and Gabriela Varekova of the Czech Republic were definitely the favourites coming into this event and they took away any doubts by grabbing the lead from the start over Eva Paus and Melanie Hansen of Germany. This lead had extended out to an open-water dominating advantage by the halfway point leaving an oh-so-tight four-way battle between Estonia, the Netherlands, Germany and New Zealand with just over a second separating the entire group.
Antosova and Varekova continued to completely dominate leaving the Netherlands to try their best to get the silver. The lesser medals were going to come down to the final sprint. Paus and Hansen had the goods. Taking their rating to 37, Paus and Hansen moved ahead of the Netherlands in the final few strokes of the race. The Czech Repbulic take gold, Germany win silver and the Netherlands take gold.
Alexander Kornilov of Russia has been struggling to get into the medals ever since becoming a Junior Champion in the single in 2003. But it looks like Kornilov has found his event. Teaming with international newcomer Nikael Bikua-Mfantse the duo had been making waves through the heats. Today they took off at the head of the final edging out in front of Dzianis Mihal and Stanislau Shcharbachenia of Belarus with reigning champions Matteo Stefanini and Federico Gattinoni of Italy just behind.
A piece by the Italians took them into the lead with Belarus following suit. Mihal and Shcharbachenia come to the double from last year’s gold medal quad and as the race progressed the Belarusian duo appeared to get better and better. With 500 metres left to row Belarus had found the lead with Italy giving it their best to hold on to second.
At the line Belarus had won gold, Italy take silver and Russia hold in for bronze.
Men’s Four (BM4-)
The Czech Republic with Olympian Karel Neffe Jr. in stroke seat, have spent this season doing the Rowing World Cup circuit. It must have suited them well. Looking relaxed and together, Jan Gruber, Jakub Zof, Milan Bruncvik Jr. and Neffe took off in the lead leaving the rest of the field to sort it out between themselves. But the rest of the field weren’t going to sit back on their laurels. Germany did their best to take on the Czechs with Belarus not far back.
Greece then began to move, taking the wind out of Germany’s sails in the process. At the line the flying Czechs, getting their stroke rate up to 43, had held on to first over Greece. The Czechs had also knocked four seconds off the under 23 World Best Time. Germany held on to the bronze medal.
Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (BLW2x)
Germany’s Laura Tasch and Claudia Schad jumped into the lead ahead of Australia and did all that they could to hold on. And holding on is exactly what they did. But Russia had other ideas. Anna Yasykova and Ksenia Potapova have just joined together this year with Potapova the more experienced over international debuter Yasykova. Coming into the final sprint Germany had a small edge with Russia and also Weronika Deresz and Karolina Widun of Poland closing fast.
Russia got there first to take gold. Germany hold on to silver and Poland take bronze.
New Zealand’s Graham Oberlin-Brown and Peter Taylor met Marcello Miani and Daniele Danesin for the first time in the semifinal and came off second best to the more experienced Italians. Today they met again. In the opening of the race Taylor and Oberlin-Brown had the edge over Miani and Danesin and proceeded to extend this edge making the most of the tail wind conditions using a quick and light style.
Meanwhile, reigning under 23 champions, twins Ondrej and Jan Vetesnik of the Czech Republic could barely hold on to third with Canada sitting back in fourth.
In a very un-lightweight rowing style Oberlin-Brown and Taylor continued to extend their lead at the head of the field with Italy doing no more than retaining second and the Czech Republic sitting in third. The order did not change. Oberlin-Brown and Taylor not only take gold, they also set a new under 23 World Best Time of 6:19, breaking the former best by four seconds.
Lightweight Men’s Four (BLM4-)
It took until this race, the 160th race of the 2006 World Rowing Under 23 Championships for the Italian lightweights to truly shine through. Fabrizio Gabriele, Michele Savrie, Martino Goretti and Livio La Padula of Italy jumped into the lead over Greece and did their best to hold it. But the margins were small and with Germany on the hunt and Austria on a roll, gold for the Italians was not yet guaranteed.
But the Italians were looking good and as Greece and Germany tussled, Italy kept their nose in front. It was all on for the final sprint. Italy still had the edge, Greece was right behind, Germany, now at a 45 stroke rate, was charging. Italy win gold at just a fraction slower than the under 23 World Best Time. Greece take silver and Germany, despite their sprint, win bronze.
Women’s Quadruple Sculls (BW4x)
Romania really, really wanted to win, but so did the rest of the field. With defending champions Ionelia Neacsu and Roxana Cogianu the Romanians got out to a solid start and overtook a fast-starting Russia to take the lead. But Germany was right with them and the spread across the field was not wide. It was all going to come down to who had the most to give in the final sprint.
Romania, despite looking panicked, held in there to take gold. Great Britain follow in silver after pulling off an awesome second half run and Germany hold on to bronze.
Men’s Quadruple Sculls (BM4x)
Romania aimed to follow their women counterparts in this all-European final but Ukraine had other ideas. Taking the lead right from the start Ukraine left Romania to have a head-to-head battle with Germany. The following commentators watched as first Romania got their bow ball in front, then Germany, then Romania. The sprint was on with Hungary also desperately trying to hold on to the pace.
A photo finish at the line gave Ukraine the gold, Romania the silver and Germany the bronze.
Women’s Eight (BW8+)
Pulled together from top university rowing programmes from throughout the United States the US women’s eight was definitely a force to be reckoned with and the other crews new it. From the start the US took the lead with Romania, Germany and Belarus going at it for the silver spot. First Belarus had it. Then Romania did a piece and had second. Then Germany tried to sneak up. With the United States still in the lead and doing a strong 36 stroke rate it was going to come down to the final sprint to decide the lesser medals. Belarus must have wanted it the most. Driving for the line Belarus hit a stroke rate of 41 and were so in the zone and oblivious to all around them that they kept rowing past the finishing horn. The United States win gold in the first ever under 23 women’s eight race, Belarus take silver and Germany leave with bronze.
Men’s Eight (BM8+)
The Canadian men’s eight, drawn together mainly from top United States university rowing programmes, took to the head of the field and already had a half-length over nearest rival Romania. Canada, under the guidance of coxswain Mark Laidlaw, who also coxes for Canada’s University of Victoria, continued to make up ground over the rest of the field. Could anybody stop them?
Suddenly the Italians, cruising somewhere at the back of the field, came alive. Charging past the United States, then Poland, Italy went for broke. Germany had the same idea. In the final sprint Germany topped 43 strokes to pull up on Canada with Italy pushing through to bronze. Canada take gold, Germany silver and the Italians win bronze.