New Zealand crowd already on the edge of their seat

Lightweight Men’s four (LM4-) – semifinals

Semifinal One: From their outside lane, Japan took a very aggressive starting approach and settled into a smooth 36 stroke rate rhythm. Behind them the rest of the field formed a virtual line and with that moved up on the Japanese. As Denmark slipped back, the line of boats engulfed Japan and then left them behind. This race was going to come down to strategic planning , desire and endurance.

There were now four boats, China, Switzerland, Netherlands and Australia all had what it took, but as only the top three boats would qualify, there was no relenting.  China now got their nose in front but there was very little in it. In the last 300m a very determined China went to 42 strokes per minute with the Netherlands giving it their all. The young Chinese crew (Li, Yu, Huang, Li) have just come together this season with the majority in their first year of international racing. They finish first and the Dutch qualify from second. Two more boats waited for the announcement for third. Australia had pulled it off. Three crews looked very, very happy. Switzerland, who had had such a promising season, were hugely unlucky. Only a second and a half had separated the top four crews.

Semifinal Two: Great Britain (Chambers, Mattick, Williams and Bartley) had the highest stroke rate at the start and kept their stroke rate higher of longer. This sent out a message to the five other boats and also propelled Great Britain into the lead. Could they maintain it? Arguably Great Britain are the favourites coming into the World Champs having won two of the three Rowing World Cups this season. Germany, the reigning World Champions, followed closely in second with Italy also very much on the pace.  And this is how it remained. Could any other crew come up and challenge these top three boats?

As boats travelled into the final 500m, the finalists looked all but sorted. Then France started to sprint. Moving their stroke rate to 41, France went after the Italians. Italy reacted back. France had left it too late. Great Britain execute a perfect, even-split, race to finish first with Germany and Italy finishing in the remaining qualifying spots.
Only three seconds separate the six qualifying boats that will race in Saturday’s final.

Jochen Kuehner (GER): “Everybody who's in the final wants to win a medal and we'll definitely try our best.”

Qualifying Crews: CHN, FRA, AUS, GBR, GER, ITA

Men’s Pair (M2-) – semifinals

Semifinal One: In a race dubbed to be all about Great Britain (Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge) and New Zealand (Hamish Bond and Eric Murray), it was Italy’s Olympic medallists Lorenzo Carboncini and Niccolo Mornati that went out very aggressively. Mornati and Carboncini sat up tall, looked confident and gave no concessions to the two lanes next to them.

But the race had only just begun.

Coming through the second 500m Murray and Bond as well as Reed and Triggs Hodge looked almost effortless as they powered ahead of the Italians. Looking at the images on the giant TV screen course-side at Lake Karapiro, the athletes in these two top boats showed the style of the world’s elite rowers. These four athletes know each other well, Reed and Hodge are Olympic Champions from the four while Murray and Bond raced at the Beijing Olympics, also in the four, but finished a disappointing seventh.  The tables have turned in the pair with Murray and Bond dominating the British over the last two seasons.

Murray and Bond then pulled right away from Great Britain. These two crews then started to play games with each other. Both were now easily in front, but neither wanted to play all of their cards before the final and stroke rates began to drop. New Zealand led Great Britain but neither boats were sprinting. New Zealand, Great Britain and Italy move on to the final.

Hamish Bond (NZL): "That was a good confidence booster for Saturday!"

Peter Reed (GBR): "We're not here to pick up a silver medal. It’s a two horse race, there’s  no one else in the field that can upset the first two placings. It’s between us and the kiwi's, it just depends on which way round it’s going to be. We didn't come over here to race for silver."

Semifinal Two: Greece’s Georgios Tziallas and Ioannis Christou had to beat their nation’s 2009 bronze medallists to earn the chance to represent Greece and they have been doing their nation proud so far. Today Tziallas and Christou got out in the lead of the second semifinal and never looked back. Behind them Germany, France and Serbia held a tight battle with Germany maintaining a slight edge.

Through the middle of the race the main excitement was between Serbia and France. France’s stroke, Adrien Hardy is a World Champion in the double, but he has not seen medal years at the Word Championships since 2007. This battle went on until the final sprint, forcing the pace. Greece and Germany (Andreas Kuffner, Eric Johannesen) take out first and second with France and Serbia crossing the line just a quarter of a second apart. France had done it. There was no denying the huge disappointment of Serbia’s Marko Marjanovic and Nikola Stojic.

Andreas Kuffner (GER): “It was a great race and we are very happy to make it to the final. We are feeling good about the final. The beginning of the tournament was very windy, but it’s all good now.”

Qualifying Crews: NZL, GBR, ITA, GRE, GER, FRA

Women’s Single Sculls (W1x) – semifinals

Semifinal One:  Going into this race it looked to be a race of predictability. Karsten, Knapkova and Twigg no doubt would be the top three boats, but could either Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic or New Zealand’s Emma Twigg find a chink in World Champion Belarusian, Ekaterina Karsten’s armour? Knapkova took off in the lead before Karsten pushed past with Twigg following in third. This is a scenario that has played out many a time in recent years.  With that, these three scullers totally separated themselves from the rest of the field.

Going through the middle of the race Karsten and Knapkova played with each other at the head of the field. It looked as though Knapkova would watch Karsten and then drop her stroke rate by one notch. Foxing? This is top talent and strategy at its best. Karsten, Knapkova and Twigg move to the final.

Semifinal Two: If there is a gutsy, standout athlete so far this week, it would have to be Frida Svensson of Sweden. Svensson is the type of athlete that would easily be overlooked by many a rowing coach because of her smaller stature. But this has not stopped the Swede. In Semifinal Two Svensson jumped out of the start pontoon , set the pace and absolutely dominated the race to the extent that within 250m Svensson had a clear water lead over the entire field. The rest of the field then turned into a procession behind Svensson. Iva Obradovic of Serbia followed in second and Julia Levina of Russia sat in third. Nothing changed into the finish.

Meet Frida Svensson on World Rowing YouTube channel and more quotes from the athletes .

Qualifying Crews: BLR, CZE, NZL, SWE, SRB, RUS

Men’s Single Sculls (M1x) – semifinals

Semifinal One: Just a few strokes into the race New Zealand’s Mahe Drysdale put his hand in the air to signal a technical problem. Crews are allowed to stop the race if they have boat problems within the first 100m. The race was stopped and all rowers came back into the starting blocks. This race to qualify for the final had World Champion Drysdale facing Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic. Synek is touted as the greatest threat to Drysdale retaining his World Champion status as Synek comes to Karapiro from a season of straight wins while Drysdale has battled injury all season.

Despite a more-than-usual nervous-looking Drysdale in the starting blocks, the World Champion got away cleanly and ahead of Synek. Drysdale and Synek then played a foxing game at the head of the field. The two paced each other through the race with Drysdale remaining half a boat length in front. Synek stuck with Drysdale and then buttoned off with 200m left to row. Drysdale looked relieved.

Behind them Liang Zhang of China had been conducting a strong race to sit in third and in the third 500 Zhang was challenged by Olympian Tim Maeyens of Belgium. But Maeyens had left his challenge too late and did not have the stamina to maintain it. Zhang goes to the final.

Semifinal Two: Olympic Champion from the double, Luka Spik of Slovenia has become the top single sculler in his country ever since the retirement of his doubles partner Iztok Cop. Spik has never really shone in the single, but today he proved that he had the talent to, coming out behind the fast starting Alan Campbell of Great Britain in semifinal two. Favourite to medal, Campbell took the lead and never looked back.

As Spik bravely held on to second, the final sprint saw both Lassi Karonen of Sweden and Olympic Champion in the single, Olaf Tufte of Norway bear down on Spik. A 38, 39 then 40 stroke rate by Tufte brought him ahead of Karonen a then close on Spik. Spik fought back but did not have the power of Tufte. Campbell, Tufte and Spik are in the final.

Olaf Tufte (NOR): "It will be an open final. Synek has been very smart and Campbell is very fast. We'll see."

Qualifying Crews: NZL, CZE, CHN, GBR, NOR, SLO