International boat classes aim for the final

After the adaptive racing, two international boat classes lined up at the start – the lightweight men’s pair and the lightweight men’s quadruple sculls – with the hope of qualifying directly for the A-final.

LIGHTWEIGHT MEN’S PAIR (LM2-)

Two heats in this lightweight international event would see two direct qualifiers for the A-final.

In Heat One one-time World Champions and two-time U23 world Champions Andrea Caianiello and Armando Dell’Aquila started out in commanding style, leading the field from the first strokes of the race. Denmark and Great Britain battled it out between second and third, but the gap separating the Italians from the rest of the field widened as they raced down the course, leaving no chance to their competitors.

The experience of Olympic Champion Jean-Christophe Bette of France and crewmate Fabien Tilliet was evident In Heat Two, as the duo led the field throughout the race. At the line, they finished nearly seven seconds ahead of second-placed Serbia.

LIGHTWEIGHT MEN’S QUADRUPLE SCULLS (LM4x)

In this international boat class, finishing first in one of two heats would also be necessary to advance directly to the A-final.

Four crews in Heat One saw Germany and Denmark battle it out for first, but Germany’s Knud Lange, Lars Wichert, Felix Oevermann and Michael Wieler managed to keep their bow ball ahead until the finish line, with Denmark just one second behind.

Only three crews lined up at the start in Heat Two. In the Italian boat sat Daniele Gilardoni, who won nine world titles in this event and came to Poznan with the intention to increase that medal tally to ten. The Italian’s dominance was clear from the starting beep to the finishing beep, with the USA crossing the line in second and Mexico in third.

Knud Lange, Lars Wichert, Felix Oevermann, Michael Wieler (GER) – Heat One – 1st
“We had a good start and a good race. We expected it to be much closer with the Danish and the French though. We trained together in Leipzig and then Ratzeburg before coming here, but this was our first race in this combination. Today’s result is promising for the final.” Lars Wichert

Franco Sancassani, Daniele Gilardoni, Lorenzo Bertini, Stefano Basalini (ITA) – Heat Two – 1st
“This was a good test, but the wind was very, very strong. It made it difficult to keep up the pressure. It still was a good race and we are happy with the result. Final – bring it on!” Daniele Gilardoni