Organised by the Estonian Rowing Association and the Tallinn Rowing Club, this year’s competition boasted nearly 500 participants, making it the biggest indoor rowing competition in the Baltics. Indoor rowers came from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and as far away as Great Britain.

The event remains unique by focusing on 1000m races, rather than the standard 2000m distance with heats followed by finals in the main events.

The hottest event was the men’s 1000m with Kristaps Bokums from Latvia going head to head with Estonia’s Tonu Endrekson. Bokums, 23, is Latvia’s top single sculler and at 205cm tall he often towers over his competition. Endrekson was part of the 2007 Rowing World Cup winning double with Jueri Jaanson and is currently training for his second Olympic Games.

Described as the most gripping race of the event, Endrekson rowed his best time ever (2.42:2) but it was not fast enough to beat Bokums who came through in first with a time one second faster, 2.41:2. Bokums’ finish was just short of the event record. Set by Pavel Shurmei of Belarus in 2003, the record remains at 2.39:7.

In the women’s race 18-year-old Kaisa Pajusalu of Estonia won over her crew mate Jevgenia Rondina with a clear five-second lead in a time of 3.15:0.

Regular masters racer, Anna Bailey of Great Britain toughed it out in the 45 – 59 age group and finished in a dead heat with the younger Malle Lilleste of Estonia.