A Swiss affair at 2012 Armada Cup

In its 26th year the Armada Cup turned into a Swiss double victory of Nico Stahlberg the overall winner and Pamela Weisshaupt winning the women’s section.

Designed solely for single scullers, the Armada Cup winds its way along 9km of the Wohlensee in Bern with competitors having to contend with currents, shallow bits and other obstacles as well as a mass start that sees oars clashing and very high stroke rates as rowers try to break free of the masses.

For 2012 the weather was a further challenge of snow and wintery conditions. Stahlberg admits he didn’t dress warmly enough and had frozen feet but, the winner added, “The best way to get warm is fast rowing.”

Stahlberg has competed five times in the Armada Cup and is thus used to the starting fight. This year he was number 16 so he managed to get into the first row of starters. “It’s not a real advantage,” says Stahlberg, “but I had a very fast start and so I was in fourth position at the first bend. This was mentally very important.”

Stahlberg got into the lead about half way through the race. “It was a hard fight in the front between four boats,” he says. “But on the best line there was not space for four boats so I had to take a risk. I steered into the reeds as it was the only way to get in front.”

After competing in the London Olympics in the Swiss men’s quadruple sculls in what Stahlberg says was not a great performance, he is very happy with the Armada Cup win that saw him ahead of Olympic silver medallist in the single, Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic and Olympian Kaspar Taimsoo of Estonia as well as Olympic finalists in the men’s single Marcel Hacker of Germany and Aleksandar Aleksandrov of Azerbaijan.

Taimsoo finished 39 seconds behind Stahlberg in second with Simon Schuerch from the Swiss Olympic lightweight men’s four in third and Synek in fourth.

First woman home, Weisshaupt is a regular on the Swiss team often racing in the lightweight women’s single sculls. Weisshaupt headed off Olympic Champion, Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic by 29 seconds. Knapkova had the potential to win but a crash during the race hindered her. Great Britain’s Lucinda Gooderham was third with Olympic silver medallist in the single, Fie-Udby Erichsen of Denmark was behind under-23 Swiss rower, Patricia Merz in fifth.

This year's event had 280 registered competitors but due to the bad weather 40 rowers were not able to make it some because of road closures due to the snow.

For full results: http://www.bkw-armadacup.ch/de/results