Italy rises to the top at Junior Championships

The Lake Galve regatta course presented these athletes with cross wind conditions that caused some bumpy water at the start, turning into flat water at the finish of the 2000m rowing course.

Junior Women’s Four (JW4-) – Final
In Wednesday’s heats Germany won with the fastest qualifying time giving them a direct path to today’s final. Today, Germany got out in front at the start, but, really there was nothing in it. At the first 500m mark all six boat covered just a tight two second spread. Germany gave it their all to shake off some of the competition. They were unable to. The United States stuck with the Germans, with Italy and New Zealand remaining entirely in striking distance.
Then the Americans (Spillsbury, Hughes, Sallquist and Hart) got their nose in front by rating 36 strokes per minute. Germany held on with Italy now completely on attack. Three boats now charged for the line with only the smallest of margins separating them. The United States were second in 2012 and they were taking it right to the line. In a very fast 6:53 time, the United States had scrapped it out to the line and got there first. Italy took the silver and Germany held on to the bronze.
Results: USA, ITA, GER, POL, NZL, CHN

YOG Qualifiers: USA, ITA, GER

B-final
Australia finished fifth in 2012 and this year they raced for the chance of coming seventh. They got out to an early lead before being taken by Ukraine. Margins between all five boats remained very tight through the middle of the race as the race turned into a full 2000m battle.  Then Ukraine began to fade with Australia getting back out in front. In the final sprint Australia and Canada fought it out to the line. Australia got there first.
Results: AUS, CAN, FRA, UKR, CZE

Junior Men’s Coxed Four (JM4+) – Final
The current World Champions, New Zealand had to come through the repechage to get to this final. But their result in that race showed a very fast time giving them a good chance today. But it was Germany in the lead at the start. The Germans won their heat three days ago giving them a direct path to today’s final. This lead didn’t last long with Italy getting their nose ahead. Keeping their stroke rate high for the whole first 1000m, the Italians were flying. Could they keep it up?

Apparently they could. The Italian stroke rate remained high to keep them at the front of the field, with Germany following in second and France, New Zealand and Belarus all battling it out for third. All of these boats were going to have to lay it all on the line. Italy (Antonio Vicino, Jacopo Mancini, Niccolo Pagani, Davide Gerosa and Niccolo Mancusi) took the gold medal, Germany took silver and Belarus had the best sprinting finish to take a very well deserved bronze.
Results: ITA, GER, BLR, NZL, FRA, GBR

B-final
The United States just missed out on qualifying for the A-final through the repechage two days ago and they followed Australia out at the start. By the middle of the race Australia held just a fraction of a lead over the Americans but then they began to break away. Australia finished 11th last year so this looked to be an improvement for them. Coming through to the line Australia had finished first giving them seventh place overall.
Results: AUS, USA, CAN, CRO, UKR
 

Junior Women’s Pair (JW2-) – Final
Australia’s Jessie Allen and Genevieve Horton looked to be the crew to beat following their very fast times recorded in their heat and semifinal. Could Allen and Horton pull off the big one today? Germany’s Antonia Sachtleben and Anna-Maria Brendel got out of the start very quickly. But it didn’t take long before Allen and Horton pushed into the lead. Allen and Horton had finished fourth two weeks ago at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships and this must have been a great warm up for them for this junior race.

Romania’s Cristina-Georgiana Popescu and Denisa Tilvescu followed behind the Australians and very much within striking distance. Popescu and Tilvescu won the European Junior Championships earlier this season and they were going to make a real race of this final using long, smooth strokes and under-rating the Australians.

The United States’ Christine Cavallo and Kathryn Brown, who won silver last year, now began to move on up. The sprint to the finish was on. Australia continued to rate high with Romania perhaps leaving it too late to catch them. Romania then matched the Australian stroke rate. At the line Allen and Horton had won. Romania took second and Spain’s Mireia Ros I Martinez and Laura Monteso Esmel managed to get in front of the United States who crabbed just ten strokes from the finish.
Results: AUS, ROU, ESP, GER, USA, GBR

YOG Qualifiers: AUS, ROU, ESP, GER, USA

B-final
Coming through from yesterday’s semifinals, Italy had recorded a very fast time. They were also the reigning World Champions, albeit with a different crew in 2013.  But it was Greece that got away quickly. Dimitra Kouklotidou and Xanthi Koltsida rated high for the entire race to keep their boat in the lead. Italy tried to catch up through the middle of the race but the gap created by Greece must have been rather daunting for the Italian’s.
Results: GRE, ITA, BLR, POL, UKR, CHN
 

Junior Men’s Four (JM4-) – Final
This race started at a blistering pace with Romania grabbing the bull by the horns and taking off in the lead. Romania easily had the fastest qualifying time three days ago in the heats. Then in yesterday’s semifinals Romania finished one second slower to the reigning World Champions, Italy.  But the United States had really loaded up their boat with fast rowers. What could the Americans do today?

Coming through the middle of the race Romania remained in the lead with both Poland and Italy very much on the pace. It really looked like the men’s four was turning into a three-boat race. Then with 600m left to go both Italy and Romania began their sprint. Racing side-by-side, Romania and Italy were definitely making each other hurt – a lot. Poland couldn’t hold the pace and neither could the rest of the field.

Romania’s Mihaita Iliut, Alexandru-Cosmin Macovei, Danut-Viorel Rusu and Cristian Ivascu had done it. They crossed the line in first with silver going to Italy and open water back to Poland who had managed bronze.  Romania’s time of 6:01.41 was one of the fastest ever recorded by a men’s four at the World Rowing Junior Championships.
Results: ROU, ITA, POL, GRE, CZE, USA

YOG Qualifiers: ROU, ITA, POL

B-final
Spain raced an awesome race in yesterday’s semifinal, just missing out on the A-final. Today they came out just behind Austria in this B-final. Austria posted one of the slowest semifinal times, but maybe they were saving themselves for today. But then the Austrian’s began to fade with Spain taking over in the lead followed closely by Australia. In a 40 stroke rate sprint to the line, despite a brief steering problem, Spain crossed the line in first making them seventh overall at this regatta.
Results: ESP, AUS, GER, AUT, CHN, UKR
 

Junior Women’s Quadruple Sculls (JW4x) – Final
Coming through from the heats and semifinals it looked to be Romania and Germany as the crews to beat. These two nations made up the centre lanes, but when the ‘go’ sounded at the start it was the United States that inched out to a small lead. The United States finished second last year while the Romanian’s took first.

Then Romania (Gerogiana Vasile, Beatrice-Madalina Parfenie, Maricela-Dorina Otea and Iuliana Popa) pushed into the lead to be about one bow ball ahead at the first 500m mark. Their technique, however, was not as smooth as some of the other Romanian boats that have raced today. Still, they held the lead through the middle of the race with Germany now moving into the silver medal spot.

Then Italy did a huge move which got their nose ahead of Germany. Margins were excruciatingly tight with six boats crossing into the final sprint in a practical line. Every single boat still had a shot at the gold medal.  Then a huge crab in the Romanian boat caused when they hit a buoy 15 strokes from the finish, put them out of the gold medal spot. A huge gasp went up from the finish line crowd. Italy’s Rodini, Iseppi, Govvi and Ondoli had won gold. The United States stormed through to take silver and Germany earned bronze. What a finish!
Results: ITA, USA, GER, NED, NZL, ROU

YOG Qualifiers: ITA

B-final
This have been a very competitive event coming through to the final with the Czech Republic having the best time after yesterday’s semifinal. But the Czech’s were last out of the blocks with Switzerland taking the early lead. Margins remained incredibly tight through the middle of the race as just three seconds separated the entire field.

A nip-and-tuck race scenario remained coming into the final sprint with Australia just inching ahead of Switzerland. This race would be won or lost in the final 250m. Australia, who were tenth in 2012, had finished first and thus seventh overall at this regatta.
Results: AUS, RSA, CZE, SUI, POL, BLR