Italy brings home the big one in the lightweight double

World Rowing's review of the 2013 season continues with the characters that made up the lightweight women's double and one boat truly shone this season, Italy's Laura Milani and Elisabetta Sancassani.

A year ago when the Olympics dominated the sporting landscape the names Milani, 29, and Sancassani barely registered on the rowing radar. Both Milani and Sancassani have been steadily plugging away on the international rowing scene since their junior days but performing rather parallel journeys. Milani came through as one of Italy's top female lightweight rowers just on the edge of qualifying for the Beijing and London Olympics in the lightweight double.

Sancassani, 30, has spent the majority of her international rowing in the open women's double sculls. Along the way she has collected a junior bronze medal and two under-23 champion titles. She has rowed at both the Athens and Beijing Olympics in the double finishing eighth and fourth respectively.

Sancassani missed out on qualifying for the London Olympics and mid-season 2012 she changed to the lightweight class to race at the 2012 World Rowing Championships in the lightweight women's single sculls. Sancassani then teamed up with Milani for the 2012 European Rowing Championships. They won the lightweight double and sealed their fate.

Milani and Sancassani have not lost a race since they teamed up and together they went through the 2013 season with a win at the European Rowing Championships, the Samsung World Rowing Cup in Lucerne and then the ultimate – a World Championship title at the 2013 World Rowing Championships in Chungju, Korea. This result put Milani and Sancassani into Italy's rowing history books as the first ever World Championship win by women for the nation.

Second at the World Rowing Championships, the United States duo of Kristin Hedstrom and Kathleen Bertko can claim some similarities to their Italian counterparts. Hedstrom has been a regular in the lightweight double in recent years for her country rowing at the London Olympics in the boat class. Meanwhile Bertko was rowing in open-weight boats earning medals in a variety of events including the women's eight, quadruple sculls and double sculls.

Bertko narrowly missed out on making the 2012 US Olympic team and in 2013 she reappeared on the rowing scene as a lightweight rower. Teamed up with Hedstrom, the duo found instant success and as well as taking the silver medal at the World Rowing Championships they secured another silver at the World Cup in Lucerne.
Also medalling this season has been Lena Mueller and Anja Noske of Germany. They were late qualifiers for last year's Olympic Games and they have proved their continued talent by remaining Germany's top duo this past season. Mueller and Noske had a battle to the line at the World Rowing Championships with the Americans, finishing with the bronze medal.

Both Great Britain and New Zealand earned World Cup medals this season and added to the fighting spirit of the finals.  

The fight will continue in 2014 with the first chance to race at the World Rowing Cup in Sydney, Australia in late March.