2001 FISA World Rowing Junior Championships

Romania Rules the Eights in Juniors Finals

11/8/01 9:33 AM
Romania has made a clean sweep of the eights events at the FISA Junior World Championships in Duisburg, Germany this afternoon (Saturday), taking gold in both the women’s and men’s events.

The was some wonderful racing on the finals day, with standing-room only in the stands making for a noisy and festive atmosphere. Worldrowing.com will have new photos from racing online tomorrow. Romania Rules the Eights in Juniors Finals

11/8/01 9:33 AM
Romania has made a clean sweep of the eights events at the FISA Junior World Championships in Duisburg, Germany this afternoon (Saturday), taking gold in both the women’s and men’s events.

The was some wonderful racing on the finals day, with standing-room only in the stands making for a noisy and festive atmosphere. Worldrowing.com will have new photos from racing online tomorrow.

It was to be Romania’s day, as they claimed victories in the women’s single and men’s coxed pair to head the medal table with four golds and three silvers

France was the next most successful nation, taking three gold medals – in the men’s coxless pair, men’s coxless four and men’s quad.

Germany earned the biggest total haul of medals at 12. They took two golds in the men’s coxed four and the women’s quad, along with three silvers and seven bronze.

And Belarus rounded of the multi-gold medal nations with two golds and two silvers. Sixteen nations are represented on the medal table.

Duisburg saved its best weather for finals, with sunny skies and flat water greeting the rowers.

Germany and Romania got the day off to a fighting start with an all out battle for the men’s coxed four gold medal.

Germany went out hard from the start but Romania drew level in the middle stages. As they headed into the final 500 metres Germany, urged on by tremendous home support, caputred the lead once and for all, finishing 1.72 seconds ahead. Italy was third.

Defending champions Marjia Varona and Yulia Bichyk of Belarus showed why they are also a part of their country’s senior World Championship squad. They blitzed the women’s coxless pair to win by 7.94 seconds over Rodica Florea and Ioana Papuc of Romania.

The Belarus crew was never threatened and Romania had a safe grip on second. Christina Gerking and Christina Mahler took bronze for Germany.

France’s Germain Chardin and Benjamin Rondeau posted a commanding lead in the men’s coxless pair but waited until the last moment to take hold of the race.

They had been battling Kaspars Mikelsons and Arturs Kainins of Latvia for most of the course, sitting just behind their rivals. But in the final 500 metres they found some more power and surged away to win by 4.45 seconds. Latvia held off Philip Naruhn and Alexander Scholz of Germany for silver.

Belarus snared gold again in the women’s coxless four. They powered away from the start looking comfortable as they finished 6.12 seconds ahead.

USA and Germany battled for the next to places for the length of the course but USA used the lead it gained at the start and held on to finish 0.82 second ahead. Germany took bronze.

Things were a little tighter in the men’s coxless four, with France holding off Belarus to take its second gold.

At the 1000 metre mark, Belarus was in the lead, with France and Romania just behind. But France made a move in the third 500, edging ahead into the lead.

They weren’t the only ones making a move though. Behind them, Canada powered from sixth to third, hanging on to take bronze behind silver medallists Belarus.

Georgeta Cracuin of Romania is the new women’s single sculls champion after a commanding performance that saw her win by nearly 5 seconds.

Cracuin, who is now part of this years senior Romanian women’s eight, was never seriously under threat and edged away with every stroke.

Defending champion Julia Heitmann of Germany had been in second for most of the race but in the final few hundred metres Miglena Marrova of Bularia sprinted through to snare the silver. Heitmann took bronze.

Great Britain’s Matthew Langridge kept his cool to take gold in the men’s single sculls. He had lead for the first half of the race but was overtaken by Australia’s Scott Brennan in the third 500.

Brennan had moved too fast though and began to lose pace in the final 500. Langridge, rowing his own race, moved past to win by 4.11 seconds. Germany’s Harald Heller was comfortably in third.

The men’s coxed pair produced another battle between Germany and Romania but this time the race was Romania’s.

Mihai Tofan and Alexandru Constantinescu, with cox Bogdan Codrici, had been just ahead of Ukraine’s Oleksiy Yashchenko and Olexsiy Hrytsyuk for most of the race.

But in the final 500 metres Germany’s Urs Kaufer and Raimund Hormann rowed through Ukraine and look determined to challenge Romania. Romania had done enough though and Germany had to settle for silver, with Ukraine third.

Russia’s Nana Gagatsovi and Tatiana Lyssenko showed they had an impressive sprint up their sleeve in the women’s double sculls. They only just took gold off race leaders Franziska Schubert and Ninett Kossowsky of Germany, powering through to finish 0.53 seconds ahead. Italy’s Francesca Russi and Elisabetta Sancassani won bronze.

In the men’s double sculls, Frane Nitseteo and Antre Kusurin of Croatia managed to hold off a late challenge to win gold. In the final 500 metres they found their lead being edged away as Jakub Hanak and Jakub Litera of the Czech Republic and Martin Lange and Rene Burmeister of Germany battled each other.

The Czech Republic got the better of that duel, taking silver, with Germany 0.63 seconds behind for silver.

Germany’s junior women’s quad looks to have taken a leaf from their senior women’s book looking every bit as confident as their elite counterparts as they won they race by 4.01 seconds.

The race was close early on but Germany had race well under control with 750 metres to go. There was a very tight battle for the places. Romania took second by 0.51 seconds while the Czech Republic edged out the Netherlands by less than half a second for bronze.

France took its third gold medal in the men’s quadruple sculls after leading for the length of the course. Germany had never been far behind but a late sprint was not enough and they had to settle for silver three-quarters of a length behind. Italy came from fifth in the final 500 metres to finish a second back for bronze.

Romania and Belarus fought for the junior women’s eight but it was to be Romania who took gold.

Belarus led early on, with Romania just behind and Germany in third. But a strong move in the second 500 metres gave Romania the lead and they held on until the end, finishing three-quarters of a length ahead. Germany was third.

What a final to racing the men’s eight produced. Romania took gold but had to fight every inch of the way. Russia was never far behind, with Great Britain and Germany staying in picture as well.

In the final 500 Russia edged closer and closer to Romania but could not quite catch them, finishing just one third of a second behind. In the final stages, Great Britain rowed down Germany to take bronze by 0.36 seconds.

More details on every race including B, C, and D finals as well as full, split time results are available on the official event website www.wedau-rowing.com