Three World Best Times set at Varese World Rowing Cup

For immediate release
Varese, 21 June 2015

The 2015 World Rowing Cup II in Varese, Italy wrapped up with 19 countries winning World Cup medals and Great Britain finishing on top of the medals table.

Great Britain won a total of ten medals; five of them gold. This included a win in the para-rowing LTA mixed four as well as setting a new World Best Time in their heat and then breaking it two days later in the final. Gold also went to Great Britain in the men’s eight when the British crew overtook European Champions, Germany to finish first. The winning streak by Heather Stanning and Helen Glover in the women’s pair remained unbroken. The British were back on top in the lightweight women’s double sculls with Katherine Copeland and Charlotte Taylor setting a new World Best Time during their semifinal and then winning gold in the final. 

A new World Best Time was also set in the lightweight women’s single sculls when New Zealand’s Zoe McBride broke a 21 year old record. McBride set the time during the semifinals and a day later won the final. This was one of four gold medals for New Zealand that helped put them into second on the overall medals table. Olympic Champion Mahe Drysdale added to the New Zealand gold medal count by winning the men’s single sculls in an impressive race that saw 2014 bronze medallist Angel Fournier Rodriguez of Cuba come through to take silver with Stanislau Shcharbachenia of Belarus edging out World Champion Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic to win bronze.

The United States continued their domination in the women’s eight – the boat class that they remain unbeaten in since 2006. The US also won the women’s and men’s four and a total of eight medals putting them third on the medals table. 

Fourth on the medals table, Australia collected three golds. This included a golden performance by women’s single sculler Kim Crow who completely dominated her competition. Crow won by open water with Genevra Stone of the United States taking silver and Austria’s Magdalena Lobnig getting the bronze.

A new World Cup Best Time was set by the French lightweight men’s double sculls of Jeremie Azou and Stany Delayre. This earned Azou and Delayre gold and also helped put their country into fifth place on the medals table.

World and European Champions in the women’s quadruple sculls Germany continued to dominate this boat class when they held off Poland and the United States to retain the World Cup leaders bib.

The World Rowing Cup series now moves to Lucerne, Switzerland for World Rowing Cup III, the third and final of the 2015 season. This regatta takes place from 10-12 July 2015.

The World Rowing Cup series was launched in 1997 and consists of a series of three events. The overall World Rowing Cup winners are determined after the third event. This year, the three stages of the series include Bled, Slovenia (9-10 May), Varese, Italy (18-21 June) and Lucerne, Switzerland (10-12 July). 

Results, race reports, photos and videos are available on www.worldrowing.com.