Strong performances at the European Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta

After two days of cancellation due to strong winds, the final day of racing at the European Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta got underway. The athletes were itching to race with Olympic and Paralympic qualification spots on the line.

Men’s single sculls (M1x) – A/B Semifinal

The wind conditions had finally improved and the water was flat for the first races of the day, the semifinals in the men’s single sculls. In Semifinal 1 it was Russia’s Alexander Vyazovkin who got off to the best start. Rating at almost 37 strokes per minute, Vyazovkin wanted to stamp his mark early in the race. His strategy paid off as he was able to look back on the rest of the field. In the meantime, Hungary had to fight off a late charge from Serbia to maintain his second spot. All three crews progressed to the A-final.

Semifinal 2 saw the dominant performance of Greek sculler Stefanos Ntouskos. Ntouskos established his lead early and was able to assess the race going on behind him. That was a three-boat contest between Austria, Finland and Sweden. Through the middle of the race, Austrian sculler Lukas Reim asserted himself as the best of the rest, while Austria and Finland dropped back. And in the final sprint, a spectacular performance from Turkey’s Onat Kazakli moved him from fifth to second, pushing Austria into third and Finland to fourth.

A-final qualifiers: RUS, HUN, SRB, GRE, TUR, AUT

PR1 Women’s single sculls (PR1W1x) – Final

It was a two-boat race between Belarus’ Liudmila Vauchok and Sweden’s Ebba Einarsson, but it was not lacking excitement. Einarsson took the very early lead in her attempt to get out in front of Vauchok, who finished first in the preliminary race for lanes. But Vauchok made a push and managed to gain about a boat-length lead before the 500m mark. Vauchok held her slight lead through to the final 300 meters, when Einarsson decided to turn on the power. It was just too little too late. Vauchok crossed the finish line just ahead of Einarsson.

Result: BLR, SWE

PR1 Men’s single sculls (PR1M1x)  – Final

It was no surprise to see the former canoer, Javier Reja Munoz from Spain take the early lead in this final. Reja Munoz dominated in the preliminary race for lanes on Monday, despite being completely new to the sport of rowing. Behind him it was a battle for the rest of the medals. Belarus’ Maksim Miatlou settled into the second position, leaving Hungary and Lithuania to battle for third. Hungary made the best of it, securing the final place on the podium.

Result: ESP, BLR, HUN, LTU

 Women’s single sculls (W1x) – A-final

There was a commotion at the start when Greek sculler Anneta Kyridou capsized during a practice start. After a slight delay, all scullers were aligned and ready. Unfortunately, Kyridou, who had one of the fastest times from Monday’s heats, was slightly shaken by being in the water, but she bravely lined-up for the race.

It was Russia’s Hanna Prakhatsen who was quick off the start and moved swiftly into the leading position. Taking advantage of her middle lane, Prakhatsen controlled the rest of the field from the lead. Behind her was a three-boat race between Ukraine, Serbia and Sweden. Through the middle of the race, Diana Dymchenko raised her rate and managed to establish herself in the silver-medal position. Serbia’s Jovana Arsic held off a sprinting Lovissa Claesson to finish third.

Result: RUS, UKR, SRB, SWE, FIN, GRE 

 Lightweight men’s double sculls (LM2x) – A-Final

The crews from Greece and Austria were fastest off the start and through the 500m mark, but as the rest of the pack settled into their race-pace, the positions started to shift. Ukraine found impressive boat speed in the middle of the race and managed to draw even with the Austrians by the halfway mark. Into the final stages of the race, the positions were anything but set. Ukraine managed to stay out in front, while Portugal and Russia came storming through. Austria seemed to lose steam in the final strokes of the race. Portugal managed to claim the silver medal, while Russia took bronze, pushing Austria off the podium into fourth.

Result: UKR, POR, RUS, AUT, GRE, TUR

Lightweight women’s double sculls (LW2x) – Final

The withdrawal of Hungary in Monday’s racing meant that this six-boat field had already tested their speed against one another in the preliminary race for lanes. The question was – would they manage the same performance today? Russia and Greece were in the middle lanes. Greece had the faster time coming out of Monday’s racing, but Russia desperately wanted to finish first – as it potentially secured them a spot to the Olympic Games. They flew off the start and the Greeks tried to stay with them. Through the middle of the race, these two crews pulled farther away from the rest of the field. Then Russia found another gear, taking open water ahead of Greece, who in turn had open water to Austria.

Result: RUS, GRE, AUT, TUR, LAT, HUN

Men’s single sculls (M1x) – A-final

After qualifying for the A-final earlier in the morning, these six scullers were back on the water to fight for podium places and the Olympic qualification. It was no surprise when Greece’s Stefanos Ntouskos jumped off the line. But in the early stages of the race, he couldn’t shake the Russia sculler Alexander Vyazovkin. Going stroke-for-stroke through the middle of this race, Ntouskos finally decided to make a move. Into the final sprint, Ntouskos powered up and took the lead. Vyazovkin held on to the second place while behind him, Hungary’s Bendeguz Petervari-Molnar sprinted through to third.

Result: GRE, RUS, HUN, SRB, AUT, TUR