Blazing times as para rowers go for last chance to make the final

Day two of the para rowing at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games was racing in the ‘last chance’ repechages. In humid conditions with slight head wind at the Sea Forest Waterway regatta course on Tokyo Bay, these athletes gave it their all.

The goal today was to finish in a top two position to get into Sunday’s A-finals. Four boat classes were racing and despite the small head wind, time were quick on the water.

PR1 Women’s Single Sculls (PR1W1x) – Repechage

France’s Nathalie Benoit belted out at the start of Repechage One. She holds a silver medal in the ASW1x from the 2012 Paralympics, and in 2020 she became the European Champion. Following behind was Brazil’s Claudia Sabino who got herself into a comfortable second. Sabino’s Paralympic experience goes right back to 2008 when para rowing first appeared as a Paralympic sport.

The order stayed the same through the middle of the race with Argentina holding third and the United States and Japan in fourth and fifth respectively. Benoit continued to grow her lead with Sabino’s distance to catch Benoit increasing to 60 metres. The rest of the field did not look like they had a chance to get into those important top two positions. At the line France had taken a spot in the final and a finishing time of 10:56 (much faster than yesterday’s heat times). Benoit is definitely one to watch in the final. Sabino also moves on to the final.

Repechage Two opened with a great start by Germany’s Sylvia Pille-Steppat and Moran Samuel of Israel. Samuel then really started to push away. Paralympic medallist, Samuel won her heat yesterday but was then relegated to the repechage. Read more here.

By the middle of the race Samuel was easily in the lead with Pille-Steppat ahead of Korea’s Sejeong Kim. The rest of the field did not look like they were in a position to challenge the top three boats. As the final sprint came into view, Moran, who finished third at the 2016 Paralympic Games, had a comfortable lead. Pille-Steppat was in a solid second and looked to be set to qualify for the final. Pille-Steppat started competing internationally in 2014 and this is her first Paralympic Games. She was through to the final along with Samuel who finished first in a time of 10:33 – the fastest qualifying time overall and 20 seconds outside of the World Best Time

Qualifiers: FRA, BRA, ISR, GER

“My family, my children, my wife….they are my superpowers. They are the wind beneath my wings. Just knowing that there is another one on the way gives me, I  think, some more extra powers” – Moran Samuel on the pregnancy of her wife.

PR1 Men’s Single Sculls (PR1M1x) – Repechages

It was a quick start by Shmuel Daniel of Israel in Repechage One. But he had the mighty Erik Horrie of Australia in one lane over. Horrie is synonymous with para single sculling. The Australian has been competing internationally for a decade and has seen the sport evolve over time from 1000m racing to 2000m today. Horrie has also picked up a slew of medals along the way including two Paralympic silvers. By the first 500m mark Horrie had got ahead of Daniel, but only by a fraction. The 36-year-old Daniel is at his first Paralympic Games having started competing internationally in 2017.

By the 1000m mark Horrie had a boat length over Daniel who was at a 39 stroke rate and had the same speed as Horrie. Horrie was rating lower.  These two boats now looking in comfortable qualifying positions. Germany’s Marcus Klemp was the nearest threat to a qualifying position as he sat back in third. Klemp was the bronze medallist at the 2021 European Championships and is a para rower to watch. Coming through to the final sprint Daniel was still chasing Horrie with great determination and also keeping an eye on Klemp. Daniel took his stroke rate up. Horrie and Daniel had qualified for the final. Horrie had recorded a time of 9:20 – just eight seconds outside of the World Best Time.

Repechage Two had Benjamin Pritchard of Great Britain make the best of the start and he got out ahead early on. Then Spain and RPC really moved were matching Pritchard’s speed. With just 250m rowed Spain’s Javier Munoz was just ahead of Pritchard. Munoz is relatively new to para rowing, but he won the Final Paralympic Qualification Regatta earlier this year and sent out a signal that he was one to watch. But Pritchard was ready and got to the first 500m mark just ahead of Munoz. The battle between Pritchard and Munoz then really took hold. Munoz comes from para canoeing and competed at the Rio Paralympics in this sport. Pritchard, 29, started competing internationally in 2019 and finished third at the 2019 World Rowing Championships. A former cyclist, Pritchard was paralysed in a cycling accident.

Going through the middle of the race Munoz and Pritchard were neck and neck. Then the British sculler did a push in the third 500 and got a boat length advantage over Munoz. Meanwhile RPC’s Aleksey Chuvashev sat back in third but far enough back that they weren’t in striking distance of a qualifying spot. At the line Pritchard had got the better of Munoz and recorded a time of 9:14. An incredible time just two seconds outside of the World Best Time. Munoz took the second qualifying spot with Chuvashev, a 2012 Paralympic medallist qualifying for the B-final.

Results: AUS, ISR, GBR, ESP

PR2 Mixed Double Sculls (PR2Mix2x) – Repechages

It was no surprise to see the Netherlands crew of Annika van der Meer and Corne de Koning taking off quickly at the start of Repechage One. This duo have been helping to set the standard in PR2 rowing and, at their first Paralympic Games, they are favourites to medal. But they were up against Australia’s Kathryn Ross and Simon Albury. Ross’s experience stretches back to the first time para rowing was at the Paralympic Games – in 2008. The Dutch and Australia were very close at the first 500m mark, but so was Poland. The Polish crew of Jolanta Majka and Michal Gadowski were sixth at the Rio Paralympic Games and have been improving every since with a third place at last year’s European Rowing Championships. Then Poland caught a crab and came to a dead stop at the 750m mark. They picked it back up and charged after Australia.

By the middle of the race van der Meer and de Koning had the lead. But it was small with Australia now just ahead of Poland. France remained within striking distance, but Canada looked to be off the pace. This race remained tight amongst the top three boats with the Netherlands leading the way, albeit only just, over Australia and Poland just slightly back in third. The sprint was on to the line with three boats fighting it out for two spots and their margins getting tighter and tighter. Van der Meer and de Koning had done it, while Majka and Gadowski had squeezed past Australia on the line to claim second and the qualifying spot. The Dutch had recorded a finishing time of 8:10. This was just four seconds outside of the World Best Time that they had set themselves back in 2017.

Repechage Two saw Brazil take off at a fast pace. Josiane Lima and Michel Pessanha have been racing together internationally since 2014 and they finished seventh at the 2016 Paralympic Games. Lima is one of six para rowers that has raced at all four Paralympic Games that has had para rowing. The duo were first to the 500m mark, but only just. Ukraine and Italy were right there and the United States also very much with the leading pace.

Then Lima and Pessanha began to push away and they managed to eke out a small lead with Italy’s Chiara Nardo and Gian Mirabile and Ukraine’s Svitlana Bohuslavska and Iaroslav Koiuda now neck-and-neck for second. Then Bohuslavska and Koiuda did a big push in the third 500 and at 1250m they had got themselves level with Brazil. Italy responded to the challenge with these three boats going into the final sprint all overlapping. It could go any way at this point. Ukraine took their stroke rate to 38 to gain the lead. Would it be Italy or Brazil for the second qualifying spot? A huge sprint by Mirabile and Nardo gave them the edge and a position in the final. For Ukraine this is their first Paralympic Games together and for Italy this is their first season rowing together. What a finish. Ukraine finished in a time of 8:17.

Qualifiers: NED, POL, UKR, ITA

“Tomorrow we have to work for every stroke. There are no guarantees for anyone and everyone is going to want to win a medal.” – Annika van der Meer, NED

“We started with a clear objective to finish in the top two and we achieved it. Let’s see tomorrow what we can pull out of the magician’s hat.” – Gian Mirabile, ITA

PR3 Mixed Coxed Four (PR3Mix4+) – Repechages

Italy regularly uses fast starts and today was no exception as they took off with the quickest pace in Repechage One. Australia and Brazil followed very closely. The Italians won the 2020 European Rowing Championships, then finished fourth at the 2021 European Championships. The crew of Scazzosi, Brancato, Bernard, Muti and coxswain Fuina, were first to the 500m mark but with Australia right with them. Canada and Brazil were now neck-and-neck for third. The Australian crew has three members that finished fifth at the 2019 World Rowing Championships, so this is the first international regatta for this line up.

At the half way point Italy and Australia remained incredibly close together with Italy just having a nose over Australia. Canada and Brazil remained level. Four countries all were still within striking distance of a qualifying spot. Italy was rating the highest at 36 strokes per minute and all four boats went through the third 500 in the same order, no one willing to relent. Coming into the final sprint Australia picked up the pace and gave it their all. It paid off. At the line Australia was first in a time of 7:06. Italy held on to second to take the second qualifying spot.

What a start by Israel. They jumped out at the word ‘go’ in Repechage Two. But then France found their rhythm and their speed and first to the 500m marker was the French crew of Sauzeau, Jesel, Taranto, Boulet and coxswain Le Barreau. This crew finished second at the 2021 European Rowing Championships and three of them raced to eighth at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Ukraine also had a good start and were challenging France. These three boats made up a tightly packed bunch at the head of the field. By the middle of the race France had gone out to a lead with Ukraine moving ahead of Israel.

Then France really used the third 500 to push away. They now had a boat length lead over Ukraine. Israel was also pushing hard and coming back on Ukraine. The crew from Ukraine had finished third at the 2021 European Rowing Championships and Israel (with two different members) had been fifth. The sprint to the finish was now on. France held their pace and got to the line first despite Israel giving it their all. But the Israeli’s committed sprint gave them second and earned them a spot in the final. Ukraine will go to the B-final. France’s finishing time of 7:06 was almost identical to Australia in the previous repechage.

Qualifiers: AUS, ITA, FRA, ISR

“We’ve all had a lot of hurdles to get here and it means a lot to us so we’re going to put our hearts into it.” – Tom Birtwhistle,AUS