First medals awarded at the 2024 World Rowing Cup II

The first five medal finals of the 2024 World Rowing Cup II took to the water today in practically perfect conditions on Lucerne’s Rotsee.

PR2 women’s single sculls (PR2 W1x)

With just two boats in this race, it was all to play for as the race for the gold medal was on. The race played out very similar to what we saw in the preliminary race with Ukrainian Svitlana Bohuslavska getting out early and opening up a significant lead over Mexican Angeles Gutierrez. Because there had been a withdrawal after the entry deadline, but prior to the draw, a silver medal was awarded to Gutierrez.

Result: UKR, MEX

PR2 men’s single sculls (PR2 M1x)

It was a full house in the final of the men’s boat class with two Irish and two Italian scullers. As expected following the preliminary race, it was Italy1, Daniele Stefanoni that established an early lead in the first part of the race while the race the for other two medals was wide open. Stefanoni continued to lead in the second half,  despite challenges from Tiarnan O’donnell (IRL1) and Stefanoni’s fellow countryman Gian Filippo Mirabile (ITA2).

Result: ITA1, IRL1, ITA2, IRL2, MEX, UKR2

PR3 men’s pair (PR3 M2-)

With just one medal available, it was all to play for in this final. It was the same result as we had seen in the preliminary race as Ivan Kupriichuk and Stanislav Samoliuk of the Ukraine crossed the line first, 17 seconds ahead of Australia. 

Result: UKR, AUS

Lightweight women’s single sculls (LW1x)

It was an absolutely stacked field in this boat class with all three medallists from last year’s World Rowing Championships involved. Ireland’s reigning World Champion Siobhan McCrohan established the early lead and by halfway has more than three seconds advantage over last year’s world bronze medallist, American Sophia Luwis. The race for bronze was on between France and Great Britain; the British Sculler Olivia Bates keen to win a second World Cup medal of this season. With 500m to go, the top two were unchanged, and Bates was leading the race for bronze. It was gold for the World Champion McCrohan and with Luwis taking the silver, it was so close for bronze. Bates had won the sprint to the line against France’s Aurelie Morizot by just 0.11 seconds.

Result: IRL, USA1, GBR, FRA, USA2, MEX

Lightweight men’s single sculls (LM1x)

It was the sculler from Hong Kong China, Hin Chun Chiu who established the early lead in this final, sitting 0.76 ahead of French sculler Baptise Savaete. Chiu extended this lead by halfway where Italy’s Patrick Rocek, who won gold on home water at World Rowing Cup I earlier this season, was in bronze medal position. Into the third quarter of the race, Rocek was starting to put the pressure on Savaete, but the positions were unchanged at 1500m. It looked like the top three were set and while Chiu looked relatively comfortable for gold, the silver was still up for grabs! The field all started to close up in the last 250m but nobody could catch Chiu. Despite the best efforts of the Italian, with his sprint to the line, it was silver for France. It was a particularly historic achievement for Hong Kong China, as it was the first ever gold medal at the World level for the federation.

Result: HKG1, FRA, ITA, BEL, USA, GER