Saturday brought the first medals in Poznan, for non-Olympic and non-Paralympic boat classes, plus a raft of semifinals, repechages and B-finals in a packed morning of racing.

FINALS

Bier wins first international gold

Jasmina Bier has had quite a season – she only made her international debut at the 2024 European Rowing Championships in Szeged, winning silver in the PR2 mixed double sculls. She and Paul Umbach are set to race the final of the PR2 Mix2x in Poznan on Sunday too, after narrowly missing out on a ticket to Paris at the Final Paralympic Qualification Regatta last month. But before then, Bier made no mistakes in defeating Mexico’s Angeles Gutierrez in a two-boat race in the PR2 women’s single sculls, her first World Rowing Cup gold.

Bier said: “It’s a bit overwhelming. It was a good race – it was tough, for sure, with all the wind on the race course. I was actually surprised that I was able to stay under 10 minutes, that was the goal that I set. Meanwhile it didn’t feel like it, but I’m glad that I made it.”

RESULT: GER, MEX

De Koning remains king of the singles

Dutchman Corne de Koning has made the PR2 men’s single sculls his own in recent years. He already has four world titles in this event, and in Poznan added another World Rowing Cup medal to his extensive collection with a solid row. De Koning led through every marker, but the race behind for the minor medals was superb. Miguel Nieto led out strong, but Irishman Tiernan O’Donnell had pulled through the Mexican by the 500m marker and continued to stretch out ahead of the field behind de Koning. Meanwhile Germany’s Paul Umbach pulled through for bronze.

De Koning said: “t was good, it was a little bit bumpy. The sidewind was challenging at times. I like the fact that you’re just on your own (in the single), that you’re responsible yourself for the result that you’re getting.”

RESULT: NED, IRL2, GER, IRL1, MEX

Morizot takes gold for France

Aurelie Morizot upgraded her fourth place at World Rowing Cup II in the lightweight women’s single sculls to gold in Poznan with a confident row in the tricky headwind conditions. Morizot’s strong start quickly took her ahead of the field and she was able to scull her own race to add a second World Rowing Cup gold to the one she won at 2023 World Rowing Cup II. Audrianna Boersen (USA1) picked up silver, holding off the fast-finishing Mexican Kenia Lechuga into the line.

Morizot said: “I did a great start, I was really happy with the first 500m. I tried to really row long and keep the boat flat, even if it’s hard. I told myself the girls beside me had the same gusts, so I tried to stay ahead. I was so pleased with my finish, I gave everything.”

RESULT: FRA, USA1, MEX, USA2, NOR, AUT

Singles gold for Switzerland’s Schaeuble

Swiss sculler Jan Schaeuble only found out he was racing the lightweight men’s single sculls earlier in the week, after withdrawing from the lightweight double sculls event. But he showed why he and doubles partner Raphael Ahumada are among the best in the world with a dominant victory in the smaller boat class. Schaeuble led by three seconds by the 500m marker and was able to stretch out and allow the drama to play out behind him. Germany’s Jonathan Rommelmann and Austrian Lukas Reim coped best with the tricky conditions, with Rommelmann’s second half taking him from fifth to second and Reim holding on for bronze.

Schaeuble said: “It was a wild race. Conditions, especially in the middle, were challenging. My goal was to keep the rate up, but that didn’t work out so I had to play it safe and drop the rate.”

RESULT: SUI, GER1, AUT, USA, GER2, FRA

SEMIFINALS and REPECHAGES

Germany secure, Mexico miss out

With five boats racing for four places in the final of the PR3 mixed double sculls, the repechage saw the leading crews go out hard to secure their place. Germany’s World Rowing Cup II winners Jan Helmich and Hermine Krumbein made no mistakes in leading out the race, ahead of France and the USA who were close right down the course. India and Mexico came in fourth and fifth, with the Mexicans missing out on Sunday’s final.

Olivia Nacht (b), Eline Rol (s), Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls, Switzerland, 2024 World Rowing Cup III, Poznan, Poland © Maren Derlien / MyRowingPhoto.com

Swiss sprint seals place in final

The six-boat race for the lightweight women’s double sculls final would see two boats miss out, and it was the Latin American combinations from Peru and Argentina who failed to qualify for the final. Poland led out, but Switzerland and China never let go. China led at the 1500m mark, but then Switzerland found an extra gear and sprinted through for the win, with Poland falling into third. Tunisia took the fourth place in the final.

Kiwis dominate men’s pairs

There were repechages for the men’s and women’s pairs, with four crews qualifying for the final in each event. On the men’s side, New Zealand’s two boats qualified for the final by each winning their repechages – with New Zealand 1, Daniel Williamson and Philip Wilson, the fastest by a comfortable margin in 6:59.96. Australia 2 and Great Britain 2 also progress. In the women’s race, Denmark’s experienced duo of Hedvig Rasmussen and Fie Udby Erichsen were the clear leaders by the halfway mark and held off France 1 for the win. The Netherlands and France 2 joined the two leaders in the final.

Tight clashes in double sculls

The men’s double sculls semifinals and women’s double sculls repechages produced some excellent racing. In the men’s semifinal 1, there was little to split New Zealand, Ireland and Germany on the line, but Kiwis Jordan Parry and Robbie Manson just held on for the win, 0.2 seconds over Ireland. Semifinal 2 saw the French Olympic champions, Hugo Boucheron and Matthieu Androdias, take the win by just over a second ahead of Poland and Great Britain 2 from lanes 1 and 6 respectively. In the women’s double sculls, Great Britain 1, Jenny Bates and Freya Keto, came storming past New Zealand on the line; New Zealand just managed to hold off a sprinting Switzerland for the second qualifying spot. Repechage 2 was won by France 1, ahead of Romania, with Germany in third.

Astrid Steensberg (b), Frida Sanggaard Nielsen, Marie Skytte Hauberg Johannesen, Julie Poulsen (s), Women’s Four, Denmark, 2024 World Rowing Cup III, Poznan, Poland © Maren Derlien / MyRowingPhoto.com

Olympic-bound crews lead the way in the fours

In the repechages for the men’s and women’s fours, it was the crews heading to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – Switzerland and Denmark respectively – who led the way. Denmark were the clear winners of the women’s repechage, in front of fellow finalists Romania 1, Great Britain and France. Switzerland posted the fastest time of the two men’s repechages, 6:24.47, qualifying alongside Germany and both British crews from the first repechage.

Home joy for Poland

Poland 2 had a brilliant men’s quadruple sculls repechage, sculling strongly from the starting buzzer to book their place in the final alongside their top crew. Germany won the repechage after being bumped out of a direct qualifying place in the final by their own teammates on Friday.

Rigney continues to impress

Australian Tara Rigney is the world bronze medallist in the women’s single sculls and was second at World Rowing Cup II, but she seems to be cruising in Poznan. Her winning semifinal time of 8:09.95 was 10 seconds clear of Magdalena Lobnig of Austria. Juliane Faralisch of Germany also progressed from semifinal 1, with Faralisch holding off a strong effort from Brazil’s Beatriz Tavares in the middle of the race. Switzerland’s Aurelia-Maxima Janzen won semifinal 2 in 8:22.45, ahead of Margaret Fellows (USA) and Wiktoria Kalinowska of Poland.

Mackintosh, Martin and Nielsen in pole position

Experienced men’s single scullers Tom Mackintosh (New Zealand), Damir Martin (Croatia) and Sverri Nielsen (Denmark) look like the pick of the field for the final. Mackintosh and Nielsen both came through the fast-starting Briton George Bourne in the first semifinal, with Mackintosh’s time of 7:26.11 the quickest of the day. Martin won semifinal 2 after rowing through 2023 world under-23 champion Piotr Plominski of Poland. Brazilian Lucas Verthein took the last place in the final.

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Final tune-up for Paris begins in Poznan

First medals handed out on day 2 at World Rowing Cup III

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