Under a hot sunny sky and almost no wind, spectators at the Rotsee enjoyed a series of close semifinals and three excellent finals on Saturday.

After minor finals in a string of events kicked off the day, semifinals proved thrilling with only fractions of a second separating qualified crews from those relegated to the B-finals. Hosts Switzerland had a good day, qualifying both their men’s and women’s pairs and men’s double sculls crews, while there was progression both from favourites and less-fancied crews.

Racing in Lucerne concludes on Sunday, with B-finals starting at 09:30 CEST and finals from 11:05 CEST.

Helmich and Krumbein still on top

After the withdrawal of Germany 1, Kathrin Marchand and Valentin Luz, on medical grounds, the PR3 mixed double sculls final was a three-boat race. As in Varese a fortnight ago Germany 2, Jan Helmich and Hermine Krumbein, took the initiative from the buzzer to lead out ahead of Australia’s Lisa Greissl and Sam Stunell, and they were able to keep an advantage through to the finish. Ireland’s PR2 mixed double sculls crew of Tiarnan O’Donnell and debutante Sadhbh Ni Laoghaire were third.

Result: GER2, AUS, IRL

Krumbein said: “It was still a very exhausting race. Australia were also very strong. We already raced them two weeks ago in Varese, so we knew they would give us a hard time.”

Back-to-back golds for Lechuga

After winning her first World Rowing Cup gold medal in Varese, Mexico’s Kenia Lechuga won another in the lightweight women’s single sculls final in Lucerne. Lechuga led throughout and was never challenged for the win. Behind her, Austria’s Lara Tiefenthaler continued her solid season with another silver to add to that which she won in Varese, and her European gold medal. Mariia Zhovner (AIN) backed up her European bronze with her first World Rowing Cup medal, just pipping Femke van de Vliet of the Netherlands on the line by 0.07 seconds.

Result: MEX, AUT, AIN, NED2, IRL, PER1

Lechuga said: “Here is my favourite rowing course, and I just tried to enjoy. Things are going well. It was hard, but I always try to start so fast and then just concentrate to finish the race, every stroke (as) perfectly as possible.”

Kluver does it again

Hin Chun Chiu of Hong Kong, China, won his first World Rowing Cup gold medal here in Lucerne last year – while Felipe Kluver of Uruguay won his first gold a fortnight ago in Varese. And these two were head-to-head right down the track on the Rotsee in the lightweight men’s single sculls final, which turned into a classic. Chiu had the early lead, but Kluver found more in the second half of the race and was able to take the win by just over a second. Shahkzod Nurmatov of Uzbekistan took bronze, his first World Rowing Cup medal, with a big last quarter rowing down Slovakia’s Peter Strecansky. The effort led Nurmatov to capsize after the finish line, but he was recovered enough to pick up his medal.

Result: URU, HKG, UZB, SVK, NED1, NED2

Chiu said: “I’m very tired, and happy though because I can come to Lucerne and get a medal again here.”

Romania lead way in pairs

Romania are the reigning European champions in both men’s and women’s pairs, and both crews were fastest in their semifinals, untroubled by their opposition. Both Swiss crews were second behind Romania in their semifinals, sending the supporters in the grandstand into a cowbell-ringing frenzy.

On the women’s side, Czechia won semifinal 2, narrowly ahead of Great Britain and the USA in a tight finish, and Croatia complete the final line-up. New Zealand took the win in the other semifinal for the men’s pair, and will be joined in the final by South Africa, Sweden and Denmark.

China and France set up tantalising final

In the heats, France’s Elodie Ravera Scaramozzino and Emma Lunatti beat China’s Yunxia Chen and Ling Zhang by less than a second. In the semifinal, China hung on for the win, but everything suggests this will be a close final. Germany’s Alexandra Foester and Juliane Faralisch, combining after racing singles earlier in the season, looked good winning semifinal 2. Greece, the USA and AIN make up the final.

Meanwhile Ireland have two boats through to the men’s double sculls final, with European bronze medallists Konan Pazzaia and Fintan McCarthy winning semifinal 2 ahead of New Zealand and their teammates Paul O’Donovan and Daire Lynch. Serbia, Switzerland and AIN1 qualified from semifinal 1.

Men’s four semifinals promise close medal race

On time, the six finalists in the men’s four are split by just over five seconds – with five boats all within a couple of seconds of each other in the semifinals. Australia 1 won the first semifinal, but were pushed hard into the line by Lithuania – a crew which is rapidly improving. France had the sprint to push past New Zealand to claim the third spot in the final.

Romania led out the second semifinal, only to be caught by Croatia by 1500m before finding fresh speed to win. Croatia were second and the USA third as Great Britain faded badly. The final will feature three sets of brothers: the Stankunas twins and their older brother Povilas in the Lithuanian crew, plus the Sinkovic and Loncaric brothers for Croatia.

First singles finals for Guilbert and Ullrich

The men’s and women’s single sculls finals will be a mix of familiar faces and new ones. Olympic silver medallist and European champion Yauheni Zalaty (AIN2) won semifinal 2, but only after Germany’s Marc Weber – leading to 1500m – took the pressure off. Logan Ullrich, seventh in Varese, took second place ahead of Weber for his first final in this event. Jonas Slettemark Juel (Norway) won semifinal 1, with Giedrius Bieliauskas (Lithuania 1) second and Japan’s Ryuta Arakawa snatching third.

On the women’s side, Belgium’s Mazarine Guilbert qualified for her first senior final with third behind the consistently speedy Lauren Henry (Great Britain) and Canada’s Katie Clark. European silver and bronze medallists Fiona Murtagh (Ireland) and Frida Sanggaard Nielsen (Denmark), plus Lithuania’s Olympic bronze medallist Viktorija Senkute were the semifinal 2 qualifiers.

But Tokyo 2020 champion Stefanos Ntouskos (Greece), men’s European bronze medallist Mihai Chiruta (Romania) and women’s Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Anna Prakaten (Uzbekistan) all missed out on the finals.

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Calm weather, close racing on day 1 in Lucerne

Spicy semis and first finals on day 2 in Lucerne

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