There was no lack of enthusiasm as rowers lined up for the heats at the 2022 World Rowing Cup II in Poznan, Poland. The cross-tail wind conditions boded well for fast times, but with bumpy water increasing as the races went down the 2000m rowing course, it was good technique that came into play.

Experience dominates in lightweight women’s single

The Canadian sculler Jill Moffatt raced in the Tokyo Olympics as a double sculler. She’s the only competitor of these two heats who was at the Olympics and she had the edge in heat one. Then Australia’s Nesbitt went to 36 strokes per minute to close on Moffatt at 31 strokes per minute. Nesbitt kept the momentum to finish in first and go to the final with Moffatt. Both were on the podium at the last World Rowing Cup in Poznan (2019), they will no doubt be looking to repeat that performance.

Mary Jones of the United States had a great first World Rowing Cup where she came away with gold. In heat two, Jones got into the lead after a slower start and took the win over rowing’s stalwart Marie-Louise Draeger of Germany who decided to pace herself and did not sprint the finish.

A day for Uruguay in the lightweight men’s single

Three heats saw a large field race with heat one seeing a close race between Uruguay and Bulgaria. But it remained tight over the entire field in the second half of the race with Dunham of New Zealand timing it perfectly and coming through at the end ahead of Penev of Bulgaria who is coached by Olympic Champion Rumyana Neykova. Uruguay’s Cetraro had an absolutely flyer out of the start and led Olympic silver medallist from 2016, Gary O’Donovan. Cetraro finished sixth in the lightweight double at the Tokyo Olympics and he continued to lead to win heat two ahead of O’Donovan.

The third heat looked good for Poland until Olympic Champion in the lightweight double, Fintan McCarthy of Ireland shot past Kowalski of Poland. These two boats battled it out at the head of the field to take first and second by a huge margin over the rest of the field.

The ever-growing women’s four

When three heats line up you know you’ve got a big, high quality field. Ireland medalled at Tokyo and became the first Olympic medal for women in rowing for their country. Two of these athletes remained in the boat and they led the way at the start of heat two. But the Dutch were right with the Irish. These two boats went head-to-head with China in third. It was still neck-and-neck between the Dutch and Irish in the final sprint and these two boats go through to the semifinal along with China 2.

No surprise to see Australia with a clear water lead in heat two. Two of the boat took gold in Tokyo with the other two in their country’s Olympic eight. Poland, though, tried to give Australia a run for their money with China 1 in third. They all earned spots in the semifinal. Heat three was oh so tight between the entire field with New Zealand, the United States and two Canadian crews duking it out. New Zealand then pulled away to take first. The Kiwi crew included Beth Ross who took silver in the eight at the Tokyo Olympics.

Men’s four formula – win by domination

The Netherlands dominated heat one with their number one crew setting the pace. Using a 37-stroke pace, Rik Rienks in stroke set the speed. His brother sat in bow and showed that having a top rower for a dad, Nico Rienks, may pay off. They got to go directly to the final on Sunday. Australia, the Olympic Champions, showed they still had it in heat two. Their Olympic final was epic in their dominance and three members of that crew remained in the boat for Poznan. Australia used a 37 – 38 stroke pace and kept the speed on despite being out in front.

Single scullers Kohler and Puspure pop up in women’s double

Four boats were neck-and-neck heading into the middle of the race. De Jong and Youssifou of the Netherlands 1 had an edge. These two did well in World Cup 1 and in the second half of the race they moved away from the field with the United States 2 in second, just a fraction ahead of Netherlands 2. De Jong and Youssifou were first in World Cup 1 and they secured a spot in the semifinal. You might have thought Sanita Puspure was only a single sculler, but today she raced in heat two in the double with Zoe Hyde. They led the way through the middle of the race, then dominated the second half.

Getting out quickly in heat three was Marilou Duvernay Tardif and Shannon Kennedy of Canada. Duvernay Tardif comes from a sporty family with her brother an NFL player. They were being challenged by the United States through the middle of the race and then looked to be running out of steam with the United States grabbing first. The US crew included Kara Kohler who raced in the single at the Tokyo Olympics.

Can the Dutch catch the Sinkovics in the men’s double?

The Dutch had an amazing race at the Olympics to get silver and they have maintained Stefan Broenink from that boat to be joined by Olympic Champion from the quad, Koen Metsemakers. They took the win over Australia in heat one. The second heat was oh so close at the start with Poland then pushing into the front. Both crew members raced at the Tokyo Olympics but in different boats. Zietarski and Baranski of Poland still had the lead at half way with the Netherlands 2 bearing down on them. Poland used the help of the crowd at went to 40, but the Dutch piped them at the line.

Can anyone beat the Sinkovic brothers? They have Olympic medals in the quad, double and pair and now back in the double, Valent and Martin Sinkovic led heat three. By the middle of the race the Sinkovics had an open water lead and they pounded down the course at 39 to send a message to all of their competitors that they weren’t to be beaten. The rough water saw the Sinkovics choose not to sprint the finish.

A sprint then settle strategy in lightweight women’s double

The Dutch have always had a strong lightweight doubles crew and as they rebuild into the new Olympic cycle they have put Martine Veldhuis and Phaedra van der Molen together in the first of three heats. Veldhuis and van der Molen led at the start with China then coming up to challenge and taking the lead to win with Ireland snatching second. The Dutch could only manage fourth behind France. Austria and Switzerland shot out in heat two. Switzerland was the only crew of the five boats in this heat that raced at the Olympics, and Merz and Rol have been a very stable partnership for years. The Swiss experience paid off and they took first ahead of Austria.

Heat three had the Tokyo Olympic finalists the United States overtake a fast-starting Australia crew to take the lead. The Australian crew are debuting at the international level and were giving it their best. Sechser and Reckford of the US moved away from Australia as they headed to the finish at a cool 32 strokes per minute.

Lightweight men’s double try new combinations

Denmark, Germany and Australia all had new line ups and all challenged each other at the head of the field in heat one. Germany then gained the edge as the United States went to above 40 to try and close on a qualifying spot. It didn’t have the desired effect and at the line Germany’s Leerkamp and Gaus were in first ahead of the United States. Heat two had France with the upper hand before Norway 1 found the front of the field. Tjoem and Benske hail a brand new Norwegian combination and they remained in the lead through to the finish.

Heat three was oh so close amongst the top four crews as France 2, Switzerland, Ukraine and Japan 2 went through the middle of the race together. Then Olympians, Ukraine, who finished fifth in World Cup I, broke away. Khmara and Kovalov of Ukraine then had to try and hold off Switzerland. They did.

Women’s quadruple sculls see return of Olympic Champions China

Where did they come from? Switzerland dominated Heat One with two rowers who are the 2021 World Rowing Under-23 Champions. They underrated the rest of the field and still held the lead, stretching it out to open water. France were in second. The Netherlands and China were out in front in heat two. Three scullers from China’s Olympic Champion boat remained in the crew. They had finished behind the Netherlands at World Rowing Cup I, so knew what to expect today. The Chinese had their bow in front and they held the lead through to the finish.

Men’s quadruple sculls heats set stage for close final

Out in front in heat one were the Netherlands and China. The Chinese won at World Cup I with the Netherlands in second. They reversed their order today as the Dutch led over China. They were both at 40 strokes per minute coming through to the line. China then went to 42. The Dutch won by a fraction. In heat two Switzerland was part of the leading trio. They raced in the final at World Cup I and today they took on Poland 1 and Germany. Poland then did a piece going through the third 500 to take on Germany and then close on Switzerland. Poland had the lead. Switzerland fought back and got to the line a fraction ahead in a photo finish.

Rebuilding the men’s eight

The Australians and Canadians are back. Like many of the crews here, they have rebuilt their eights as they move into this new Olympic cycle. Australia raced at the head of the field in heat one over Canada. By the middle of the race, they had a very solid lead and they held a high rating to keep the lead. Australia and Canada continued to hold the leading two positions although only the top boat would qualified directly for Sunday’s final. Canada will race tomorrow’s repechage.

Perhaps not surprising, it was Germany that had a commanding lead in heat two. They have been such a dominating force in the men’s eight the past decade, and three of the crew raced in the silver medal Olympic eight, with the rest coming through from the under-23 crew. At 38 strokes per minute Germany increased their margin through to the finish.

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Day One Daily Digest : windy start for the 2022 World Rowing Cup II

Day Two Daily Digest: fast racing at 2022 World Rowing Cup II in Poznan

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