New progression system sees fast racing – Rowing World Cup, Munich (Quarter Finals & Repechages)

FISA’s Executive Director Matt Smith commented on the new progression system. “Today FISA experimented with quarter-finals to help make sure the right crews reach the final. This means that all crews (in events with 25 or more entries) have to row all four rounds to reach the finals. In the past, the winners of the heats got to skip a round while all the rest fought it out in the repechages before reaching the finals or Semifinals. Today’s quarter-finals were very exciting and, in many cases, very, very close. Perhaps this will lead to closer and less predictable finals when all crews are equally fatigued from all four rounds which could be a great new development for the sport.”

Lightweight Women Single Scull (LW1x) – Quarter Finals

Two boats, Finland and Tunisia, were underweight in this event, moving them to last place in their respective heats. Four races required a top three finish for advancement to the Semifinal with the top qualifiers from this morning’s heats taking up the centre lanes.

The first quarter final opened with intense racing as Coralle Ribeil of France, Laura Ralston of Great Britain and Germany’s Mathilde Pauls went head-to-head. Barely a canvas separated these three crews going through the middle of the race and even into the final sprint there was little difference between the crews with Austria trying to push in. Coming down to the best sprinter Ralston had the goods and the 23-year-old from Great Britain takes bragging rights. Ribeil and Pauls also qualify.

The second quarter final remained a three-way tight battle for the first 1,000 metres before Spain’s Teresa Mas De Xaxars managed to break away and establish a solid, though small, lead. Mas De Xaxars has the credentials to do well after finishing with bronze last year and she advances to the Semifinals along with under-23 silver medallist (LW2x) Laura Milani of Italy and China’s number one lightweight, 23-year-old Dongxiang Xu in her third race of the day. Meanwhile an underweight boat disqualified Tunisia’s Ibtissem Trimech from continuing.

Quarter final three saw the lead change and change again as crews gave each other no margin. First Denmark’s Maria Pertl had it. Then France took over before China’s Lihong Chen grabbed the lead and did not let go. This is Chen’s debut on the international scene and she continues to demonstrate the strong finishes that have become China’s signature style. But also demonstrating a strong finish Elena Lyakisheva of Russia overtook two boats to finish in second with Pertl qualifying from third.

Tracy Cameron of Canada left it until the final repechage to record the fastest qualifying time, continuing in the same vein that gave her the fastest time this morning. Cameron again advances as the favourite and looks to be continuing in the tradition of strong lightweight Canadian scullers. Cameron led over Fabiane Albrecht of Switzerland and Maria Sakellaridou of Greece who also advance to the Semifinal.

Lightweight Men’s Single Scull (LM1x) – Repechages

Denmark’s Rasmus Quist is in his ninth year as an international rower and last year won silver in the highly competitive lightweight men’s double but despite this pedigree Spain’s Juan Zunzunegui Guimerans thought nothing of taking him on in repechage one of two. Mind you, Zunzunegui Guimerans, despite floundering in B Finals last season, has been rowing internationally since 1994. The two leaders left little chance for Edgar Nanne of Guatemala to break in and Denmark and Spain move on to the Semifinal.

Repechage two had Italy’s six-time World Champion Daniele Gilardoni break away early in the piece and never look back. By the half-way point Gilardoni had built up an open water lead with Mete Yeltepe of Turkey following in second. The pace remained with Yeltepe holding on and the two move on to the Semifinal.