The women's eight ready to race

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The crews from China, Romania, Canada, United States, Great Britain and the Netherlands know each other well. They were all in the final at last year’s World Rowing Championships. At that time United States reigned supreme with Canada and Romania picking up the lesser medals.

This United States supremacy has been going on since 2006 and looks to be continuing unabated. With US coach Tom Terhaar able to feed into a huge pool of university rowers, he has shown that it doesn’t matter who he puts into the boat, they still win. Last year the US crew won by more than three seconds. This year it looks to be no different.

But these crews have more at stake. Unlike all other finals at this regatta, only the top five will qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games. The crew that comes last will be out of Olympic contention and will have to try again at the last chance next year.

At the women’s eight press conference, representative from the British eight Caroline O’Conner made it clear that they had high expectations and were aiming for more than just staying out of sixth place.  “We aren’t thinking that we don’t want to come last. We have higher expectations than that,” says O’Conner whose crew medalled earlier this season at the World Rowing Cup.

A quietly confident Leslie Thompson-Willie, coxswain for Canada said that they had a specific race plan to stick to and did not see the United States as the main target. “We’re prepared to race whoever’s on the start line. We’re expecting everyone to do their best,” says Thompson-Willie.

Romania, who dominated this event up to the 2004 Olympic Games, are rebuilding their crew and coxswain Teodora Gidoiu for Romania said their crew is currently very young. “We know that we can be the best,” says Gidiou, “and we will be the best again.” The Romanian team gets a lot of input from the rowers that won in the past with the famous Elisabeta Lipa visiting them weekly.

China made a women’s eight at the Beijing Olympics a priority and they have continued to put a strong focus on this event. They are at the back end  in terms of speed but have surprised in the past and could do the same again.

The Netherlands, like the Chinese, have often come through unexpectedly and coxswain Anne Schellekens has rarely strayed from the medals podium since she took over at helm in 2009. Schellekens believes it is all about racing your own race and not worrying about what other crews are doing. “We base our race plan on our own qualities and our own tactics, not on assumptions on what other crews are going to do,” says Schellekens.

Gidiou summarised for everyone, “The race will be very hard. All of us are strong and we all want to do our best.”