Repechages set the stage for Paralympic rowing Finals

For those who did not qualify for the Finals through yesterday’s heats, today was their second chance to do just that. In hot, sunny conditions (27 degrees Celsius) and facing an inconsistent head wind, these adaptive rowers challenged each other over the 1000m Shunyi regatta course.

Unlike the Olympics last month, Paralympic rowing features adaptive rowing classifiers who follow each race. Their job it is to make sure no athlete goes outside the limitations of their classified abilities. For example, in the arms only single athletes must not use body swing.

Arms Only Women’s Single Sculls (AW1x)

With the top boat from each of the heats yesterday going directly to the Final, ten countries were left to take a second chance. Two repechages with five boats in each meant the top two in each race would be in the A Final.

Repechage one opened with Liudmila Vauchok of Belarus getting out in front ahead of Svitlana Kupriianova of Ukraine. Prior to Helene Raynsford breaking the World Best Time yesterday, Kupriianova had that status. But, in a reflection of the ever increasing standards of this sport, Kupriianova was facing tough competition. Vauchok has already proved that she is a force to be reckoned with. Last year she finished second in this event at the World Rowing Championships and also competed in the double at the same regatta.

Kupriianova tried to hold on to the fast pace, high rating Vauchok (on 41 strokes per minute), but by the 250m mark Vauchok had proved to be too powerful for the Ukrainian. Kupriianova remained in second with little threat for her qualifying spot coming from Italy in third. Vauchok and Kupriianova advance to the Final.

Results: BLR, UKR, ITA, ISR, HKG

Claudia Santos of Brazil may be the reigning World Champion, but in repechage two she was back in third at the start of the race. But margins between the top three rowers – Martyna Snopek of Poland, Jinhong Zhang of China – and Santos were very tight. By the half-way point Zhang had broken away into a commanding lead leaving Santos and Snopek to battle it out for the remaining qualifying spot.

A strong move through the second 250m brought Santos into second with Snopek starting to fade. It looked as though Zhang and Santos had clearly wrapped up the two qualifying spots, but Snopek had more to give and coming into the final sprint the Pole charged. Snopek took her rating to 37 strokes per minute. Santos held on. Zhang and Santos have made it through to the Final.

Results: CHN, BRA, POL, KOR, POR

Arms Only Men’s Single Sculls (AM1x)

These scullers are allowed to use only their arms and shoulders and their boats are fitted with pontoons for stability. The goal here was to get in the top two of each of the two repechages if they wanted to be in Thursday’s A Final. This meant racing was cutthroat and often much closer than yesterday. The first repechage exemplified this. At the start there was nothing between China, France, Brazil and the United States.

At the 250m mark Yeteng Tan of China had the lead. Tan, 19, had the fastest time in the heats of these scullers and by the half-way point Tan had shaken off Brazil and France. But Ron Harvey of the United States was giving Tan no room to breathe. Harvey has been on the US adaptive team since 2004 and has three World Championship medals. Harvey was a university rower. A back injury in 2001 brought him back into the sport.

With just 250m left to row, less than a second separated Tan and Harvey, while France had slipped back out of contention. Tan crossed the line first, Harvey followed in second. Both of these rowers will meet again in the Final.

Results: CHN, USA, FRA, CAN, BRA

A fast start by Australia’s Dominic Monypenny took him into the lead with Eli Nawi of Israel moving with him and Spain also holding on to the pace. By the first 250m mark Nawi had edged into the lead. As Spain dropped off the pace Nawi and Monypenny moved through the 500m mark clearly in the two leading positions. Nawi finished third last year at the World Rowing Championships in his first international race, while Monypenny is a two-time World Champion in this event and took silver last year.

Nawi, who comes from a swimming background then moved away from Monypenny. The Australian was now under threat from Italy who was closing the gap. Monypenny held on to his pace with Simone Miramonti of Italy unable to sustain the push. At the line Nawi and Monypenny had qualified for Thursday’s A Final.

Trunk & Arms Mixed Double Sculls (TAMix2x)

This event also had two repechages with the top two in each repechage advancing to the Final. This category requires one male and one female rower to be in the boat. The trunk and the arms are used but not the legs. A good body swing is a bonus for moving the boat along and at the start John Maclean and Kathryn Ross of Australia showed their powerful swing.

Maclean is perhaps the best known of Australia’s Paralympians. He is a former rugby league player who, after being hit by a truck, became a paraplegic. Since then he as completed the gruesome Hawaii Ironman triathlon amongst other sporting challenges but Maclean says he is yet to get a Paralympic medal. Maclean took up adaptive rowing last year and this is likely to be his swansong as he plans to retire after these Games.

By the half-way point Maclean and Ross, rating 36 stroke per minute, had a decent sized lead with Karen Cromie and James Roberts of Great Britain moving into second in a fierce fight with Scott Brown and Angela Madsen of the United States. Australia remained comfortably in first as Great Britain and the USA went head to head all of the way until the line. Cromie and Roberts had done it. Australia and Great Britain advance to the A Final.

Results: AUS, GBR, USA, ISR, CAN

Repechage two opened with four boats all on the pace to challenge for first. There was very little between Germany, Ukraine, Poland and Italy with Japan just off the pace. By the half-way point Germany, featuring the impressive 68-year-old Harald Wimmer, had dropped back leaving Ukraine, Poland and Italy to fight for the two qualifying spots.

Going through the second half of the race Italy’s Daniele Stefanoni and stroke Stefania Toscano, who turns 49 this week, held on to a slight lead over Jolanta Pawlak and Piotr Majka of Poland. Some call the double the “divorce boat”, but for Pawlak and Majka it has been magic. They are engaged to be married. Marriage plans aside, Pawlak and Majka had their work cut out for them as Ukraine was snapping at their heels. A huge closing sprint by Ukraine brought them within a second of the Poles. But it will be Italy and Poland going to the A Final.

Results: ITA, POL, UKR, GER, JPN

Legs, Trunk & Arms Mixed Coxed Four (LTAMix4+)

These crews consist of two men and two women with an able-bodied coxswain. The crew can be of mixed disabilities including blind and physical disabilities. This is the only sweep (one oared) event in adaptive rowing. Today they had to finish in first or second if they wanted to be in tomorrow’s A Final.

Great Britain has been at the cutting edge of this event claiming three world titles, owning the World Best Time and in 2007 they were the silver medallists. There has been one change from their 2007 crew and today the crew proved that they had medal potential. Great Britain, stroked by James Morgan, took off in the lead followed closely by Canada and Brazil.

The seasoned British crew remained just in front of the very tight battle going on between Brazil and Canada. Canada had a slight advantage but Brazil was not conceding. Coming into the final sprint Canada and Brazil remained neck and neck. A better sprint by Canada gave them the vital second place. Great Britain and Canada advance to the A Final.

Results: GBR, CAN, BRA, DEN, NED

The last race of the day, repechage two, saw Russia receive a warning for not wearing matching uniforms. Still Russia jumped out at the start but there was very little between the entire field. Russia had a slight edge with USA and Germany hot on their tails.

By the half-way point Israel had dropped off the pace. Russia remained in the lead followed extremely closely by the United States. Sitting in three seat for Russia, Valery Bisarnov competed at the 1972 Olympics in the USSR men’s eight. He now competes as an adaptive rower. Coming into the final 250m sprint, the United States had nudged ahead of Russia with Germany now on fire and charging for the finish line. Unlucky Russia could not hold off the Germans. The United States and Germany are on their way to tomorrow’s A Final.

Results: USA, GER, RUS, RSA, ISR