A Finals of the International Regatta events in Montemor-o-Velho

These events are not normally raced at the European Championships but it was decided that as this year’s World Rowing Championships in New Zealand are later in the season than usual (this year occurring after the European Championships) that these races would be a welcome opportunity to get another international race in before the World Champs. It is also the last chance to race this season for those crews not going to New Zealand. Hence, European Champion titles will not be awarded in these events.

In cross wind conditions, which were stronger at the start than further down the course, and temperatures rising to about 31 degrees Celsius, the rowers returned to the River Mondego. This would be the last international race of the season for some of these rowers and competition was intense.  

Women’s Four (W4-) – A-final

Results: BLR, ITA

Men’s Coxed Pair (M2+) – A-final

This event showed that the age of a coxswain is irrelevant as both Belarus and the Czech Republic had coxswains of 53 years old. Oldrich Hejdusek (CZE) also coaches, while Piotr Piatrynich (BLR) is usually found coxing the men’s eight. Off the start the Czech Republic lost a bit of ground way too early on. If they wanted the gold they would have to play at catch-up. Belarus got off to a particularly fast start and put themselves into a comfortable leading position. The Czechs did not have it in them to come back. Belarus remained in the lead with Italy coming in second. Belarus (Vadzim Lialin, Aliaksandr Kazubouski and coxswain Piatrynich) earn their second gold medal of the afternoon.

Results: BLR, ITA, CZE
 

Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls (LW1x) – A-final

A quick start was used as the wind in the starting area meant that the umpire found getting the boats away as quick as possible was the fairest method. Early to show was Marie-Louise Draeger of Germany. This was no surprise given Draeger’s track record and her performance in yesterday’s heats. Draeger has been a World Champion in the very competitive lightweight double, but this year she was beaten into the double by two other lightweight rowers.

Draeger nearly caught a crab around about the 500m mark in the wobbly water, but her technique pulled her through and kept Draeger in the lead. Austria’s Michaela Taupe-Traer slotted into second with Italy’s Laura Milani right on Taupe-Traer’s tail in third.

Despite Draeger’s growing lead, she continued to power ahead of the field. Perhaps she had to make a certain time standard to earn a spot on the World Rowing Championship team? Draeger charged through the final 250m of the race at a high 43 strokes per minute to win by a margin of seven seconds.

Results: GER, AUT, ITA, SWE, BLR, POL

B-final

Olivia Wyss of Switzerland got into the lead right from the start and used a high stroke rate to stay in front. Wyss hadn’t quite timed her race correctly though. With just 250m left to row France’s Coralie Simon took the lead. Wyss, taking her stroke rate to 38, tried to fight back. But the lower stroking Simon was moving her boat better and Simon takes the first place in the B-final.

Results: FRA, SUI, SVK, POR

Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls (LM1x) – A-final

The rowers got away under a ‘quick start’ framework for this final and in these breezy conditions Maxime Goisset of France had the strongest start. But by the first marker Jaap Schouten of the Netherlands had taken over in the lead. Italy’s Marcello Miani, however, was not sitting on his laurels and going through the 750m mark he had found the lead. Miani was in his country’s lightweight double the past couple of years (with Elia Luini), but has been moved aside this season by Lorenzo Bertini.

Meanwhile Schouten and Bartlomiej Lesniak of Poland were going head to head behind Miani. Coming into the final sprint Lesniak upped his rating, but it was relatively ineffective against the lower rating, more experienced Schouten and the sprinting Slovakia and Denmark. Miani takes first with Schouten in second.

Results: ITA, NED, SVK, DEN, POL, FRA

B-final

The B-final was raced before lunch under much calmer conditions. At the start Christian Rabel of Austria had the lead. But by the middle of the race Dimitrios Mougios, who is part of the very strong Greek squad, had moved into the lead. Mougios’s speed was too much for Rabel who began to slip back. Mougios charged on towards the finish line, getting his stroke rate up to 42 strokes per minute. To the satisfaction of the crowd, Diogo Pinheiro of Portugal had now pulled through to second. But no one could catch Mougios who finished with a huge 11 second lead.

Results: GRE, POR, NOR, AUT, SLO BEL

Lightweight Men’s Pairs – Final

The Netherlands, France, Spain and Italy were the four contenders to the podium in the lightweight men’s pair.

Within less than ten strokes, Frances Fabien Tilliet and Jean-Christophe Bette were already ahead. Behind them The Netherlands and Spain and in fourth position, Italy, whose Luca Motta and Giorgio Tuccinardi remained at the back of the field from start to finish.

Andreu Castella Gasparin and Ruben Alvarez Pedrosa of Spain passed the 500m mark in second position, but were soon overtaken by the Dutch pair of Joris Pijs and Paul Drewes. The sequence would remain through to the finish line, with France finishing over eight seconds ahead of the rest of the field in 7:12.99.

RESULT: FRA, NED, ESP, ITA
 

Women’s Lightweight Quadruple Sculls – Final

Only two boats lined up at the start of this event. Enrica Marasca, Giulia Pollini, Eleonora Trivella and Erika Bello from Italy and Christina Pultz, Marie Gottlieb, Mia Espersen and Sarah Christensen from Denmark made up the field of the lightweight women’s quadruple sculls.

 

Following a series of quick starts in the earlier races of the afternoon, a normal start was given to these two boats.

Denmark got ahead early on in the race, with Italy staying a canvas behind. The two crews were level by the 500mark, with Italy pushing through to the front during the next 250m.
By the 1000m mark, Italy, whose Pollini and Trivella in seat two and three are this year’s Under 23 World Champions in this event, had taken full control of the race, and already a length ahead, continued to increase the lead.

Italy kept a steady margin throughout the entire second half of the race, and crossed the line in 7:15.18, 5.89 seconds ahead of Denmark to take gold.

RESULT:  ITA, DEN

Men’s Lightweight Quadruple Sculls – Final

Years go by, but it’s always the same story. Talk of the lightweight men’s quadruple sculls and the Italians win. The Italians are unbeaten at World Championships level in this event since the defeat to Japan in 2000.

Today’s crew is half of the 2009 World Champion crews (Franco Sancassani and Stefano Basalini), joined by Pietro Ruta (23 ans) and Fabrizio Gabriele (25 ans).

Their lead over the entire course was hardly challenged. France’s Pierre Etienne Pollez, Stany Delayre, Alexandre Pilat and Fabien Dufour (younger brother of Frédéric Dufour) tried to hold on in the first quarter of the race, but could not hold the pace. The young Danish crew, Steffen Jensen, Martin Batenburg, Christian Nielsen and Hans Christian Soerensen did make a push for it in the final sprint, but were unable to fully catch the Italians, finishing 1.79 seconds behind the 6:19.06 winning time.

RESULT : ITA, DEN, FRA, GER
 

Men’s Lightweight Eight – Final

Three boats lined up at the start of the lightweight men’s eight. In lane one, Denmark, including Anders Hansen, Thorbjoern Patscheider, Jacob Barsoe from this year’s Under 23 World Championships Lightweight men’s four crew who finished fourth in Brest. Italy, in lane two, is the current World Champion in this event, and several of the crew racing here today are part of the 2009 line-up. This crew also has a gold medal from the Rowing World Cup final in Lucerne this year. In lane three, Portugal who put together a crew especially for this event on their home ground.

Italy lead this race right from the start, with Denmark and Portugal taking turns for second and third in the first few hundred metres of the race. At first, Portugal got ahead, but it was not long until Denmark took over. Throughout the second half of the race, Italy and Denmark stayed ahead with no  more than a length between them. Portugal, at the back, struggled to keep the pace, and at 1500m was two lengths behind Denmark.

Coming into the finish, the Danes, with Lasse Dittmann who raced in the silver medal lightweight men’s four crew from this year’s Munich World Cup, gave a final push to try to catch Italy. The push came too late, and was not enough to overtake Italy who crossed the line just 0.60 seconds in front. Denmark take silver, and Portugal, strongly encouraged by the local crowd, take the first Portuguese medal of this regatta with bronze.

RESULT: ITA, DEN, FRA, GER