B Finals feature Olympic hopefuls at Rowing World Cup

The Malta regatta course in Poznan, Poland opened this finals day with perfect conditions. The day began with B finals and featured many of the athletes that will be at the Beijing Olympics.

Women’s Single Sculls (W1x) – B final

Soraya Jadue Arriaza of Chile got off to a cracking start getting her boat out in front of Latvia and Korea. Jadue is off to her third Olympic Games later this year and she is using this event as part of her buildup. Jadue will have to go back to Chile and work on her stamina. As the second 1000m began Latvia got ahead of Jadue. Then Norway’s Marianne Nordahl began to move through from the back of the field. Rating 34 Nordahl was really moving. At the line Nordahl had overtaken three boats and finishes this regatta seventh overall.

Results: NOR, LAT, KOR, FIN, CHI

Men’s Single Sculls (M1x) – B final

The Estonians boated a men’s quad in 2005 that medalled at the World Rowing Championships. Since then the word has been out that they have very good scullers coming through. At the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta last week, one of them qualified for the Olympics. Today two Estonians competed in the B Final. Kaspar Taimsoo finished first. Valeri Prosvirnin finished last and 12th overall.

Taimsoo won by outsprinting leader Karsten Brodowski of Germany. Brodowski, a former under-23 champion could be the next challenger to Germany’s top single sculler, Marcel Hacker. Brodowski finishes eighth overall at this regatta. In third, Ralph Kreibich of Austria adds another international race to his long 17-year career.

Kreibich races here after missing out on Olympic qualification last week: "I had a bike accident three weeks ago. A car hit me and I hit my head and hurt my back and that wasn't so good for Olympic qualification. Four years ago I qualified for the Olympics, but in April 2004 I got salmonella poisoning and was out for a couple months. I hope to still go for 2012, and next is the European Championships. "

Results: EST2, GER2, AUT, GER1, FRA, EST1

Men’s Pair (M2-) – B Final

Denmark’s Morten Nielsen and Thomas Larsen were unlucky not to make it through to the final in yesterday’s choppy water. Today they made the best of the B final finishing easily in the lead at a very steady 35 stroke rate. Behind them Great Britain’s Robin Bourne-Taylor and Tom Solesbury pushed through to second. Will this be the Olympic boat? Final British Olympic selection is still five days away. Poland takes third with a 37 stroke rate sprint.

Results: DEN, GBR, POL, GER2, EGY, KAZ

Women’s Double Sculls (W2x) – B Final

Speculation is rife at the Malta Regatta Course here in Poznan. What are the Olympic Champions and former World Champions, New Zealand doing in the B final? A bad heat and an equally bad repechage means that sisters, Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell see their first B final in years. The duo made the best of it and got out well ahead of the rest of the field. Coming into the final straight they were under absolutely no pressure but still took their stroke rate to a solid 30 to cross the line way in front. This Poznan course is where Caroline made her international debut as a junior back in 1995. She hasn’t had a break from rowing since.

Results: NZL, ROU, BLR

Men’s Double Sculls (M2x) – B Final

It was quite a surprise to see Germany’s top crew racing in this B final. Clemens Wenzel and Falko Nolte must be nervous as their number two crew is in the A final. This may impact on Wenzel and Nolte’s Olympic selection chance. Wenzel and Nolte made the best of it and took off in the lead. They held off a challenge from Egypt and another challenge from Croatia to finish first.

Results: GER1, CRO, BLR, EGY

Men’s Four (M4-) – B Final

When Italy’s head coach Andrea Coppola decided that the men’s eight was not a priority boat, the four became the top sweep boat. When Alessio Sartori, Lorenzo Carboncini and Carlo and Niccolo Mornati finished second at last year’s World Rowing Championships, Coppola kept the crew together as the Olympic boat. A difficult regatta puts the Italians into the B final. After a slow start, Italy moved ahead of Argentina and Belarus to take the lead. Belarus and Argentina chased hard, but it will be Italy that finish first and earn one Rowing World Cup point for their nation.

Results: ITA, BLR, ARG, GBR2, IRL, EGY

Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (LW2x) – B Final

Japan’s Misaki Kumakura and Akiko Iwamoto qualified this boat for the Beijing Olympics at April’s Asian Qualification Regatta. Today they absolutely dominated the B final. Behind them South Africa’s Olympic entry (they qualified at the African Qualification Regatta), after a solid start, slipped back into second.

Results: JPN, RSA, KOR

Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls (LM2x) – B Final

Germany’s Jonathan Koch and Manuel Brehmer are likely to be names as the Olympic boat next week. They made the best of this B final by leading at the start. But margins were close with Austria and Australia moving with the Germans. Coming into the second half of the race, Samuel Beltz and Thomas Gibson of Australia had pushed past Germany and started to move away. Australia qualified for the Olympics last year when they finished fourth. They will be hoping to step back up to last year’s pace. Australia crosses the line first followed by Germany.

France’s entry did not start due to illness.

Results: AUS, GER, AUT, JPN, HKG2

Lightweight Men’s Four (LM4-) – B Final

With Egypt withdrawing for medical reasons, two boats contested this event. Italy’s number two crew took the lead. Poland stuck with them. Going through the middle of the race both boats maintained a 37 stroke rate. Coming into the final sprint, Italy went to 38 and managed to push away.

Results: ITA2, POL

Men’s Quadruple Sculls (M4x) – B Final

The big Estonian sculling squad raced from behind in today’s B final. Estonia had to overtake Egypt and then Argentina in this three-boat race. A 37 stroke rate ensured Estonia crossed the line in first. Estonia earn one World Cup point for their country.

Results: EST, ARG, EGY