15 Dec 2011
Italy slips and Polymeros rises, Munich Rowing World Cup
Fast racing saw top Italian crews struggling to qualify for A-finals. Faster racing saw Greece’s Vasileios Polymeros going sub seven minutes in the lightweight single. Fast women saw Ekaterina Karsten continue to dominate her competition in the single. Fast Chinese saw an added threat in the men’s pair and cool weather with gusty rising and falling tail winds keeps rowers on their toes.
Picture this; Three boats, Switzerland, Great Britain and China, moving in unison through the last 500 metres. Each time one took a stroke a new leader was established. China’s Lihong Chen used slightly longer strokes and a slightly lower rating, Switzerland’s Fabiane Albrecht added an element of aggression and Great Britain’s Laura Ralston rated a fraction higher. With three boats to qualify for the final, each athlete had a spot sewn up, but this didn’t stop them racing for first. At the line Albrecht had done it. Chen, in her debut international competition, was second and 2004 under-23 competitor Ralston finished third.
The two-time under-23 representative, Albrecht looks to be taking over for Switzerland from where the retired Lea Fluri left off.
Tracy Cameron of Canada established herself as the top choice after dominating her races yesterday and she looked to make easy work of the second semifinal by taking the favoured lead position right from the start. Keeping an eye on the rest of the field, Cameron watched from her open water lead first at France’s challenge, then at Teresa Mas De Xaxars of Spain’s challenge and Finally China’s challenge from Dongxiang Xu. Leaving nothing to chance, last year’s World Champion in the lightweight quad, Cameron kept her stroke rate up and crossed the line, again, with the fastest qualifying time.
Defending World Champion and Greece’s most successful rower, Vasileios Polymeros looks to be going from strength to strength and today he went under seven minutes today in semifinal one. In his 13th year of international competition, Polymeros didn’t make headlines until 2004 when he won the first Olympic medal in rowing for Greece. Today he continued to build on his growing rowing reputation by leading the first semifinal ahead of Denmark’s Rasmus Quist. Quist planned to do the double with longtime partner, Mads Rasmussen, but is going solo due to Rasmussen pulling out.
Quist gave the lead a good shot, but it was Polymeros that clearly controlled the race. With Quist and Jan Vetesnik of the Czech Republic carrying out a final line battle, Polymeros let his rating drop, still holding on to first. Polymeros, Quist and last year’s under-23 winner in the double, Vetesnik move on to the final.
The second semifinal saw the Athens Olympic silver medallist from the double, Frederic Dufour of France take the lead over Great Britain’s Mark Hunter with Gerard van der Linden of the Netherlands sitting close by in third. Hunter then began to narrow the gap on Dufour and with 500 metres left to row, Hunter had the lead. Dufour didn’t react slipping to over a boat length back. But then the last 50 metres came into view. Dufour popped his stroke rate up, moved on Hunter, took the lead and gained a second. Dufour, Hunter and van der Linden move on to the final.
The sheer class of Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus is undeniable. In semifinal one it looked as if she was doing little more than a training row as she easily took the lead, easily kept the lead and with ease, Karsten did just enough to keep ahead of Russia’s Irina Fedotova in second. USA’s very strong top sculler, Michelle Guerette, back from winter training in New Zealand, sat in the final qualifying position. Coming into the final 500 metres the finishing order was clear. Karsten continued her training plan by lengthening her stroke, popping up her rating and moving away from Fedotova. She toyed, she played, she won. Karsten, Fedotova and Guerette advance to the final.
It was almost as if the two coaches from France and the Czech Republic had gotten together to plan their respective athlete’s race plans. For 2,000 metres Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic and France’s Sophie Balmary paced each other stroke for stroke. Occasionally one would glance across at the other almost like they were enjoying this two way race. Back in third Julia Levina of Russia sat comfortably unchallenged. In a closing push Knapkova took first, Balmary finished second and Levina took the final qualifying spot.
Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic burst onto the single scene last year and finished the season with a world bronze medal. He’s back again and today took on the two former World Champions, Olaf Tufte of Norway and Marcel Hacker of Germany. But at the start of the race the biggest challenge came from doubles champion and FISA’s 2005 team of the year winner, Luka Spik of Slovenia. Spik’s partner and top Slovenian rowing Iztok Cop chose not to compete. His website states that he disagreed with his coach’s decision to race singles which was not the priority boat.
As Spik faded Tufte found his pace and moved with Hacker into qualifying position with Synek still leading. The order remained the same with Synek, Hacker and Tufte advancing to the final.
Almost identical qualifying times marked the second semifinal with Alan Campbell of Great Britain doing exactly what Synek did a year ago. This is Campbell’s first international season as a single sculler, having come from the quad last year, and his performance today makes him the top British story. Finishing ahead of Sweden’s Lassi Karonen and to calls of “hop, hop” from the Swiss supporters, Andre Vonarburg, Campbell’s time is the same as Synek’s in the first semifinal. Campbell, Karonen and Vonarburg move on to tomorrow’s final.
Women’s Pair (W2-) – Semifinal
The United States has sent a small group of women to Munich and leading the way is Anna Mickelson and Megan Cooke. Today they led semifinal one from the outside lane. Behind them a close tussle went on between Germany’s Nicole Zimmermann and Maren Derlien and Kim Crow and Sarah Cook of Australia. At the finish the United States prevailed with Germany and Australia also moving on to the final.
They looked tidy, they looked in control. Darcy Marquardt and Jane Rumball of Canada rowed a controlled and solid race leaving Germany’s second crew and Australia Three to battle it out between them. Marquardt and Rumball, under new coach formerly of Denmark, remained in the lead. Canada, Germany and Australia go on to the final.
Men’s Pair (M2-) – Semifinal
They’ve been together since last decade. They share the same birth date. They are South Africa’s most successful rowers and today Ramon Di Clemente and Don Cech made another step up by leading and winning the first semifinal. But this wasn’t without a battle. Sitting in second, Malcolm Howard and Kevin Light of Canada moved up on the South African’s bringing the Czech Republic with them. At the line South Africa held on to first, Canada took second and the Czech Republic finished third.
Nikola Stojic of Serbia & Montenegro has seen the Munich course many times. Competing internationally since 1992, Stojic has seen two Olympic Games during his career as well as a stint of United States collegiate rowing. Joining with World Rowing Under-23 Champion Goran Jagar is proving to be wholesome as the duo moved from a slow star to take on the entire field. This gave the leaders, China’s Yongquiang Zhang and Xiangdang Wang a two-sided challenge – from Serbia & Montenegro and Croatia’s Olympic medallists Niksa and Sinisa Skelin on the other side. But the race took a turn in the closing 200 metres when Italy took up chase. Four boats crossed the finish line together, three would qualify. Serbia & Montenegro, China and Croatia move on to the final.
Women’s Double Sculls (W2x) – Semifinal
They were identified as future talented rowers and today Annie Vernon and Anna Bebington showed that the identification was correct. Taking the lead in semifinal one Vernon and Bebington rowed a solid race that kept them ahead of the more experienced German crew of Magdalena Schmude (three World Rowing under-23 medals, two junior medals) and 19-year-old Stephanie Schiller who already has a World Rowing Championship silver medal. The Germans got close to Great Britain but couldn’t catch them. Great Britain, Germany and newcomers the Czech Republic qualify for the final.
Belarus’ 23-year-old Yuliya Bichyk did the almost unheard of. At last year’s World Rowing Championships she rowed in three different events. One of them was the double. Racing here in just one event, Bichyk and partner Volha Berazniova led the second semifinal from the start. Behind them China One and Two tussled with each other, China Two having the early advantage before China One’s Ziwel Jin and Bin Tang used their superior stamina to take over. Belarus and two Chinese crews advance to the final.
Men’s Double Sculls (M2x) – Semifinal
Robert Sens has spent most of his recent rowing years in the quad including the Athens Olympics, but this season he’s moved successfully to the double joining with Rene Bertram, also from last year’s quad. Today they led semifinal one with just a fraction lead over Hungary’s Akos Haller and Tibor Peto. But storming up on these two leading boats was Poland. Michal Sloma and Marcin Brzezinski. Poland is better known for their lightweight counterparts but today the Polish (ninth in 2005) were giving it their all. Germany Two gave it their best shot in the final sprint, but it will be Sens and Bertram, Haller and Peto and Sloma and Brzezinski that will meet again in tomorrow’s final.
Semifinal two saw very tight racing as Estonia, two French boats and Great Britain left the starting boots together and continued to stick together. Jean-Baptiste Macquet with Adrien Hardy for France Two had the tiny edge over Great Britain’s Matthew Wells and Stephen Rowbotham while France One’s Jonathan Coeffic and Julien Bahain sat just back in third. The intensity remained, but the order stayed the same. Surprisingly sitting at the back of the field was 2005 silver medallists, Italy.
Men’s Four (M4-) – Semifinal
A swift start by the Czech Republic soon was lost in a battle between Germany Two and Germany Three with the Netherlands keeping a wary eye on this tussle from their leading position in semifinal one. The German two-way dance not only shook off the Czechs, but in the final sprint it also boxed out the Italians and closed in on the Dutch. At the line the Netherlands and two German boats will go on to tomorrow’s final.
The three standout crews from 2005 were Great Britain, Canada and the Netherlands. The Netherlands proved that they’re back for another year in the first semifinal and in the second semi Great Britain and Canada put themselves firmly in this same position. Great Britain got the best start by rating 46 out of the start with Canada unable to match the early pace. But the Canadians steadily closed the gap with Slovenia sitting solidly in third. The gap closed on Great Britain’s Andy Hodge, Alex Partridge, Peter Reed and Steve Williams, but the order didn’t change. Great Britain, Canada and Slovenia move on to the final.
Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (LW2x) – Semifinal
Magdalena Kemnitz and Ilona Mokronowska of Poland came together in 2004 and qualified for the Olympics at the last chance. They went on to make the final in Athens and then last year finished fourth. The ever-improving combination had a battle with Germany’s test line-up of Berit Carow and Marie-Louise Dreager that lasted through the body of the race. Meanwhile China’s Dongxiang Xu and Hua Yu, sitting in third, were closing the gap on the two leaders. This is Xu’s second race of the day after qualifying in the lightweight single earlier in the day. The finish was close but the order remained the same. Poland, Germany and China move on to the final.
The opening of semifinal two was all about Greece. The closing was all about China. Taking the unusual Chinese step of getting to the front early in the race, Xuefei Fan and Shimin Yan of China Two led through the middle part of the race before Haixia Chen and Jing Liu of China Three caught up and turned the race into a Chinese affair of equal 35 stroke rate. At the line Chen and Liu had first. Fan and Yan qualify from second and a very happy Sine Christiansen and Juliane Rasmussen of Denmark shook off the French to take the final qualifying spot.
Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls (LM2x) – Semifinal
Italy may have found their new star combination. The Czech Republic may have found theirs. Russia’s combination may have found new boat speed over the winter. In semifinal one Elia Luini and Marcello Miani of Italy took off at the fastest pace and opened up a small lead. This was the only constant of the race. Behind Italy, Michal Vabrousek and Ondrej Vetesnik of the Czech Republic had worked their way up the field with Russia’s Vladimir Varfolomeev and Denis Moiseev following suit from the back of the field. With 1,500 metres left to row Russia had established themselves in second and the Czech Republic close behind in third. Despite a massive sprint by Great Britain, the qualifiers are Italy, Russia and the Czech Republic.
Manuel Brehmer and Joerg Lehnigk of Germany have made no mistakes this regatta and, again, in semifinal two they conducted a clean and consistent race from the head of the field. Behind them Japan slipped into second with a battle for third being waged between Australia and Slovakia. Coming into the last 400 metres Australia popped their rating up to 37 and pushed into third. Germany, Japan and Australia qualify.
Lightweight Men’s Four (LM4-) – Semifinal
Ireland wanted this race and they wanted it bad. But so did five other boats. Australia took an early lead before Italy’s number one crew found the front. Stroked by Bruno Mascarenhas Italy held this position. But Ireland were steadily working their way through the field and, pulling out the most gutsy sprint, Ireland moved into the lead with Italy holding on for dear life. The finish was tight. The Irish remained in first, Italy in second and Australia a fraction back in third over Italy two.
Race number 160, the final race of the day. The final semifinal. The final chance for six lightweight fours to qualify for the final. Great Britain got off the line at the front and held on. This holding on worked through the middle of the race before Germany took over. But no-one had predicted the Chinese charge. Coming into the last 500 metres China began to move. Pushing their rating up to 38 strokes per minute. China overtook a panicked Great Britain and went after Germany. At the line Germany remained in first, China qualifies from second and Great Britain were third.