Aiming for the finals: Under 23 Champs

Times were a little slower for the afternoon of semifinal racing as an inconsistent wind sometimes turned into a head wind.

Lightweight Women's Single Sculls (BLW1x)

Sophie Hosking of Great Britain comes to the single from racing two years in the open four as a junior. Today she set the standard in semifinal one by overtaking last year’s fourth place finisher Alexandra Tsiavou of Greece and inching away. Tsiavou has been competing internationally since 2001 and looks to be improving as she headed off Germany’s Stephanie Wagner to again compete in the under 23 final. Hosking, Tsiavou and Wagner head to the semifinal.

Slower times were recorded in the second semifinal as a small head wind impacted these 59 kg max rowers. France’s Clemence Willaume handled conditions the best by leading at the start over Veronika Jakoubkova of the Czech Republic. Willaume finished second in the under 23 four last year and has been spending this season racing in the Rowing World Cup circuit as a lightweight. She kept her nose ahead of Jakoubkova who had created a comfortable gap between herself and the debuting Belgian, Evi Geentjens. This order did not change with the only close threat for a top three qualifying spot coming from a closing sprint by Norway. Willaume, Jakoubkova and Geentjens move on to the semifinal.

Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls (BLM1X)

New Zealand’s Storm Uru (bronze 2005) came through from the heats with the fastest qualifying time giving him the favoured centre lane on the Bloso regatta course. But out in front at the start of semifinal one was not Uru. Adam Freeman-Pask of Great Britain had the lead. Freeman-Pask comes to rowing through his country’s talent identification programme and is competing for the first time internationally. Close behind Freeman-Pask was Olaf Beckmann of Germany who is in his fourth year of under 23 competition but first year in the single.

Freeman-Pask’s lead lasted for half of the race before Uru’s superior stamina kicked in and he pushed into the lead. Rating a solid 35 strokes per minute Uru crossed the line in first with Freeman-Pask holding on to second and Beckmann taking a close third. All three boats go on to the final.

Semifinal two was led from start to finish by Turkey’s potential new rowing star Mete Yeltepe. Yeltepe is in his fourth year at the under 23 level but is yet to win a medal. Today the 190cm Yeltepe was able to settle through the middle 1000 metres of the race keeping just enough ahead of Maxime Goisset of France. Goisset warmed up for his international season by finishing fourth at this year's second Rowing World Cup and today moves on to his first under 23 final by finishing second behind Yeltepe with Slovakia’s Lukas Babac also qualifying by finishing third.

Lightweight Men’s Pair (BLM2-)

A controlled stylish race by Richard Chambers and Chris Bartley of Great Britain showed the benefit of time in the boat together. Chambers and Bartley finished second in the lightweight quad last year and this year won the pair at the second Rowing World Cup. Today they led semifinal one ahead of a neck and neck battle between South Africa and Australia.

Both crews were unrelenting despite being comfortably in qualifying position and it took until the closing sprint and Australia’s 37 stroke rate sprint to give them second. Brad Smith and Andrew Craig of South Africa advance to the final – already an improvement on their seventh place finish in 2005.

Defending champions Italy took one step closer to defense by overtaking Spain to lead semifinal two. Andrea Caianiello and Salvatore Di Somma of Italy are a new 2006 line-up but there’s no denying Di Somma’s rowing pedigree. At his thirteenth international race Di Somma already has senior World Champion medals and an international career that began in 2001.

Spain tried to hold onto the Italians but instead found themselves contending with Philippe De Wilde and Guillaume Raineau of France. France was improving their boat speed as the race continued and the final sprint pushed past Spain by rating 42. Spain reacted back getting up to 45 strokes per minute now under qualifying threat from Turkey. Turkey, however, had left their sprint too late. Italy, France and Spain move on to the final.

Women’s Single Sculls (BW1x)

There’s nothing shabby about Julia Michalska’s rowing pedigree. Poland’s top single sculler has already made a senior A Final this year and is a former junior champion. However today Michalska found herself up against Regina Naunheim of Switzerland who is yet to win a medal at the international level. The two scullers went head to head at the front of the field swapping leads several times and in the process moving right away from Sophie Dunsing of Germany.

In the final sprint Naunheim seemed content to let Michalska take first and Michalska was able to drop her rating to a comfortable 28. Naunheim qualifies from second and young Dunsing, 18, gets the final spot by finishing third.

Leading semifinal two and in a class of her own Iva Obradovic of Serbia & Montenegro did enough damage early on in the race that in the last 500 metres she was able to drop her rating down into the mid 20s. Obradovic is the defending champion of this event and has returned to her country after spending last year as a student athlete at United States University, Berkeley. Behind Obradovic a first 1000-metre tussle sorted itself out into Lina Saltyte of Lithuania pushing into second and Katalin Szabo of Hungary holding onto the third and final qualifying spot.

Men’s Single Sculls (BM1x)

Two medals at the junior level and World Champion Mahe Drysdale for healthy competition has put Nathan Cohen of New Zealand in good stead. Cohen came through the heats with the fastest qualifying time but today, in semifinal one, it was Germany’s Karsten Brodowski who led the way. Brodowski comes to the single from winning in the quad at the 2004 under 23 regatta and at 205cm towers over the shorter Cohen. Behind Brodowski, American university student Meindert Klem of the Netherlands, held on to second.

A strong middle 1000 by Cohen pushed the New Zealander into second with Brodowski holding on to first. In the finals sprint a 31 – 32 rating by both Cohen and Brodowski gave Cohen the lead and a centre spot in the final. Brodowski and Klem advance from second and third respectively.

Semifinal two was all about Romania’s Daniel Frateanu. Frateanu comes to the under 23s after a complete Rowing World Cup season of footing it with the seniors. The former junior champion (2004) watched a tussle go on behind him in the rest of the field, with only Nils Hoff of Norway anywhere near to being in a secure qualifying spot. In the final sprint Frateanu kept his stroke rate up with Hoff, Latvia’s Kristaps Bokums and Alex Gregory of Great Britain all charging. Hoff got through to second and Bokums (2004 champion) takes the final qualifying position.

Men’s Pairs (BM2-)

Coming through the heats Serbia & Montenegro’s Marko Marjanovic and young Jovan Popovic, 19, looked formidable. Today they lined up in semifinal one as the favourites. But Kristof Wilke and Sebastian Schmidt of Germany had different ideas and at the front of the field these two crews played out a close battle that allowed neither to dominate. Meanwhile Russia was trying hard to maintain their third place position but appeared to be running out of steam as Poland appeared to come to life.

At the finish Marjanovic and Popovic had raced through to first, Germany take second and the sprinting Poles earn a spot in the final.

Great Britain has a fine position in the men’s pair and Ben Smith and Oliver Moore worked on continuing this tradition in semifinal two. Doing it in the style of Redgrave and Pinsent, Smith and Moore led from the start over Canadian’s Graham Rusk and Liam Brennan. Rusk and Brennan made it to this semifinal through the repechage and the extra race must have done them good as they held on to second position.

But behind the Canadians Jakub Friedberger and Tomas Patera of the Czech Republic were moving. Friedberger and Patera have under 23 experience from the eight and in the final sprint they managed to overtake Rusk and Brennan. Great Britain, the Czech Republic and Canada move on to the final.

Women's Double Sculls (BW2x)

Last year’s junior champions Jitka Antosova and Gabriela Varekova of the Czech Republic have spent this season racing the senior Rowing World Cup series and even taking a medal. Today they came back from a hiccup at the start to take the lead and extend it to open water. This left New Zealand’s Jamie Nielsen and Emma Feathery to hold tightly to second. But Kaisa Pajusalu and Jevgenia Rondina of Estonia were hanging tight to New Zealand’s coat tails. Pajusalu comes to the under 23s having spent the last two years in the junior single while 17-year-old Rondina is at her first international race. With the Czechs in the lead New Zealand and Estonia sprinted for the line.

Going to the final is the Czech Republic, Estonia and New Zealand.

Italy took a flying start in semifinal two, maintained it through to the half way point and then ran out of juice. Germany’s Eva Paus and Melanie Hansen did the opposite. Paus and Hansen started off slow, got a bit faster through the middle of the race and pulled off a massive sprint that gave them the first place position. Meanwhile the Netherlands and France, coached by current Olympic Champion Sebastian Vieilledent, battled it out to get into a qualifying position.

Renske van der Gaag and Katie Steenman of the Netherlands have brought a formidable support group with them. The noise from the crowd was like an Olympic final as Germany pushed through to first, the Netherlands finish second and France come through to third.

Men’s Double Sculls (BM2x)

Australia’s James McRae and Anthony Males got to semifinal one through the repechage. Today they showed that the extra race had done them well by getting into the leading group along with Russia’s Alexander Kornilov (former junior single champion) and Nikael Bikua-Mfantse and reigning champions Matteo Stefanini and Federico Gattinoni.

This leading group played a lead swapping game for the full 2000 metres despite all of them being in qualifying positions and under no threat from the Netherlands in fourth. Taking the race to an exciting photo finish, Russia and Australia rated 34 with Italy just a pip below. Australia finishes first, Russia second and Italy third.

Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls (BLM2x)

New Zealand’s Graham Oberlin-Brown and Peter Taylor took the lead of semifinal one but were soon reeled back in by Italy’s Marcello Miani and Daniele Danesin. Miani comes to this regatta on the back of a senior Rowing World Cup win with partner Elia Luini and along with Danesin, the duo carried out a very consistent race that saw them take the lead with a push just before the1500 metre mark. The New Zealanders let them go and it was only a sprinting Russia that forced the New Zealanders to get above their 33 stroke rate.

Italy, New Zealand and Russia move on to the final.

Reigning under 23 champions, Ondrej and Jan Vetesnik raced last year at the senior World Rowing Championships and have swapped in and out of the single and double during this year’s Rowing World Cup circuit. Today they led semifinal two from start to finish. But this was not without a challenge from the less experienced Canadians. Timothy Colson and Cameron Sylvester dominated their repechage and continued on their fast boat ways in the semifinal. The Czech Republic, Canada and Hungary, from third position, qualify for the final.

Lightweight Men’s Four (BLM4-)

Greece threw down the gauntlet to the Italians and shot out in the lead of semifinal one. The Italians kept their cool and were soon in the lead. Greece could do little more than try to hold on to the Italians with France following further back in third. The race turned into a battle of wits as the low-rating Italians held the lead over the sprinting Greeks while the French did their best to keep ahead of a late burst by Switzerland. Italy, Greece and France move on to the semifinal.

In semifinal two Germany and Austria went head to head in true lightweight racing style with Great Britain doing their best to hold the pace. Despite the closeness nothing changed in the final order and all three boats will return for tomorrow’s A Final.

Men’s Quadruple Sculls (BM4x)

After getting out of the starting blocks behind Ukraine, Romania pushed through to take the lead and conduct a fine example of negative splitting for the remainder of the 2000 metre course. Ukraine made a gallant effort to hold the Romanians pace while, at the same time, tried to fend off France who had pulled ahead of Latvia to take third. Romania, Ukraine and France head to the final.

There was nothing in it between the top three boats in semifinal two. Hungary held the lead early on, albeit only just over Germany, with the Czech Republic also right there on the pace. These three boats continued to overlap for the full 2000 metres getting their rating up into the high 30s for the final sprint. A strong effort by Argentina at the end nearly upset the trio, but it came a little too late.

Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic advance to the final.