B final race for pride at European Champs

In perfect rowing conditions, with no wind and flat, calm waters the B-final teams took to the water. For some it would be their last race of their 2010 season and there is no doubt that pride played a part in boat speed.

Women’s Pair (W2-) – B-final

A very light fog, one coach following the race on their bike, perfect flat calm conditions and two boats competing. It was relatively peaceful at the River Mondego rowing course in Montemor-o-Vehlo, Portugal. Russia took complete control over Belarus within the first few strokes of the race and held a comfortable lead for the rest of the race. Using a much more aggressive, high stroke rate, Russia looked like they meant business far more than the Belarusians. Mayya Zhuchkova and Alevtina Podvyazkina of Russia finish seventh overall.

Results: RUS, BLR

Men’s Pair (M2-) – B-final

Spain got away first and managed to take half a boat length out of the field by the first marker, the 500m mark. The race then closed up going through the middle of the race with only four seconds separating the entire pack. Then Croatia, featuring Olympic medallist, Niksa Skelin, closed on the Spaniards and got their nose ahead. Spain’s Alexander Sigurbjoensson Benet and Pau Vela Maggi fought back controlling their technique and earning the lead again. Spain crosses the line in first.

Results: ESP, CZE, CRO, HUN, ROU

Women’s Double Sculls (W2x) – B-final

Denmark shot out at the start rating a high 44 strokes per minute. This gave Lisbet and Lea Jakobsen of Denmark the lead going through the first 500m mark. But their leading margin was slim and Triantafyllia Kalampoka and Aikaterini Nikolaidou of Greece had pushed ahead a few strokes later. With that Kalampoka and Nikolaidou continued to work their way away from the rest of the field. Lithuania then pulled out a huge push, threatening the Greek lead. Coming into the final sprint Denmark again showed their tremendous rating ability, overtaking Lithuania and moving up on Greece. The Greeks held them off.

Results: GRE, DEN, LTU, FIN, ROU, RUS

Men’s Double Sculls (M2x) – B-final

Gabriele Cagna, 20, and Federico Ustolin, 21, of Italy come to the European Championships after finishing fourth at the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Today they raced at the head of the B-final of this very competitive event. Through the middle of the race the Italians managed to work their way up to nearly a boat length lead over Belarus who sat in second. But coming into the final sprint, Belarus went full out. Raising their stroke rate to 41, Belarus pushed for the line. Italy responded striking 40. The finish was tight. Italy looked disappointed. The scoreboard showed that they had every right to be happy.

Results: ITA, BLR, LTU, CRO, UKR, SRB

Men’s Four (M4-) – B-final

The Netherlands are not always the biggest rowers but their smooth technique is well known. Their four, however, looked a bit rough around the edge yesterday. But today they were looking much better as they got away first on the River Mondego course. Spain, however, was tracking the Dutch closely and going through the middle of the race there was very little between the Dutch and Spanish.

Then Rodriguez, Gonzalez, Garcia and Guzman of Spain really moved. The Netherlands had no answer and Spain finished easily in first capping it off with a 42 stroke rate burst.

Results: ESP, NED, POL, ROU, SLO, UKR

Women’s Single Sculls (W1x) – B-final

Iva Obradovic of Serbia has been racing for eight years now and last year she finished fourth at the European Rowing Championships. The higher standard this year saw Obradovic, 26, slip to the B-final. But the Serb made the best of it and took off at the head of the field with only Germany and Belgium able to match her pace. Through the middle of the race Obradovic started to dominate and not even Sophie Dunsing of Germany had any answer. Obradovic finishes first of this race and seventh overall at this regatta.

Results: SRB, GER, BEL, POR, ESP, FIN

Men’s Single Sculls (M1x) – B-final

Hungary’s Peter Galambos waved his fist in the air in delight after crossing the line first and just a fraction ahead of Georgi Bozhilov of Bulgaria. Galambos, who just recently turned 24, has raced as a lightweight for his entire career. He comes to Portugal having won the lightweight single at the two World Cups that he raced at. Today Galambos finishes in the heavyweight category as an impressive seventh overall after holding off the much bigger Georgi Bozhilov of Bulgaria for the entire race.

Results: HUN, BUL, FIN, RUS, BLR

Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (LW2x) – B-final

Leaving the starting blocks very quickly was the Netherlands with only France anywhere near matching their pace. Eugenie Vince and Elise Maurin of France then closed on the Dutch. Sigmond and Head of the Netherlands held on, but the French were rowing a much more composed race and there was still a fair amount of water to cover. Coming into the line the Dutch had a slight edge. France pushed on and managed to overtake the Netherlands despite their lower stroke rate.

Results: FRA, SWE, NED, HUN, RUS, POR

Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls (LM2x) – B-final

Greece won this event last year but this year their new crew could not manage to defend that title, today racing in the B-final. The Greeks, however, made the best of it and took off at the head of the field. Their early lead was being swallowed up, though, as Belgium’s Thijs and Hannes Obreno began to really find their pace in the second half of the race. With the finish line coming into view, Greece looked like they were slipping. The Obreno brothers cross the line in first.

Results: BEO, GRE, NOR, IRL, HUN, CZE

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

The semi-finals yesterday saw some very intense racing and there is no doubt that these crews would have expended a lot of energy. Today would test their recovery and endurance. The Czech Republic and Serbia proved to be the best prepared. At the start the Czech’s (Kopac, Vrastil and the Vetesnik twins) had a very tiny, almost nonexistent lead over Serbia with the remaining four boats slipping back to carry on their own race. Going through the middle of the race the Czech Republic managed to inch away from the Serbs. But it was only inches. Both boats charged for the line. Serbia hit 42 strokes per minute with a tiring Czech crew managing 40. The Czechs just held on.

Results: CZE, SRB, NED, ESP, AUT, RUS

Women’s Quadruple Sculls (W4x) – B-final

Two crews lined up. One crew showed much more aggression and commitment. Romania had the quicker start and continued to attack through the race. Hungary could only try and hold on and play the catch up game. In the final sprint Hungary managed to close on Romania, but had left it too late to catch the Romanians stroked by the experienced Cristina Ilie.

Results: ROU, HUN

Men’s Quadruple Sculls (M4x) – B-final

Three crews shot off the line together and set this B-final up to be a very intense battle. The Czech Republic, France and Estonia all looked like they meant business with Denmark also trying to hold on. By the middle of the race Denmark had dropped right back with the Czechs (Buzrla, Basl, Ourednicek and Andrle) now earning a bit of an advantage over France and leading the field. Estonia then did a huge piece in the third 500 which got them just ahead of France and closed the gap on the Czech Republic. In the final sprint attacks came from all sides on the leading Czechs, the biggest coming from Estonia who took their rating up to 41 strokes. The commentators noted Estonia’s ‘big finish’. But the Czechs held them off.

Results: CZE, EST, FRA, NOR, POR, DEN

Women’s Eight (W8+) – B-final

The match-race style two boat B-final was between France and Poland and the Poles made sure to make it barely a competition. Poland took the lead at the start and never looked back. Their long finish style of rowing served them well and although they underrated the French for much of the race, Poland finished with an open water lead.

Results: POL, FRA

Men’s Eight (M8+) – B-final

Like the women’s eight, the men’s eight only had two boats, but unlike the women, the race was a lot closer. The Czech Republic had the lead at the start and tried to shake Estonia, but although having a slower start, the Estonians held the same pace as the Czechs through the middle of the race. At the end of the race the younger Czech Republic crew had won with their technique looking better than Estonia.

Results: CZE, EST