Showing signs for the season at Huegelregatta

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21/05/2007

By Melissa Bray

Crowds wathcing the races at the Huegelregatta rowing course on Lake Baldeney, Essen, Germany

Looking over Lake Baldeney

Two days of racing at Essen, Germany’s Huegelregatta gave a hint to what may unfold leading into the first Rowing World Cup of the season.

The 94th International Huegelregatta attracted 21 nations to Lake Baldeney which allowed coaches to see their athletes perform in a variety of rowing conditions from Saturday’s afternoon headwinds to Sunday’s tailwinds and fast times.

Canada’s World Champion women’s pair, Jane Rumball and Darcy Marquardt, looked like they are back in form. They dominated their event both days. On Saturday Rumball and Marquardt had a handy 12 seconds between them and second placed Denmark. The results were similar on Sunday with the Canadian duo winning by 13 seconds.

Canada’s newly constituted women’s eight could not keep up with the speed of the Germans. The Canadians ended third behind two German crews. Canada’s women’s coach Carsten Hassing commented there was definite improvement in their boat on the second day.

The Canadian women now travel to Slovenia to train before the first Rowing World Cup in Linz/Ottensheim, Austria.

Denmark made quite an impact with their lightweight rowers. An injured back for Bo Helleberg meant the new lightweight men’s four could not race, but his teammates, Mads Kruse-Andersen and Morten Jorgensen, used the opportunity to race in the lightweight men’s double, winning both days.

Denmark also fared strongly amongst the women with lightweights Juliane Elander and Katrin Olsen winning the open women’s double both days.

Huegelregatta, Essen, Germany winner of m1x, Marcel Hacker of Germany

Germany's Marcel Hacker wins the men's single

Racing in the open men’s double, last year’s lightweight World Champions, Mads Rasmussen and Rasmus Quist of Denmark easily won on the first day. But on day two, faced with Slovenia’s top duo of Iztok Cop and Luka Spik, the Danes trailed, but then sprinted through in the tail wind conditions to nearly draw level just before the finish line. The Danes were second by just 12/100th of a second. The previous day Cop, a former World Champion in the single (1995) competed in the men’s single finishing second to Marcel Hacker, Germany’s top single sculler. Spik also competed in the single and was behind Cop in third.

Huegelregatta, Essen, Germany winner of w1x, Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus

Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus wins the women's single

On Sunday Hacker had an easier time in the men’s single without the Slovenians. Hacker finished first ahead of 20-year-old Dutch sculler, Olivier Siegelaar. As expected, Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus finished first in the women’s single with Poland’s under 23 Champion, Julia Michalska staging a solid, but second-place, challenge.

Germany used the competition to try a variety of boating combinations but still kept their World Champion men’s eight intact. The eight won their event over a fast-starting Polish eight that, both days, couldn’t sustain the pace in the final quarter.

Huegelregatta, Essen, Germany winners of m4x, Poland, Wasielewski, Kolbowicz, Jelinski, Korol

Poland's Wasielewski, Kolbowicz, Korol, Jelinski winning men's quad

Poland’s two-time World Champion men’s quad stayed ahead to win their event but there was much interest around second-placed Germany. The crew made up of junior World Champion Hans Gruhne, under 23 World Champion Karsten Brodowski, double regular Rene Bertram and multi-talented Robert Sens finished just two seconds down on the Poles.

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