Cover image: World Rowing / Benedict Tufnell
We’re now at the business end of the championships, with finals fast approaching. Friday’s racing once again presented crews with the opportunity to secure Olympic qualification, and it brought out some of the best racing and most dominant performances of the championships so far. Let’s take a look at the results, and where today’s athletes stand going into finals weekend.
Men’s Single Sculls
It was no surprise that in the first of the A/B semi-finals the powerhouse that is Germany’s Oliver Zeidler pushed into first place position early on in the race. Greece’s Olympic champion Stefanos Ntouskos held a strong second-place position, with Croatia’s Olympic Silver medallist Damir Martin sitting just behind. The German looked to be rowing at half slide into the 500m mark, lengthening to three-quarters for the remainder of the race, perhaps to push for more rate. However, he looked smooth and calm throughout the race, and while the final 500m saw Ntouskos make a big push to catch the German athlete, in the end Zeidler took the win by just over a length from Ntouskos. Martin was a further one and a half-lengths back. The second semi-final proved just as exciting, with Dutchman Simon Van Dorp battling for the win against Denmark’s Sverri Nielsen and New Zealand’s Thomas Mackintosh. Mackintosh won Olympic gold in the Eight at the Tokyo Olympics and looks to have adjusted well to the single, showing great technical skill and understanding of how to move the single. Through the first 500m of the race, the lead exchanged hands between each of these three, but it was Van Dorp who would ultimately break clear in the final 500m and take the win. Nielsen’s great form and big finish meant he could overtake Mackintosh to take second place, a length back on Van Drop.
Women’s Single Sculls
The first of the women’s single sculls semi-finals saw the Netherlands’ Karolien Florijn take an early lead, with Olympic champion Emma Twigg a close second. Changing strategy from their usual slower start, German sculler Alexandra Foester sat in third place through these early stages, only a length behind Twigg. Florijn made a move to extend her lead, keeping a safe distance away from the rest of the pack. Although Twigg tried to close as they approached the line, Florijn was just able to keep a clear water advantage crossing the finish. Despite Foester’s strong start, the fight for third place was ultimately won by Bulgaria’s Desislava Angelora, who made a strong move in the third 500m and was able to hang on for an Olympic qualifying spot. In the second semi-final, Australia’s Tara Rigney led through the first 500m ahead of Lithuanian Viktorija Senkute and Austrian Magdalena Lobnig. However, the USA’s Kara Kohler made a tremendous move to take second place by 700m. A final at the 1500m mark saw Kohler take first place with 300m to go, pushing out to win by a length over Rigney. Senkute took third place, securing her place in the A-final, and Olympic qualification.
Men’s Double Sculls
France led out the blocks in the first of the men’s double sculls semi-finals, clearly keen to qualify for their home Olympics. But it was the Netherlands who looked the strongest, keeping calm and not worrying about the French’s early lead. With Italy and China also close by it was a tight race, but at the 1000m mark, the Netherlands took the lead, which they would continue to extend through the race. Italy and China would surpass the French to take second and third place respectively. Clearly overjoyed by the Olympic qualification, the Italians even stopped rowing and punched the air half a length before crossing the line. Croatia were the favourites going into the second semi-final, and although the Sinkovic brothers looked strong and determined it was Spain who took an early lead. At 500m in, it was Ireland who led, with Croatia and Spain close behind. However, the Sinkovic brothers were able to make a move that would push them into the lead, crossing the line in first place, three-quarters of a length up on the Irish. Spain took third, while New Zealand crossed the line in fourth. Their attention now turns to winning the B final and a second chance to secure Olympic qualification.
Women’s Double Sculls
Australia went hard out the blocks in the first semi-final, rating at 41 while their opposition was in the high 30s. But the strength of the USA crew allowed them to take the lead, with the Australians staying close behind. China, looking smooth and strong, held third, with the very strong Irish crew also in the mix. The Irish would move into second and used that famous sprint of theirs in the final 500m to put pressure on the USA crew. However, the smooth-looking USA held on to win by a canvas. While eyes were focused on who would take the win, a surprise came further back in the field, as the French crew came from nowhere, sprinting for third place and that all-important Olympic qualification for their home games. More surprises were in store in the second semi-final. The impressive pedigree of the Romanians showed, as they blitzed out of the start and held the lead throughout the race. But, over in lane four, the Lithuanians held on and kept close to Romania, taking second place. Further behind there was much less of a race, but it was New Zealand who finished in third place.
Men’s Eight Repechage
With only the top two going through to the A-final, racing was on in the men’s eight for those qualification spots. Romania blasted the rate up to 48 off the start, but the Germans took an early lead as they showed why they’re such a quick crew. Canada, with their size and power, moved into second place ahead of Romania. However, the Romanians fought back, making a push at the 1000m mark, desperate for the A-final spot. Despite being in lane five, with Canada in the favourable lane one, the Romanians pushed into second spot. Now in a qualifying position, Romania set their sights on Germany, who had moved to almost a length up on the rest of the field. But something tremendous happened as the Romanians switched gear, sprinting to overtake the Germans in the final 500m, winning by just a canvas.
Women’s Eight Repechage
A heated battle between Australia, Canada and Great Britain took place in the repechage of the women’s eight. Unlike for the men, the top four would qualify for the A-final, but the fight for lanes was still on. The lead changed hands repeatedly through the first half of the race between the big contenders, with Great Britain just up at the 1500m mark. A huge move from Australia saw them take move into second place over Canada, setting up an almighty sprint into the headwind in the final 200m. The smoothness of GB versus the power of the Aussies – who would win? As they crossed the line, both crews were inseparable, with the result going to a photo finish. Eventually, it was revealed that the Australian crew had won by 0.05 seconds over Great Britain, with Canada in third and Italy in fourth. What a race, and what a final we look set to be treated to on Sunday!
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