2011 Samsung World Rowing Cup III - Lucerne ready for rowing finals
In a display of the most intense racing seen so far this season, the world's top rowers raced to qualify for the finals at the third and final stage of the 2011 Samsung World Rowing Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Today's semifinal races had the feel of mounting pressure as crews tested their boat speed in the perfect, albeit sometimes wet conditions on Lucerne's Rotsee course.
The Danish lightweight men's four felt the pressure in their race finishing third, but still qualifying, to a fired up Italy and Switzerland.
Three-time Olympic Champion Drew Ginn of Australia felt the pressure when his men's four just missed out on making the final, being overtaken at the line by the United States. Australian Olympic Champions Scott Brennan and David Crawshay also had no easy task in the men's double sculls and also missed out on qualifying for tomorrow's final.
Australia saw success in their men's quadruple sculls, winning semifinal two and earning a prime spot in tomorrow's final. They will meet World Champions in the men's quadruple sculls, Croatia, who dominated their semifinal this afternoon.
In semifinal one of the women's double sculls, Great Britain's Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins proved that despite injury keeping Watkins out of the boat for the first two stages of the 2011 World Rowing Cup season, they are in World Champion form. They will meet winners of semifinal two, Kerry Hore and Kim Krow of Australia, in Sunday's final.
In the women's pair, World Champions from New Zealand Juliette Haigh and Rebecca Scown (gold medal winners in Hamburg) are looking in fine form in Lucerne, having won their heat and semifinal. In tomorrow's final and for the first time this season, they will be up against Munich winners from Great Britain Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, who also dominated their preliminary rounds of racing here in Lucerne.
A United States vs. Canada battle is heating up in the lightweight women's double sculls as World Champions Lindsay Jennerich and Tracy Cameron of Canada meet Kristin Hedstrom and Julie Nichols of the United States for the first time in Sunday's final. The final battle for gold in the lightweight men's double sculls is also looking to include Canada, after having won their semifinal this afternoon they will be up against semifinal one winners New Zealand.
Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic continued to look dominant in the men's single sculls, winning his semifinal ahead of four-time World Champion Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand, while in the women's single sculls semifinal Xiuyun Zhang of China managed to edge out two-time Olympic and six-time World Champion of Belarus Ekaterina Karsten. Both Zhang and Karsten will meet again in tomorrow's final.
In the women's eight the Netherlands and the USA qualified directly for tomorrow's final by winning their respective heats on Friday, while a duel is expected between Germany and the Netherlands in the men's eight, who also qualified directly for their final by winning their heats.
And, perhaps the most awaited final of tomorrow, Sunday, is the men's pair. The rivalry between New Zealand and Great Britain that began in 2009 is set to continue tomorrow, as both crews won their semifinal. New Zealand won their semifinal with the faster time of 06:26.36 this afternoon, while Great Britain finished in a time of 06.29:61.
The finals of the international (non-Olympic) events also took place today. These seven events included the lightweight women's single sculls (won by Greece), the lightweight men's single sculls (won by Denmark), the lightweight men's pair (won by Germany), the men's coxed pair (won by Italy), the lightweight women's quadruple sculls (won by Germany), the lightweight men's quadruple sculls (won by Germany), and the lightweight men's eight (won by Italy).
The finals in the 14 Olympic boat classes will begin at 10:22 CET on Sunday 10 July 2011 and will be streamed live on the World Rowing website. For further details, please go to www.worldrowing.com/video.
- Links:
- www.worldrowing.com