Sunday 19th August 2001, Lucerne, Switzerland.
For those who have never visited Lucerne, this small Swiss town nestling between a cluster of vertiginous mountains has a special place in the rowing consciousness. One of the earliest international rowing venues, the natural Rotsee lake seems purpose-built for the sport: 2400 metres of calm, fast water, bounded on all sides by steep glacier-carved hills which regularly give it ideal conditions. Many of the world's best times have been recorded here, and to many it is known as 'the Lake of the Gods'. With typical Swiss efficiency, buses run every few minutes from the neat town centre beside Lake Luzern to the Rotsee, but it is only a short walk up the hill for those preferring to take the active route.
It should come as no surprise therefore that the Lucerne Regatta, which became one of the biggest international events of the seventies and eighties, should have metamorphosed at the end of the 1990's into the pivotal World Cup fixture. This year Lucerne goes one better, hosting its fourth Worlds, after kicking off the modern era by organising the first ever World Championships in 1962, before repeating the feat in 1974 and 1982. For that reason the final World Cup regatta this year was held in Munich, giving Switzerland a short break from its regular duties before welcoming the big event this week. Next year, of course, it will be back to a mere three-day party.
But for now, this week is all about 2001. The Rotsee has been upgraded again for the duration - more grandstands, plenty of spectator facilities, and a stunning pontoon bridge crossing the lake behind the finish line which apparently took the Army just 45 minutes to create, linking the two viewing areas. Not everything is perfect - the warm-up and landing areas seem a little confused in circulation patterns, and the start lacks the now-customary boat-clogs and line-up markers, which crews have become used to. Tradition remains, however - the hillsides opposite the boating rafts still ring twice a day with the mellow tones of local cow-bells as cattle are driven to and from their daily milking.
So begin eight days of racing which see faces old and new, multiple Olympic medallists and fresh-faced eighteen-year-olds, rowing side by side down the Rotsee. In the early rounds racing will take place from around 1pm to 5pm (local time, = GMT+2), while minor finals begin on Saturday and Sunday at 9 am local time.
Entries are not huge - post-Olympic funding can be in short supply and while the number of countries entering is high, not all are fielding vast teams. Several of the top athletes are doubling up, especially into the eights, adding a further dimension of unpredictability to these already-competitive events. That doesn't mean the 2001 World Championships lack interest or standard, and it is especially encouraging that only one category, the LW2-, sees a straight final. The move to new boats is also a 21st-century fashion, with several Olympic medallists jumping into non-Olympic crews for the Worlds, and fresh combinations of experience and youth which put a new spin on the form guide.
Below follows a 'wibble'[1] covering some of the events of the first day. Not an exhaustive diary of racing, but some of the highlights and happenings those watching were treated to.
M2+
For the watching champion-spotters, a little bit more exciting than some recent coxed pairs heats, as the first race of the day featured ol' Pinsent & Cracknell, taking on 55 kgs-worth of intelligent ballast in the slender shape of cox Neil Chugani in part one of their attempt on an unprecedented British double gold. At stake was a ticket straight to Saturday's final for the heat winner, and the large lads decided to leave nothing to chance, whizzing off so fast that by a few hundred metres gone a slightly startled Chugani was saying to his pair "Um, I can't see them, guys....!" The ensuing procession cannot have been comfortable for the Czechs, Ukrainians and Russians, who wallowed in a far-from-calm Rotsee, buffeted by the mountains of wash booming down their lanes behind the Olympic champions. A ten-second win resulted, the British celebrating with their customary stop-and-spin. You would have thought they were sea-racing yola-boats, the way Crackers scooped the boat round to stroke side as Pinsent first dug his blade in, then backed rapidly to stop them impeding the Ukrainians on the line. The Brits barely stopped to take breath, setting off so quickly to wind down that they had got their bows back on the course before the Russians had finished taking their last stroke... Naughty naughty. Heat two saw a good win for the seeded Italians over Romania and Greece, so five crews have to race the rep to decide who gets left out of Saturday's finals party. Italy's strokeman is Lorenzo Carboncini, who is probably getting a bit fed up with Cracknell by now. Part of the Italian M4- which finished second to the Redgrave Express in Sydney, Carboncini visited the UK last November to race in the British Indoor Rowing Championships, only to get walloped again by man-ox Cracknell in the Men's Open event. He must have thought he'd cracked it in 2001, returning to the Worlds in a nice quiet coxed pair only to discover that the Brits had more plans to spoil his fun....
LW1x
A pretty packed field, with 1999 champion Pia Vogel (SUI), 2000 champion Laila Finska-Bezerra (FIN), Mirjam ter Beek (NED), and above all, Sinead Jennings of Ireland. Vogel and Jennings win the two automatic finals places, Vogel valiantly despite a strong surge from ter Beek at the finish, and Jennings by 12 seconds after taking a clear-water lead by halfway and then continuing to storm down the course as the rest save their strength for the rep. The form suggests ter Beek has the fastest start to date, but this could be a very interesting final.
The commentators take the opportunity during a short delay to tell the listening hundreds about all the lovely generous sponsors who have supported the event. Good on them.
LM1x
The first heat is a cracking race, with two separate fights going on, the first won by Italian Stefano Basalini over Frederick Dufour of France, and the other by Andrea Chevel of Russia over German Peter Ording for third place (fair play, although only one goes through to the semifinals). The second and third heats are won by Hungarian Tamas Varga and Ireland's Sam Lynch, the latter by a steady five seconds. He is tipped to win this event, though there will be plenty of other scullers expecting to change that plan, not least Basalini.
W4-
First heat, Australia lead all the way, and finish steadily without having to sprint for the finish, just six seconds outside the world's best time in good but not top-speed conditions. NZL win the second, in a slower time but equally unpushed, despite a verdict of just over a length from Germany. Now to the rep for the rest, who have two to lose to the B final before they meet again next Saturday.
LM8+
The USA go off like bullets, GBR and DEN on their tails. DEN drop back by halfway, at which point the Americans have managed to drop the Brits back by nearly a length. The GBR then stick in a 1:26 third split, getting back into contention by 1500 metres, push like fury and haul USA in to a canvas, but the US times it nicely and as the British push finishes, the Yanks go again and pull out another few seats. With 100 to go, GBR raises to 42 again in the final sprint, and very nearly reel the USA in on the line - it's a good question whether the result would have been different with a slightly longer course, or perhaps the US had it all under control. The second heat is equally exciting, France and Italy cat-fighting with ITA at first in control but being sneaked past by the French at halfway.
W1x
Oh classy stuff. Olympic champion Karsten wins the first very easily indeed, and Katrin Rutchow the second, with Miroslava Knapkova (CZE), Jennifer Devine (USA), Agnieszka Tomczak (POL) and Irja Ven (BEL) taking the remaining semifinal places in the two heats. The third heat sees Sophie Balmary of France having to work a bit harder but looking particularly strong, over Joulia Levina (RUS) and Maira Gonzalez (CUB).
M1x
Interesting stuff here, in the one event you can always guarantee to see some very competitive racing. The usual plethora of well-known names from sculling history, and plenty of scores to settle after the Olympics, despite the defection of champion New Zealander Rob Waddell to sailing for the next couple of years. Olympic silver and bronze medallists Xeno Mueller (SUI) and Marcel Hacker (GER) duly win their heats, Hacker doing a bit of Aussie containment by sitting on Duncan Free (AUS) and powerfully holding him in check before notching the rate up for the finish. Mueller wins the fourth race to the music of Swiss cowbells ringing in the stands, maintaining a steady length and a half over CAN's Todd Hallett without showing much serious form. In between we get the real stars, Iztop Cop (SLO) and Vaclav Chalupa (CZE). Chalupa has been well back in form this year, while Cop, doubles champion in 2000 and singles in 1995, is looking better than ever. He has no trouble against Argentinian Santiago Fernandez, while Chalupa sets the fastest time of the day in a neat little scrap with Olaf Tufte (NOR) without having to show anything like his real speed. The singles, as ever, continue to fascinate and will be well worth keeping an eye on.
W2-
Two walks in the park and one tighter contest. The first heat goes to GBR, who stroll through it from 750 on, clearly considerably faster than the first time they met the van Daelen sisters (GER) earlier in the summer. The second heat is Australia and Belarus head to head, trading the lead twice before BLR win it by just under a second. In heat three, Romania's Damian and Susanu do just enough to lead the Canadians home, saving their fire for the women's eight tomorrow. The other three to the semi's are RUS, POL and CHN in the respective heats.
M2-
First off are Yugoslavia, being pushed quite surprisingly hard in the latter stages by Argentina at a pacier rate, while Slovenia beats Ukraine home way ahead of Moldavia. In the second heat, Pinsent and Cracknell get a bit of a surprise, letting Italy stay a little bit too close for comfort, and then having to stick in several late pushes to ensure that the indefatigable ITA crew do not cheat them of their semi-final place. The third heat sees their rivals Di Clemente and Cech (RSA) record a similar time with a strong margin of victory, CZE sticking close until halfway and then dropping back.
W2x
Boron and Kowalski (GER) lead the first race steadily, GBR second not far ahead of HUN who row through the field. The Evers-Swindell sisters (NZL) win the second heat, leading for long enough off the start to make Belarussia including Olympic singles champion Ekaterina Karsten give up and cruise slowly in third. Given that Karsten raced a mere one hour earlier (makes Pinsent and Cracknell look soft as butter) this should not be a surprise - the Belarussian women's double will be tougher competition later in the week.
M2x
Hungary win the first, not particularly easily from hounding Slovenia, while in the second Italy and Germany are neck and neck with 500 to go, until ITA get ahead of the game and GER give up the effort to take first. France and Cuba fight it out in the third heat, won by FRA when they regain the lead at 500 to go.
M4-
Not as big a field as some years, perhaps now that the Redgrave four has disbanded, and pretty well everybody has generated new crews for this year. That makes it all the more interesting, and with just one place per heat on offer for the final today, it's hotly contested. First to claim that place are GER, who trail fast-starting Egypt initially, then row through as they die, past Slovenia, into a well-deserved 2/3 length win. A good result for this lot, featuring last year's Sydney spares, in a decent time. Last race of the day sees the American four try the Egyptian trick, blasting out of the blocks only to drop like flies at 1000 metres to let the British four into the lead. GBR then practically even-split to the finish line, winning by nine full seconds, even quicker than the Germans.