Tuesday 21st August 2001, Lucerne, Switzerland.
M2+
Biggest drama so far, not during the race but after it. In a three-boat repechage, with two to qualify, at first CZE are looking strong, slightly ahead of Greece, further ahead of the USA and apparently in clover. With about 1250 gone, something happens and suddenly it's USA and GRE shoving forward, CZE dropping rapidly back. They manage to finish just 10 seconds behind the victorious USA, with GRE taking the other A-final place, but on the line the rescue boat whizzes over to the Czech pair and strokeman Jacub Makovicka is hauled out of his seat. We're not sure what's up, although he's wriggling his legs about, and while the medics attend to him, cox Vladimir Petricek clambers over and helps paddle the shell back home. I try to find out what the problem was, although it didn't look serious, but the bl**dy media runners not only don't know, but don't even bother to find out for me. Humph. The second race sees ROM and UKR leave the Russians way behind in their wake. Later - Makovicka is fine, just knackered.
LW1x
NED's Mirjam ter Beek cruising steadily to win her race, and Croatia's sculler pushed a little more in the other one. USA and BUL get through in the other qualifying places.
LM1x
A superb fight to the line between Frederic Dufour of France and Poland's Pawel Randa, although both scullers qualify for the semi's in this three-through scenario. Rep 2, the USA's Stephen Tucker steadily walks through the field to win. Rep three sees two different battles developing: Michal Vabrousek (CZE, reigning world champion) and Peter Ording (GER) up the front, and back on the more important margin, Blaz Kajdiz (SLO) and Romulo Bouzas (MEX) working out which gets relegated to the C final. Vabrousek's quality shows through and he moves into a very solid lead, and Kajdiz drops Bouzas a mile back and shifts up close to the German for the last semi place.
W4-
A tough fight here, only Russia out of the picture. ROM, USA and NED neck and neck at 1750 gone, where their final lifts see the Dutch four's sprint make most impact, and they take an A-final spot by 0.5 seconds over the Americans, ROM trailing by nearly a length on the line and missing out. The other repechage
includes defending champion nation Belarus, but they only have one returning oarswoman from last year's crew. Nevertheless they have their bows just in front of Germany at the midway mark, and with China also in the picture, this develops into a similarly crowded race. With just 25 metres to go, CHN and BLR are absolutely level passing the press grandstand, Germany a half-canvas back, and despite all three crews' best efforts, that's where they finish a few strokes later. Belarus win the photofinish 12 seconds ahead of also-qualifying China, but the German stroke, Nicole Zimmerman, has collapsed, and is taken straight to the bank, looking dazed and exhausted. Apparently it's just heat-stroke, and twenty minutes later she's
LM8+
A cracking battle in part one of this event, the first rep a close-form field of AUS (bronze 2000), GER (4th in 2000), GBR (silver in Zagreb) and CAN. At halfway, AUS leads with GBR second, but GER and CAN hounding close. The Aussie/Brit battle develops, AUS having a canvas as 1400 metres, both at 37.5 and gearing up for the finish. 1750 the Brits are looking over, closing steadily and notch it up again, 1900 they are at 42 and grab the lead, getting the win by 0.42 with the Aussies (doubling up in the LM4-, LM2x and LM2-) also qualifying. An even tighter race in the second rep, Italy and Denmark fairly quickly dropping the Dutch by half a length, and then going at it like demented rabbits right the way to the line. DEN up to start with, ITA going ahead at 1650, DEN lift at 1750 to rate 41 with the Italians matching them, ITA up to 42, DEN full pelt, ITA up to 43-44 for a few strokes and then finish five later at 42, still belting along. The Dutch eight on time would have split the Brits and Aussies in the previous rep, but get sent to the B final to play with the Germans and Canadians.
W1x
Old-timer Maria Brandin (SWE) takes an early lead, but Italy's Erika Spinello barges through (no respect for the older generation) and Brandin relaxes as Nuria Dominguez (ESP) takes the final semi-spot.
M1x
First rep, Todd Hallet (CAN) proves his Henley win against Matthew Wells (GBR) was no accident, but with these two leading in that order, 1995 silver medallist Juri Jaanson (EST) springs a cracker, hoisting his rate to 37 and passing first Wells and then Hallet. Missing out on qualification, Wells packs it in ten strokes from the line, when he realises second place is securely Hallet's. Second rep, Olaf Tufte (NOR World Cup winner) gets nicely out in front and Jan Ziska picks up spot number two with ease. We wait for five minutes while the commentators run through the sponsor's namecheck yet again (tenth time today) in both English and German, and finally the third rep gets under way. Santiago Fernandez (ARG) doing an excellent job to pass Frederic Kowal (FRA) and the two dawdle home. Similar results for Ivo Yanakiev (BUL) and Duncan Free (AUS) in the final rep.
W2-
There's just one repechage in this race, but it features another interesting national federation/athlete compromise. Suzanne Walther and Michelle Whitcomb Borkhuis of the USA originally wanted to come to the Worlds as the lightweight pair, but the US isn't funding any of the non-Olympic events at the moment. So just having a go, the duo decided to enter trials in the heavyweight event as well. Turning up on the day of the race, they discovered that everyone else had scratched, and after a row-over, were given the team spot and associated funding. The doubling-up, far from from causing problems, has done them plenty of favours: the LW2- ends up being a straight final, and to keep them occupied until Sunday, they are far from snail's pace in the heavy class. Here the two Yanks push past France and the Ukraine to lead the rep, and with Israel out of the back in the only non-qualifying place, the USA wins a late tussle with France, looking pleased. The stipulation from USRowing, we gather, is that they must row both classes, and not withdraw, but I bet they'll relish the race practice. [Thx to CM for the info.]
M2-
Halfway up, CZE half a canvas ahead of AUS, and with these two looking solid qualifiers, they slowly pull ahead of Poland, with Moldavia beating the Philippines in a final dash between fourth and fifth. Lithuania and Egypt are untroubled taking first and second in the next race, while Italy and Germany qualify with similar ease in the remaining two reps.
W2x
Karsten and Berazniova (BLR) in strong form, leading with ease, while Great Britain and Olympic bronze medallists Lithuania haul along, desperately chasing the second qualifying place. Coming to the final hundred LTU have the edge over GBR, and the two doubles eyeball each other, both rating 39-40, right up to the line. BLR and LTU get it. For race two, Swiss double Bernadette Wicki and Caroline Luthi take the lead, to the delight of the (noisy) local supporters, and while Russians Larisa Merk and Yulia Alexandrova power past them to take the lead, the Swiss are happy to qualify in second.
M2x
Pretty close between Spain and Switzerland, both chasing Germany, and all three can qualify for the semi-finals ahead of the USA and CZE. The Americans are tugging hard, close on the Swiss stern, but don't have a chance. More annoying is the atrocious behaviour of the Swiss media team, who have started yelling 'Up Swiss, Up Swiss' at the tops of their voices during the last hundred metres. Noisy but fair cop, you might have thought - but this is in the media tent, which also features radio teams recording interviews and commentary for their stations back home.... Bad plan guys - at some stage you are going to get sat on, big time. Race number two has Slovenia out in front, with GBR and BRA scrapping with BEL behind, until a serious blast from the British leaves them in the lead at 1250 gone. SLO and GBR then swapped the lead twice more, before SLO catch the Brits napping with twenty strokes left, and whip past. In the final rep Lithuania beat the Netherlands narrowly.
M4-
Two to the A final, and the USA lead, but are then closed down by France and Egypt. The USA cling on to the lead, but a superb effort from the Egyptians only just fails to catch the sprinting French: a good try from the Munich medallists. A less exciting second rep, SLO a length up by the line, with ITA well ahead of NZL in the last spot.