Four U.S. crews advanced to Fridays semifinals on the first day of competition at the 2006 World Cup Regatta stop in Munich, Germany.
Michelle Guerette (Bristol, Conn.), who won a bronze medal in the womens single sculls at the 2005 World Championships, started her international racing season off on a strong note by winning her heat of the womens single by 1.55 seconds over Russias Irina Fedotova. Racing in the first of four heats, Guerette took the early lead during the first 500 meters and built a three-second advantage at the midway point of the race. The five-time national team member maintained her three-second lead through the 1,500-meter mark before cruising to the victory. Guerette crossed the finish line in a 7:37.17, with Fedotova finishing in a 7:38.72. Guerette advanced directly to Fridays semifinals.
In addition to advancing to the semifinals, Guerette also earned her spot on the 2006 World Championships Team by meeting USRowings qualifying time standard. By meeting the time standard and by winning the national selection regatta for the event in early April, Guerette has now earned the right to represent the U.S. at this years world championships. She has until July 12 to accept her berth on the team.
Racing in its first international competition together, the womens double sculls tandem of Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.) and Brett Sickler (Los Gatos, Calif.) finished third in its heat to advance to the semifinals. The duo got off to a strong start, taking the lead during the first 500 meters. However, Germany made a strong move during the second quarter of the race to gain a two-second advantage on the then second-place U.S. crew at the 1,000-meter mark. The Germans continued to pull away during the third quarter of the race, with France taking over second place. During the final 500 meters, Francia and Sickler maintained a comfortable cushion on the remainder of the crews for the third and last qualifying spot for the semifinals. The duo clocked a 7:09.02 to finish third, 7.06 seconds behind the winners from Germany. France finished second in a 7:06.71.
Both U.S. entries in the womens pair advanced to the semifinals. Anna Mickelson (Bellevue, Wash.) and Megan Cooke (Los Gatos, Calif.) won their heat on Thursday morning to advance to the afternoon quarterfinals and then finished third in that race to move on to the semifinals. In the heat, the duo recorded a 4.46-second victory over Great Britain by clocking a 7:20.55. In the afternoon race, Mickelson and Cooke clocked a 7:16.09 to finish behind two German crews. The German tandem of Elke Hipler and Christina Gerking won the race with a time of 7:13.41.
The pair of Anna Goodale (Camden, Maine) and Lindsay Shoop (Charlottesville, Va.) finished second in its heat and then third in its quarterfinal to advance to the semifinals. In the morning heat, Goodale and Shoop finished second to Australias Kate Hornsey and Amber Bradley. The U.S. crew clocked a 7:18.46 to finish less than two seconds behind the Australians. In the afternoon race, Goodale and Shoop clocked a 7:19.81 to finish 4.74 seconds behind the winners from Canada.
The lightweight double sculls tandem of Julie Nichols (Livermore, Calif.) and Renee Hykel (Haverford, Pa.), which won a silver medal in the event at last years world championships, failed to advance to the semifinals after finishing fourth in its repechage, or second-chance race. In the morning heat, Nichols and Hykel finished third. The duo held the lead through the 1,000-meter mark but was passed by China and France during the second half of the race. Nichols and Hykel clocked a 7:14.84, while China won the race in a 7:06.28. In the afternoon repechage, Nichols and Hykel held the second position at the midway point of the race but could not hold on to the last qualification spot for the semifinals. Nichols and Hykel clocked a 7:16.36 and will now race in Fridays Final C, which determines places 13-18.
A record number of 750 athletes are competing in Munich. Racing continues on Friday with semifinals and more repechages. Finals will take place on Sunday. The event will be streamed live in pay per view format in the United States on the World Championship Sports Network Web site at www.wcsn.com.