Racing is heating up at the final Olympic qualification regatta for rowing in Poznan, Poland.
Canada's men's quad won its heat in 6:00.70, advancing directly to the A final, and getting this crew one step closer to an Olympic berth.
The men's quad is Gabe Bergen of 100 Mile House, B.C., Robert Weitemeyer of Coquitlam, B.C., Steve Van Knotsenburg of Beamsville, Ont., and James Dunaway of Duncan, B.C., and this crew will have to finish in the top two overall to get to the Olympics.
"Going to Lucerne earlier this month and making the finals gave us a lot of confidence going into the qualifier," said Bergen. "We know we can be up there. We got the job done today, which is a first step. It's definitely nice to not have to race tomorrow (in a rep)."
Douglas Vandor of Dewittville, Que. and Cameron Sylvester of Caledon, Ont. won their race today: Canada (6:31.13), Portugal (6:31.29) and Russia (6:39.04) advance to the semifinal from this lightweight men's double rep.
"We have only been in a boat together for a short time so we are just trying to build on every race," said Vandor, who last year rowed with a different partner in the same event. "The learning curve is still steep, so every time we get into the boat it is better than the last time." The Canadian lightweight double will have to be in the top three overall to earn a spot at the Olympic regatta.
The men's four of Peter Dembicki of West Vancouver, B.C., Robert Gibson of Kingston, Ont., Kristopher "Kip" McDaniel of Cobble Hill, B.C., and Jamie Faris of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. was second to China in today's heat.
China put on a late surge to win the heat in 6:05.77, advancing directly to the final, while Canada crossed the line in 6:08.04 and will row in a rep tomorrow.
"We had a good race today, everything went to plan through the 1500-metre mark then the Chinese had a blistering finish," said Dembicki. "We knew nothing about the crew because three of the four rowers in the boat had never raced internationally. We now know what they are capable of and are aware of what we need to do to win. The rep (tomorrow) will be a good opportunity to iron out our plan." The four has to finish in the top two overall to receive an Olympic invite.
In a race for lanes, the Canadian women's eight was second to China. China crossed the line in 6:16.24; Canada's time was 6:17.72 and the Netherlands followed in 6:17.84. With only the top two moving forward to the Olympics, the final of this event on Wednesday promises to be a nail-biter.
Canada has five crews still in the running for Olympic spots. If successful, they will join Canada's five crews that already earned berths based on their results from last year's World Championships.
In an exhibition race, the Canadian women's quad, which is already qualified for the Olympics, had the best time in this event today.