The U.S. lightweight men's double sculls, women's quadruple sculls and women's eight won gold medals on the final day of competition at the 2003 Bearing World Cup stop in Munich, Germany. In addition, the lightweight men's pair won a bronze medal.
In the lightweight men's double sculls, Greg Ruckman (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Steve Tucker (Mooresville, Ind.) clocked a 6:33.79 to defeat Hungary by 1.8 seconds. The duo got off the line slowly and sat in fifth position at the midway point of the race. That's when Ruckman and Tucker began their move. The crew slowly picked off the field, moving into third position with 500 meters to go and then passing Hungary and Denmark in the last quarter of the race. Denmark held on for the bronze medal.
The women's quadruple sculls crew of Danika Harris (Durham, N.H.), Sarah Jones (Stanwood, Wash.), Laurel Korholz (La Jolla, Calif.) and Hilary Gehman (Wolfeboro, N.H.) led the final from start to finish, clocking a 6:33.04 to defeat Germany by 1.39 seconds. The crew methodically built its lead through the first 1,500 meters and led the German crew by more than four seconds heading into the last quarter of the race. Germany made a strong push during the final 500 meters but could never really challenge the U.S. boat. The Ukraine finished third, stroking a 6:36.62.
The women's eight of Mary Whipple (Orangevale, Calif.), Dana Peirce (Richmond, Va.), Jennifer Dore-Terhaar (Kearny, N.J.), Ali Cox (Turlock, Calif.), Anna Mickelson (Bellevue, Wash.), Maite Urtasun (Riverside, N.J.), Megan Dirkmaat (San Jose, Calif.), Whitney Webber (Sacramento, Calif.) and Kate Johnson (Portland, Ore.) battled Germany's A boat the entire way down the course before pulling away in the final 500 meters to bring home the gold medal. The U.S. boat clocked a 6:20.46 to finish 1.17 seconds ahead of Germany A. Germany B finished third, 9.25 seconds behind its teammates, to take the bronze medal.
The lightweight men's pair of Eric Feins (Rochester, N.Y.) and Erik Miller (Renton, Wash.) clocked a 7:04.88 to claim the bronze medal. Denmark won the gold medal, finishing in a 6:54.73, while Germany won the silver medal in a 7:01.20.
In the lightweight men's four, Steve Warner (Novi, Mich.), Paul Teti (Upper Darby, Pa.), Matt Smith (Woodbridge, Va.) and Patrick Todd (Cincinnati, Ohio) stroked a 6:14.63 to finish fifth. Denmark won the gold medal, crossing the finish line in a 6:07.95. The Netherlands and Germany clocked a 6:08.31 and 6:11.68, respectively, to take home the silver and bronze medals.
In the lightweight women's double sculls, Lisa Schlenker (Lake Oswego, Ore.) and Rachel Anderson (Darien, Conn.) finished fifth. Schlenker and Anderson stroked a 7:28.59 to finish 4.15 seconds behind fourth-place China. Germany won the race, finishing in a 7:16.69. The Netherlands finished second, followed by Great Britain. In the B final, Stacey Borgman (Homer, Alaska) and Mary Obidinski (Oneonta, N.Y.) came home with the victory for a seventh-place finish overall. The crew clocked a 7:22.05 to finish 2.81 seconds ahead of Denmark.
The women's pair of Lianne Nelson (Seattle, Wash.) and Katie Hammes (La Crosse, Wis.) also finished fifth, clocking a 7:32.32. Great Britain won the gold medal in a time of 7:24.21, followed by Belarus and Germany C. In the B final of the women's pair, the U.S. B boat of Michelle Guerette (Bristol, Conn.) and Wendy Wilbur (East Bridgewater, Mass.) finished second for an eighth-place finish overall. The duo stroked a 7:42.95 to finish three seconds behind Bulgaria.
Like the women's pair, the duo of Kelly Salchow (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Laura Rauchfuss (Riverside, Conn.) finished fifth in the women's double sculls final. The crew finished in a time of 7:17.19. Germany won the gold medal in a time of 7:03.97. Great Britain and Belarus won the silver and bronze medals, respectively.