The U.S. men's eight won its heat to advance to the semifinals and highlight competition on the first day of racing at the 2008 FISA World Rowing Under 23 Championships.
Coxswain Daniel Connolly (Rockville Center, N.Y.), Grant James (DeKalb, Ill.), Ross James (DeKalb, Ill.), Derek Rasmussen (Darnestown, Md.), Silas Stafford (Santa Rosa, Calif.), Henrik Rummel (Pittsford, N.Y.), Blaise Didier (San Francisco, Calif.), Charlie Cole (New Canaan, Conn.) and Alex Osborne (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) won the first of three heats in a 5:53.44, defeating Canada by more than 3 seconds and the 2007 defending champion Estonia by more than 5 seconds. New Zealand finished fourth in a 6:04.23, with Italy following in a 6:12.69.
"The Canadians went off the line pretty hot," said coach Topher Bordeau. "We settled later and took the lead in the second 500 meters. There's a definite rhythm in the stern three of the eight. When they're explosive, they're fast."
"We got a little flustered at the start, but were able to bring it back together," said stroke-seat Grant James. Three members of last year's fourth-place U.S. crew are racing in this year's boat - Stafford, Cole and Osborne.
The women's four of Jessica Leidecker (Westerville, Ohio), Liz Robb (Roswell, Ga.), Michelle Nance (Simpsonville, S.C.) and Hilary Cumbest (Nashville, Tenn.) finished third in the second of two heats to advance to the repechages, or second chance races. The U.S. was fourth off the line, but was able to gain water on the Ukrainian crew to move into third place by the 1,000-meter mark. The Netherlands won in a 7:04.80, with Great Britain in second with a 7:08.90. The U.S. crossed 0.5 seconds later in third, followed by Ukraine and Germany.
In the men's single sculls, Zach Ellison (Duluth, Minn.) clocked a 7:45.37 to finish third in the last of six heats and qualify for the quarterfinals. Serbia's Predrag Lackov won the heat in a 7:38.45, followed by Argentina in second.
The lightweight women's double sculls duo of Lisa D'Aniello (Niskayuna, N.Y.) and Kristin Hedstrom (Concord, Mass.) finished fifth in the first of three heats to advance to the repechages. The duo clocked a 7:51.78 in the fastest of the heats. Germany won in a 7:35.30, followed by Switzerland and Hungary. Poland, the 2007 defending champion, finished fourth. Hedstrom returns to the boat after finishing 16th at last year's championships.
Ed Newman (Palos Park, Ill.), Max Goff (Sun Prairie, Wis.), Colin Keogh (Greenwich, Conn.) and Zachary Krupp (New Canaan, Conn.) clocked a 6:33.49 to finish third in the third and final heat of the men's four. The crew held off fourth place Bulgaria in the final 500 meters, and will have another chance to qualify for the semifinal in tomorrow's repechage. Italy won the heat in a 6:25.39, followed by Australia in second with a 6:25.43.
Katie Bucien (Detroit, Mich.) finished sixth in the first of four heats of the women's lightweight single sculls. Germany's Helke Nieschlag won the heat in an 8:17.30, followed by Belarus, Greece, Hong Kong and Austria. Bucien clocked an 8:50.20 and will race in tomorrow's repechage.
Racing in the second of four heats of the lightweight men's single sculls, Sam Cunningham (Pittsburgh, Pa.) clocked an 8:02.43 to finish sixth and advance to the repechages. Defending champion New Zealand won the heat in a 7:36.57, followed by Austria, Slovenia and Mexico.
In the lightweight men's pair, Skip Kielt (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Ryan Andre (New Canaan, Conn.) finished sixth in the first of two heats to advance to the repechages. The duo clocked a 7:39.20, with South Africa winning the heat in a 7:04.45. France won gold in the event last year, while the U.S. finished sixth.
"We were down off the start," said Kielt. "We need to be more aggressive tomorrow and really go after the first 500 meters. Cross-headwind with chop is tough on small boats. The good thing is, this was only our second race together and we learned a lot from today's race."
Helen Tompkins (Friendswood, Texas) finished fourth in the first of three heats of the women's single sculls to advance to the repechages. Germany's Julia Richter won the heat in an 8:16.99. The 2007 single sculls bronze-medalist from Hungary finished second in an 8:30.61, followed by Estonia in third. Tomkins clocked an 8:42.00 to finish ahead of Serbia.
"My stroke rate was 28 to 30 strokes per minute, which was too low," said Tompkins. "I need to be at a 32 to 34 and try to stay more relaxed. My focus tomorrow is to finish top three and advance to the semifinal."
Robin Prendes (Miami, Fla.) and James Donovan (Easton, Conn.) clocked a 7:09.56 to finish fourth in the first of four heats and advance to the repechages of the lightweight men's double sculls. Donovan returns to the U.S. boat after last year's sixth-place finish. Hungary won the heat in a 6:57.33, followed by Slovenia and Switzerland.
In the second heat of the men's pair, Andrew Hatzenbuhler (Farmington, Conn.) and Bryan Pape (Simsbury, Conn.) finished fifth to advance to the repechages. Argentina won the heat in a 6:54.64, followed by Greece, Croatia and France. The U.S. crew clocked a 7:29.98.
The lightweight men's four of John Wainwright (Alameda, Calif.), Anthony Fahden (Lafayette, Calif.), Chad Healy (Ashland, Ore.) and David Montani (Lewiston, N.Y.) finished fourth in the second of two heats, clocking a 6:37.75. Spain won in a 6:26.01, with Italy in second with a time of 6:28.69. Argentina crossed 1.3 seconds ahead of the U.S. crew in a 6:36.41. Last year, the U.S. finished fourth in the event.
In total, 56 nations and nearly 800 athletes have entered the 20 events at the 2008 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Formerly known as the Nation's Cup and the Match des Seniors, 2008 marks the fourth year that the Under 23 regatta has held "World Rowing Championship" status. The event, which started in 1976, acts as a stepping stone for athletes on their way to elite status.
For race results, visit www.row2k.com/results. For complete media guide and athlete bios, visit http://www.usrowing.org/news_media/index.aspx.
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