(July 26, 2013) Canada's up-and-coming rowing athletes got another chance to race at the highest level of their age group today at the 2013 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Linz-Ottensheim, Austria.
The men's double was second in the repechage, to advance to the semi 6:39.22. Romania won this rep in 6:35.54. The Canadian crew is Pascal Lussier of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Paul Thiessen of Mitchell, MB.
"Our game plan was go out hard, and we kept the same pace. We executed our plan quite well," said Lussier. "In the heat, we were a bit nervous because it was our first international race, but today was much better and we hope to keep the same plan for the next race."
The lightweight men's pair of Maxwell Lattimer of Delta, BC, and Evan Cheng of Vancouver, BC, was third in 6:58.46 in the semi to advance to the A final.
The young Canadian women's eight was second in the rep and go to the final. Germany won the rep in 6:29.83, and the Netherlands were overtaken by Canada (6:32.08) and finished third in 6:32.36.
"Today was an incredible race," said coxswain Ellen Fawcett, who won gold in 2011 in this event. "We really showed up as a boat and put our hearts out on the race course. There are certain things we know we can do better that will allow us to only get faster for the final. I think we proved to ourselves what is possible, and what we need to do on Sunday."
This crew is Marissa Kump of Catharines, ON, Aleda Kawalek of Welland, ON, Sarah Rothwell of Listowel, ON, Julie Calvert of Burlington, ON, Kathleen Morrison of Mississauga, ON, Meghan Robinson of Bowen Island, BC, Luce Bourbeau of Iles-de-la Madeleine, QC, Nicole Hare of Calgary, AB, and coxswain Luellen Fawcett of St. Catharines, ON.
The lightweight women's single - Erin Snelgrove of Jordan, ON - finished second in the rep 8:01.01 to advance to semi-final. An Austrian sculler (Anna Berger) won this close race in 8:00.46.
The Canadian U23 men's single, Benjamin Murphy of Markham, ON, was third in a quarter final and goes to semi, which will take place on Saturday. Murphy's time was 7:18.27.
The lightweight men's double of Dylan Harris of Ottawa and Alex Walker of Jasper, AB, was third in 6:49.25 in the rep, and the finished second in 6:47.41 in the semi C/D to move on to the C final (for places 13-18).
The lightweight men's single (Matthew Christie of Kingston, ON,) was fifth in quarter final in 7:21.84, and then third in the semi C/D in 7:15.13, to go to the C final.
Racing continues through to July 28. FISA, the world rowing governing body, today issued the following information regarding Sunday's finals:
Based on the most recent official weather forecast for Sunday, 28 July 2013, race times have been slightly advanced. The World Rowing Federation, FISA, has decided that the heat and humidity forecast starting from 13:00 hrs on Sunday would place the competitors at the regatta in the high risk zone for heat stress (dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke).
The new times will have the B-finals starting at 09:00 hrs (CET), as planned, but will proceed in five minute intervals until 09:55 hrs. A-finals will now start at 10:05 am instead of 10:30 hrs and the last final will start at 12:41 hrs. The regatta will therefore finish before reaching the hottest part of the day.
At World Rowing Championships, the medals for the top three places are awarded at victory ceremonies that directly follow the racing. The finals will be raced at 13 minute intervals allowing time for the awarding of medals and then the raising of the national flag of the gold medal national federation and the playing of that nation's national anthem. There are a total of 21 World Rowing Under 23 Championship events. Eight finals will be raced on Saturday afternoon, 27 July 2013 starting at 16:00 hrs, and the remaining 13 finals will be raced on Sunday, 28 July 2013.
See www.worldrowing.com for more details.