HAMBURG, Germany - The U.S. women’s four and women’s pair battled through tough headwind conditions to earn medals on Sunday at the 2014 World Rowing Junior Championships in Hamburg. Germany. The four took home the silver medal, while the pair won bronze.
With China showing late speed in both the heat and semifinal of the women’s four, the U.S. plan was to get off the line quickly and that’s exactly what it did. The crew of Marlee Blue (Ashland, Ore.), Claire Collins (McLean, Va.), Dana Moffat (Manlius, N.Y.) and Mia Croonquist (Vashon Island, Wash.) built nearly a three-second lead on second-place France at the 500-meter mark and held a length and a half lead on China as the crews moved into the second half of the race.
“It was hard conditions out there, but we had a fast start,” said Collins, who earned her second junior world championships’ medal. “We were cleaner than everyone else, I think, but cleaner than we thought we would be. At the 1,000, we took a 15 (stoke) move and that really brought us together again because the middle at the 750 was a little wonky with the water. We just tried to counter China as much as we could after the 1,000. We knew they’d be coming. We knew they had a fast last 500.”
But in spite of the American crew’s best efforts, China made an outstanding push in the third 500 meters, closing a 4.5-second gap to less than one second as the boats entered the final quarter of the race. The Chinese continued to up their rate and took the lead as the crews came racing towards the finish line.
“We knew China had a fast finish, and we knew we had a fast start, so we weren’t going to try and change our weaknesses. We were just going to try to push our strengths to the furthest of their capacity,” Blue said. “We went out there trying to give as much as we could - enough is never enough. We were never going to sit. We were just going to keep fighting for it and fighting for it. I think we did all we could.”
In the end, it was China in first with a time of 7:44.64. The U.S. won silver in a 7:46.68, with Italy taking bronze in a 7:51.76.
“It’s so cool to be a part of this boat,” Collins said. “It’s the best boat I’ve ever been in (during) the last three years. We’re so close. I could’ve cried because the girls are so great. It’s also Mia’s third medal, and that’s never been done before, so it’s cool to support her and help her achieve that goal.”
With the silver-medal performance, the U.S. won its fifth consecutive medal in the event. It was also the third medal for Croonquist, a record for a U.S. junior athlete.
“It’s as simple as we went all out, as hard as we could, and tried to hold them off as long as we could. I think we had a brilliant race, and I couldn’t be any happier. It was awesome,” Croonquist said. “Each medal has its own story and own journey and happiness. It never feels new. Each one is just as sweet because I know we’ve all pushed ourselves the hardest we can, so this one is up there.”
For the women’s pair of Lily Lindsay (Harrison, N.Y.) and Meghan Galloway (Ridgefield, Conn.), today’s race was a second chance to medal after finishing fifth in the women’s eight last year in Trakai, Lithuania. This year, the duo came home with a bronze medal.
“Especially coming off a disappointing result from last year, this is the greatest redemption I could have asked for,” Lindsay said. “Being able to share this with a girl who was in my boat last year, and understands the difference between being on the medal podium and being in the bottom three of the A final, is unbelievable. It’s worth every ounce of pain you put yourself through in the race.”
Despite some last-minute lane switching due to wind conditions, Lindsay and Galloway got off the line in second position before settling into third behind Romania and Canada.
“It was kind of a curveball race,” Galloway said. “We got to the start and all of the sudden, they changed lanes (on us). I think we did a really good job of just taking a deep breath. We know how to row in a headwind, and we just used it as an advantage.”
Romania took the lead off the start and was never challenged for the top spot, while Canada moved into second place in the second quarter of the race. Romania crossed the line with a time of 8:09.32, with Canada finishing in an 8:13.66. The U.S. clocked an 8:24.76.
“We tried to look at the headwind as an advantage because we’ve practiced it so many times, especially getting to the course earlier this week when the wind was rough,” Lindsay said. “It was the longest race of our lives, the hardest race of our lives, but I think we did a good job of getting through it.”
With the bronze-medal finish, Lindsay and Galloway became only the second U.S. junior women’s pair in history to reach the medal stand.
“It’s a huge honor, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anyone else,” Galloway said.
Coxswain Liliana Hansen (San Anselmo, Calif.), Katy Gillingham (Seattle, Wash.), India Robinson (Berkeley, Calif.), Isabel Fitter (Fairfield, Conn.), Julia Sesler (Bronxville, N.Y.), Melissa Curtis (Rye, N.Y.), Erica Swartwout (Amityville, N.Y.), Shayla Lamb (Kent, Conn.) and Riley MacAulay (Mercer Island, Wash.) dropped to sixth off the starting line and could never get back on terms with the rest of the field in the final of the women’s eight. Germany took the early lead and never looked back, clocking a 7:15.37 to finish nearly eight seconds ahead of Russia in second and more than 11 seconds ahead of Romania in third. The U.S. finished sixth in a 7:57.66.
In the men’s single sculls, Benjamin Davison (Inverness, Fla.) also finished sixth. Davison struggled with the conditions, dropping nine seconds back off the start and never recovering. Germany’s Tim Ole Naske dominated the field, winning by more than 20 seconds in an 8:17.69. Canada’s Daniel De Groot finished second, followed by South Africa’s Daniel Watkins. Davison crossed the line in a 9:03.98.
The seven U.S. crews in the B finals also faced strong headwind conditions in morning racing.
After a disappointing semifinal, the women’s quadruple sculls crew of Emily Kallfelz (Jamestown, R.I.), Georgia Gray (Seattle, Wash.), Emily Delleman (Davenport, Iowa) and Haley Zapolski (Davenport, Iowa) came back to win the B final in dominant fashion to finish seventh overall. The crew trailed Italy through the 1,000-meter mark before making a strong push into the top position. The U.S. continued to extend its lead over the final half of the race, finishing more than five seconds ahead of the Italians. The Americans finished with a time of 7:23.49, with Italy crossing in a 7:28.62.
The men’s eight of coxswain Cole Durbin (Newton, Mass.), Nick Edwards (Sarasota, Fla.), Michael Grady (Bradfordwoods, Pa.), Liam Corrigan (Old Lyme, Conn.), Brennan Wertz (Marin, Calif.), Jovanni Stefani (San Francisco, Calif.), Travis Taaffe (Sarasota, Fla.), Andrew Barnish (Perkasie, Pa.) and Lucas Peilert (Sewickley, Pa.) finished third in its B final for a ninth-place finish overall. The crew got off the line in first place before Serbia overtook the U.S. in the second 500 meters. Serbia continued to extend its advantage over the back half of the race, while Russia passed the American boat. Serbia crossed the line in a 6:25.11, with the U.S. third in a 6:31.71.
The men’s four of Izak Epstein (Long Beach, Calif.), Alex Miklasevich (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Benjamin Cohen (Allentown, Pa.) and Mac Manion (Framingham, Mass.) finished fourth in its B final for a 10th-place overall finish. The Czech Republic led the race from start to finish, clocking a 6:45.49. The U.S. sat in fourth at each of the 500-meter splits and finished with a time of 6:53.79.
The men’s quadruple sculls crew of Kenneth Michalec (Evanston, Ill.), Andrew LeRoux (Venice, Fla.), James Mahoney (Hillsborough, Calif.) and Jacob Franks (Sarasota, Fla.) also finished fourth in its B final for a 10th-place overall finish. The U.S. and Belarus battled for fourth and fifth place for the final 1,500 meters, with the U.S. holding on by 0.02 seconds to take fourth. Belgium won the race in a 6:40.93, with the U.S. clocking a 6:52.56.
In the women’s single sculls, Elizabeth Sharis (Bettendorf, Iowa) also finished 10th overall after a fourth-place finish in the B final. Sharis raced in fourth the entire race. Ukraine’s Kateryna Dudchenko won the B final with a time of 8:53.68. Sharis finished in a 9:16.01.
In the men’s four with coxswain, Keith Lewis (Sacramento, Calif.), Daniel Hogan (Orinda, Calif.), Andrew Gaard (Madison, Wis.), Charles Watt (Acton, Mass.) and Andrew Greubel (Newtown, Pa.) finished fifth in the B final for an 11th-place finish overall. The crew, which dropped into fifth off the start, made a late push to move up but couldn’t catch Australia or Belarus. Russia and Romania waged a tight race at the front of the field, with Russia taking the victory and seventh place overall by just 0.04 seconds. Russia won with a time of 7:03.52. The U.S. finished with a time of 7:10.21.
In the women’s double sculls, Mary and Claire Campbell (New Canaan, Conn.) finished sixth in the B final for a 12th-place overall finish. The crew dropped to sixth off the line and, despite a strong third 500, could not move up. New Zealand won the race in an 8:26.12. The Campbell sisters clocked an 8:40.45.
For more information on the regatta, a complete roster and athlete bios, click here.