RACICE, Czech Republic - Steady rain persisted throughout the day, but it didn't stop the U.S. from reaching the podium on two occasions the first day of finals at the 2010 World Rowing Junior Championships. The women's four and women's eight crews won silver, the first time in history that the United States has won double medals in sweep events at the World Rowing Junior Championships.
In the final of the women's four, New Zealand shot ahead off the starting line, gaining half a boat length lead on the field in the first few strokes of the race. Crossing the halfway mark, New Zealand continued to lead the pack, with Australia and Spain close behind. The crew of Chandler Lally (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), Jessica Eiffert (Honeoye Falls, N.J.), Agatha Nowinski (Sacramento, Calif.) and Lucy Grinalds (Southport, Conn.) sat in fourth place at the 1,000-meter mark before making its move. In a dead-on sprint, the U.S. crew overtook Australia with 150 meters to go, finishing less than a second behind New Zealand for the silver medal.
"It was an amazing race," said three-time junior national team member Lucy Grinalds. "We had a little bit of a rough start, but we stuck to our race plan and really moved through the second 1,000 [meters]. Our goal was to make a huge move and a huge comeback. It was an awesome sprint through the finish."
New Zealand held on to its lead to win the gold medal in a 6:49.48. The U.S. recorded a time of 6:50.38 at the line, with Australia holding off Germany by a mere 0.36 seconds for the bronze medal.
"They rowed it exactly as we talked about racing it," said coach Justin Moore. "We knew that Australia was going to have a lot of early speed. It was possible, if we stayed close enough to use our efficiency to our advantage in the last 500. We knew that Spain was going to be fast; we knew that Australia was going to be fast. I was just so impressed because the girls really worked on rowing a very steady first 1,000 meters before committing to change momentum at the 1,100-meter mark. I couldn't be happier."
The second silver medal for the United States came in the last race of the day. In the final of the women's eight, coxswain Christine Devlin (Harvard, Mass.), Rosemary Grinalds (Southport, Conn.), Louise Breen (Northampton, N.H.), Madison Lips (Parker, Colo.), Christina Bax (Bethesda, Md.), Marianne Hoeft (New Canaan, Conn.), Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska), Faith Richardson (Wellesley, Mass.) and Carli Goldberg (Sarasota, Fla.) went into the race having advanced directly from Thursday's heat with an 18-second win.
Great Britain was first off the start, and continued to lead through the middle thousand. Less than a second separated the United States, Germany and Romania at the halfway mark, with the U.S. crew leading the challenge on Great Britain. Despite a strong push from the U.S. in the sprint, the defending world-champions couldn't quite close the gap on the British. Great Britain crossed the line 3.05 seconds ahead for the gold medal in a 6:24.97.
"We were down at the 500, which we expected," said coxswain Christine Devlin. "We just found some serious power. There was one point in the second 500 where we had a move for 'pain barriers.' We went from five seats down to three seats. That was exciting, and it was a big move for us."
The U.S. took the silver medal in a 6:28.02. Germany came up with a bronze-medal performance, edging out Romania by 0.66 seconds in a 6:30.21.
"Our goal this summer was to prioritize the four and to win two medals in sweep, which the U.S. has never done before," said coach Liz Trond. "Of course we were going for the gold, but we are definitely not disappointed with silver. Winning 13 medals today is pretty awesome."
In the final of the women's quadruple sculls, Hannah Solis-Cohen (Northfield, Mass.), Margaret Bertasi (London, England), Alexandria Chrumka (Grosse Point, Mich.) and Sophie Heywood (Tempe, Ariz.) finished sixth. Although it did not reach the podium, the crew recorded the highest finish for the U.S. in the event at the World Rowing Junior Championships. Germany, the bronze medalists at last year's championships, won the gold medal in a 6:35.65. Ukraine took silver in a 6:39.42, while Belarus crossed third for the bronze medal in a 6:45.28. The U.S. crew was in fifth place through the first 1,000 meters of the course, before dropping back and crossing the line in a 6:55.86.
In semifinals action, the men's four with coxswain and men's single sculls qualified for the medal round on Sunday. The crew of Patrick O'Hara (Wilmette, Ill.), John McGrorty (Ambler, Pa.), Jacob Merrell (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Patrick Eble (Fort Washington, Pa.) and Michael Cox (Centerville, Va.) finished second in its semifinal, securing a spot in the final. The U.S. was in sixth place off the start and gradually worked its way through the field by the third quarter of the race. Italy took the lead at 500 meters, and held on to cross first in a 6:24.49. The U.S. posted a time of 6:27.31 in second, while Ukraine edged out Germany by 0.09 seconds for the third qualifying spot. Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand qualified from the second semifinal.
Andrew Campbell, Jr. (New Canaan, Conn.) qualified for the final of the men's single sculls with a dramatic third-place finish in his semifinal. Germany's Felix Bach, the defending world champion took an early lead on the field, gaining three boat lengths by the 700-meter mark. Campbell, who competed in the event at the 2009 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, was in third place off the start and rowed nearly even with Czech Republic's Jakub Podrazil through the body of the race. Vying for second, both scullers brought up the rating to 36 strokes per minute in the sprint, but it was Podrazil who crossed in front by 0.42 seconds in a 7:46.36, with Campbell third in a 7:46.78. Bach won the race in a 7:42.56. The three scullers will meet again in tomorrow's final, along with Greece, Italy and Slovakia from the first semifinal.
Alycia Daloia-Moore (Bronx, N.Y.) finished sixth in her semifinal of the women's single sculls. Romania's Laura Oprea won the race in a 7:54.75, with Latvia, Azerbaijan and Hungary less than two seconds back. Daloia-Moore clocked an 8:14.41 and will now race Hungary, Norway, Switzerland, Lithuania and Slovenia in Sunday's B final for places 7-12.
Elizabeth Youngling (Westport, Conn.) and Hemmingway Benton (Glencoe, Ill.) won the B final of the women's pair for a seventh-place finish overall. The U.S. duo was second off the start and pushed past France in the third 500 meters for the lead. Youngling and Benton crossed first in a 7:48.00, with France second in a 7:50.31. Czech Republic followed in an 8:12.72 for third.
In the men's four, Thacher Dodge (South Salem, N.Y.), Parker Lange (Darien, Conn.), Thomas Stolarski (Weston, Conn.) and Charles Campbell (Darien, Conn.) finished sixth in the B final for 12th place overall. Czech Republic took an early lead, winning the race in a 6:14.84. The U.S. crew crossed the line in a 6:42.43.
The women's double sculls and men's quadruple sculls advanced to the C finals following each crews' respective second-place finish in the C/D semifinals. Susan Greenberg (Westport, Conn.) and Alexandra Zadravec (Fairfield, Conn.) were second off the line and held off Estonia to cross second in a 7:52.34. Croatia won the race in a 7:36.86. In the men's quad, Graham Anderson (Weston, Conn.), Patrick Donohue (Malvern, Pa.), Max Meyer-Bosse (Westport, Conn.) and Alex Johnson (Seattle, Wash.) led a dynamic sprint, nearly catching the French crew at the line. France won in a 6:09.06, with the U.S. just 0.49 seconds back in a 6:09.55.
Nader Al-Naji (Fairfax, Va.) and Robert Rasmussen (Washington D.C.) finished fourth in the C/D semifinal of the men's double sculls, and will now race in the D final for places 19-24. Al-Naji and Rasmussen crossed the halfway point in sixth place, but were able to move past Estonia and Croatia in the third quarter of the race. Lithuania won in a 6:39.04, with the U.S. fourth in a 6:47.27.
In total, 679 athletes in 216 crews from 50 nations are represented at this year's championships. Sunday's schedule features finals in the men's and women's single sculls, men's and women's double sculls, men's pair, men's quadruple sculls, men's four with coxswain and men's eight. For more information, roster and athlete bios, visit www.usrowing.org.