GIFU, Japan - Six U.S. crews will race for medals on the first day of finals at the 2005 FISA World Rowing Championships on the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course in Gifu, Japan.
The women's single sculls, women's pair, men's four, and men's pair with coxswain, as well as the adaptive arms-only men's single sculls and trunk-arms double sculls, will be racing to reach the medal stand on Saturday.
Women's single sculler Michelle Guerette (Bristol, Conn.) finished second in her semifinal to advance to Saturday's final, where she will face the Czech Republic's Mirka Knapkova, France's Sophie Balmary, Belarus' Ekaterina Karsten, Russia's Yulya Levina and Sweden's Frida Svensson. Karsten, a two-time Olympic champion in the event and four-time Olympic medalist, and Knapkova, who set a new world best time on Thursday, won the two semifinals.
Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.) and Lindsay Shoop (Charlottesville, Va.) won their repechage, or second-chance race, of the women's pair to advance to Saturday's final. The duo, which is doubling up into the eight, will take on heat winners Australia and New Zealand, as well as Belarus, Romania and Russia in the final. New Zealand won two world cup races this season.
The men's four of Bryan Volpenhein (Cincinnati, Ohio), Beau Hoopman (Plymouth, Wis.), Dan Beery (Oaktown, Ind.) and Matt Deakin (San Francisco, Calif.) finished second in its semifinal to advance to Saturday's final. The crew will face the Netherlands, New Zealand, Great Britain, Canada and Denmark in the final. The Netherlands and Great Britain, which is undefeated this season, won the two semifinals.
The men's pair with coxswain of coxswain Chase Phillips (Woodbridge, Va.), Micah Boyd (St. Paul, Minn.) and Jordan Smith (Forestville, Calif.) will race against Australia and Italy in a final-only race. The trio of national team rookies finished third in the seeding race on Thursday.
In the adaptive events, the trunk-arms double sculls tandem of Scott Brown and Angela Madsen returns to defend its world championship. Brown, from the Philadelphia Rowing Program for the Disabled, and Madsen, from Long Beach Rowing Association, won the event at both the 2003 and 2004 world championships. The duo won its seeding heat on Friday and will take on France and Italy in the race for the medals on Saturday.
Long Beach Rowing Association's Ron Harvey will race in the men's arms-only single sculls. Harvey won a bronze medal in the event at last year's world championships. He will take on scullers from Greece, Italy, Australia, Great Britain and the Czech Republic in the final.
Three other U.S. boats will be racing in B finals for places 7-12 on Saturday. Lightweight women's single sculler Marika Page (San Rafael, Calif.) finished fourth in her semifinal, just missing a spot in the final. Page will take on scullers from Croatia, Ireland, Greece, Austria and Switzerland.
The men's double sculls tandem of Sam Stitt (McLean, Va.) and J. Sloan DuRoss (South Portland, Maine) finished fifth in its semifinal and will now race Croatia, Poland, France, Russia and Hungary.
The women's double sculls tandem of Megan Cooke (Los Gatos, Calif.) and Lia Pernell (Seattle, Wash.) finished fourth in its repechage on Wednesday and will now take on Korea, Japan, Norway and Belarus.
In total, the U.S. has 21 crews competing at the world championships. Racing concludes on Sunday with the second day of finals.