By Thursday lunchtime, medals had already been given out and men's eights were derigged and sitting in slings in two pieces (all eights at Worlds must be sectional). It could only be the new TV-friendly World Championships format at FISA; here is what happened today.
Adaptive Racing
The quality of rowing in the adaptive events is visibly on the rise, particularly in the men's single. Ron Harvey squeaked through to the A final by a tenth of a second today, whew.
Tom Aggar (GBR)
"The focus for me at this regatta was to qualify and it's great that this is done now. At the start it felt quite heavy, but the end was easier. I'm very happy to be able to concentrate now on the A-final."
Erik Horrie (AUS)
"It's certainly great to make the final and qualify for the Paralympics at my first World Championships. The qualifying was the main aim of this regatta. I stuck to the plan I made with my coach Chad King and it all worked out. Now that that is done, I can focus on the final."
Ronald Harvey (USA)
"It was very tight at the end, and I gave everything on the last strokes. I knew it would be tight with NZL and on the line we actually had to ask each other where we came. We only found out when the official result came out. I'm very happy to have qualified, that was the main motivation. That's done now and I can concentrate on the final."
Edorta De Anta Lecuona (ESP)
"I had an accident 3 years ago. This is the best day since I started rowing. I have qualified for the Paralympics. This is the most important."
Jun-Ha Park (KOR)
"The race was really hard with these strong competitors, but also interesting. I am so happy! This is my first world championships, and now I have made it to the A finals and the Paralympics."
Women's pair, B Final
The B final for the women's pair was a wild one, with three different leaders, and an utter explosion by the German crew that led for over half of the race – they seemed to bet the farm on the first 500, and paid dearly, placing fourth and out of the Games slots. No German sweep women qualified for the Games, whew.
The US was in second almost the entire race - while the Germans were coming apart, the Italians were coming together, and save for a few strokes while the US were in the lead if the leapfrog, these two crews simply swapped positions on either side of the US. Throughout, the Canadians were just behind the game, and despite putting in the fastest last 500 of the field, failed to catch the US crew (which actually had the slowest last 500 in the field), which placed second just 0.06 ahead to grab the second 2012 spot behind Italy.
Interview with Kady Glessner and Caryn Davies of the USA W2- (also in the video section)
Question: We're with the women's double…
Caryn: Pair.
Pair. (ed. note: sorry, this was a small inside joke)
They just qualified the pair for the Olympics in a bit of a wild race. Can you go through a little bit what happened out there? It was riveting to watch.
CD: I think it was like a quintessential B final. Everyone just pull something out, of somewhere, and you've got to be ready for it. We pretty much just rowed our race, and never got flustered even though it was five boats across at the 1000. We knew we had to go early, so we did; got a little bit ahead, and then just hung on, by the skin of our chinny chin chin.
There were three leaders in this race; Germany, and then you guys, and then Italy.
Caryn: Did we lead?
KG: For a brief moment.
Question: Were you surprised when Italy came up from the back?
KG: I was ready for anything.
CD: I wasn't focused on Italy, really; I was just focused on making sure we got into a qualifying position. It became clear in the last 500 that that was going to be Canada vying with us. We were just focusing on ourselves, at least for the first 1500.
Question: There was a little wait until the results came in; what was that like?
KG: terrifying.
CD: I was pretty sure we had it, because I looked across right as we crossed the line, and it seemed to me we got it by a bowball, but you just never know.
Question: The regatta overall, has it gone the way you expected?
KG: I would say nothing this year has really gone how I would expect it, so I was kind of prepared for anything, and I feel like everything that could happen did happen. So as far as I'm concerned, better this year than next year. It was good preparation for next year, and I feel like I have learned the most of any regatta here, so I'm just grateful for the experience.
CD: for sure, if there's anything I've learned this year, it's not to make assumptions, so then you're not surprised, but there were certainly a lot of learning experiences.
Men's eight B final
After a conservative start, the Ukrainian eight established themselves in the lead in the second 500, and never really gave any ground from there, winning the B final and grab the last and only remaining qualifying spot for 2012. The US crew put on a furious sprint to come from fifth to second, but had spotted the UKR a bit too much water in the middle 1000, and could not make it up, as the UKR finished about 2/3 of a length ahead. Since Olympic qualifying has been instituted, the US has never failed to qualify the men's eight in the pre-Olympic year; this is a major blow for the crew.
Other good eights have had to go through the sudden death qualifiers; the Australian men did so for 2008, as did the Canadian women's eight. After the race, US six-seat Steve Coppola talked about the regatta, and his thoughts on qualifying the eight next summer.
Interview with Steve Coppola, US men's eight
Question: You said this was a disappointing race here, especially a month after a good result in Lucerne.
SC: Lucerne was great, and obviously we worked all week trying to execute as best as we could. Today we executed well, and the speed wasn't behind it. When we got off the dock, the first thing we said was well, that's the way we have to execute, but we gotta make it faster, and we have to make sure this boat gets qualified. And if we're not going to be in there, we're going to push whoever is going to try to take that seat from us as hard as we can, because it has to get done, it has to be in the Olympics. So we're all going to work together to make it happen.
Is there anything tangible that you felt was missing, even from Lucerne to now?
Nothing really tangible; we felt all along, even after Lucerne we said there's seven-eight boats traight across; the Germans aren't finishing that far ahead, and the Dutch aren't finishing that far ahead of anyone else, GB isn't finishing that far ahead. It's the tightest the field has ever been. So we gotta make sure that we work as hard as possible to make sure we're don't wind up where we were this week. It's a short turnaround until the qualifier, and we've just got to put ourselves in the cave and go get to it. There's guys back home who are licking their chops, I'm sure they're amped up and ready to take it there. We're all ready to push everyone back there, and they're ready to push us, and together we'll get it done.
Light women's single semis
Ursula Grobler rowed a confident race in the second of two LW1x semis, giving her the fastest time of the day in the event, and a spot in the A final tomorrow. Canadian Tracey Cameron, rowing the single after having withdrawn from the double due to injury, also advanced, placing third.
Interview with Ursula Grobler, US LW1x (also in the video section)
Can you take us through the race?
I started out and my first 500 was a little careful.
Were you planning it to be so?
No, but I just was trying to feel the water as much as possible, and just pushing and extending, and just staying within my race plan. I had a very definite execution that I wanted to follow, and at the end of the day I knew that the semi was about placing, because the finals are back to back, it's less than 24 hours , and you have to be so smart with this new FISA schedule. So it was just staying calm within myself that first 500; looking for the 1000 again just building off that. I saw the Hungarian and the Netherlands and was just pushing off them, and just kept building through the race. At the 1000 just a quick look where I was at, and I could see I was gaining my spot in the final, and I was like 'keep here, push." Going into the last 500, there just absolutely I felt just like a cat ready to do anything, because these semis people go crazy. I obviously had my lack of – of not making the final through the semi in the last few strokes. So I was totally ready for anything, but just held there and pushed through. I was really lucky to finish first, so that sets up me up for a good lane in the final tomorrow.
Last year you raced in multiple events; are you enjoying the focus on just a single event?
Yes, you know last year of course it was a tossup between the single, the quad, and the double, with the double being the priority for the Olympic event, and the quad was like a fun other boat, but my heart has always kind of been in the single, so this year, having the situation where the US already had their double, it was great for me to then have this opportunity to finally fulfill a little dream that I had for so many years.
When you are turning around so quickly (for the final), do you have any special strategy for that?
Sure, as a lightweight, the nutrition is now everything – everything everything – so it's a two day plan, now your weigh-after food, I had to carefully measure that out to know how much I was going to gain, because now I can't even eat to recover as much. I have to play that card carefully, so doing a little bit more liquid foods, and then we'll do solid foods a little later on so that I can recover and get ready for tomorrow.
Do you go out and row tonight?
I rather chose to stay on the water after the row and did more rowing then, allowing that if now when I get back and I take a long nap and I wake up and feel a little groggy, I can just go for an easy run, instead of having the quality of my rowing not be as good. Because if I go out tonight and I feel like I have to go out tonight to clear out the lactate from the race, then my rowing quality might be down, and I really want to keep sharp.
Light men's single semis
Similarly, Andrew Campbell had a relatively 'normal' row into tomorrow's A finals, although he didn't win his semi; that honor went to the Danish sculler Henrik Stephansen, who threw down in a big way yet again today, winning the semi by over five seconds, complete with a sprint, whew.
Interview with Andrew Campbell, US LM1x
You looked fairly comfortable; was this an easy go?
It was a tough race from beginning to end. Those guys are fast, and everyone went out wanting a spot in that final. So it was not an easy field in that sense. There were three of us for that second spot until almost the very end; the German was right there until about 250 to go. But luckily I got to save a little bit, so happy I'll get to show my maximum tomorrow.
It looked like you were somewhat within your capacity, not out on the edge?
Yeah, it wasn't an absolute barnburner; I have more to show.
How about the Danish sculler who just throws down every time?
He's a pretty fantastic athlete, and that's what you've got to expect when you come to this level is people operating with incredible fitness. His style is to hold back until the first 500, and then after 500 he kind of lets it go. That's what we saw today; he was sitting in third or fourth, and then pretty much blew through the field, Karsten-style.
Men's double semis
The men's double final should provide some true fireworks, unless the NZ crew just slaughters everyone, which, based on the times from the semis today, could well happen. But Cop and Spik ran with them for a while today, and will have the hometown crowd cheering for them, and the GB double may have learned some of NZ's tricks the past year. Germany is in the mix as well, having won the other semi. Having produced some of the most legendary sprints in the history of the sport, the men's double final is always entertaining, no question, and this one should not disappoint.
Hans Gruhne (GER)
"We are very excited about the Olympic Games next year, because we have worked really hard for it. Today we have controlled the boat very well. Our goal tomorrow is to get a medal."
Marcus Bateman (GBR)
"Today's race was very good. Olympic qualification was the goal for this year and we achieved it. Tomorrow is another day and we hope for the best."
David Crawshay (AUS)
"It is always a relief when you qualify for the finals. Olympic qualification is always good for the team. We expected third place, our start wasn't good, but half way through we knew we could get through to the finals. We are very happy."
Light Men's Four semis
If there is an event that can be called anybody's race on any given day, it is the light men's four – remember last year's final? This year's final should not disappoint – fully the top seven crews in the semis posted times within three second of each other – and one of those isn't even in the A final.
Anthony Edwards (AUS)
"Number one goal was to qualify for the Olympics, number two is to win the World Championships. Today we completed the first task, the second one will hopefully be done tomorrow."
Li Lei (CHN)
"We were not so good at today's race, because we wanted to show our power here. We will do better tomorrow. Obviously, we are very happy to go to the Olympic Games."
Martino Goretti (ITA)
"Our main goal is to win tomorrow. It was a good race today, but we could do more. We will try our best tomorrow and at the Olympic Games next year, as well. We have been in the same boat for only three months now, so we have to work on the coordination from now on."
Lucas Tramer (SUI)
"A big pressure was put on us, because we wanted to qualify for the Olympic Games. Today's second place only means an easier race tomorrow. It is also my birthday today and I am really happy."
Jacob Barsoe (DEN)
"I had stomach problems on Monday and Tuesday, so I didn't have any more energy the last 700 metres. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow, and we will be able to keep our speed all the way. The main goal for today was to qualify for the Olympics and that's achieved."
IDMix4+ A Final
The was a final only event, with Hong Kong winning by over 10 seconds, and repeating as champions in the event. I wasn't at Worlds last year, but am very sure I have never before heard the Hong Kong national anthem played in the previous 25 years of attending world championships.
Chan Tsz Wai (HKG) – Gold
"This is a great victory for the team. They trained a lot to be fit at the World Championships. It's an honour for us to be world champions"
Florian Schaefer (GER) – Silver
"The race was good. We are very happy about the silver medal"
Frederico Zoppi (ITA) – Bronze
"Getting a medal was important to us, so we are happy."
ASW1x
Alla Lysenko (UKR) - Gold
"I am so hot now, but I came in first, and I am very satisfied with my performance!"
Nathalie Benoit (FRA) - Silver
"I am happy. I am used to the second place. At Munich there were 12 seconds now it is less. This means I trained in a good way. Now I will train hard to get gold at the Paralympics."
Moran Samuel (ISR) – Bronze
"I'm so thrilled. I knew I could do it but I had very strong competitors. When I knew I would get a medal I was tearing. I am so excited."
Martyna Snopek (POL)
"I took off really strongly, and when I realized I was in qualifying position, I just kept on taking strong strokes telling myself that I would row at our Olympic Games . I live in London, and the city feels like home to me. These are tears of joy."
Filomena Franco (POR)
"My goal was the Paralympics. The race was hard and difficult but I've reached my goal. Now I want to work hard for London."
Light men's pair A final
It's an okay summer when you have won gold at both the U-23 and Senior Worlds, as have the GB pair of Peter Chambers and Kieren Emery, innit? They had the following to say after the racing:
Interview with British light men's pair
Emery: Our strong point was our sprint, so all we had to do was stay in the middle, and no one was going to hold onto us coming into the finish.
It is superb to get the under 23 gold and senior gold, how do you feel?
Chambers: Pretty awesome, really good, really happy. It was a really tough race, and we took it by the scruff of the neck.
Did you find the intensity here to be much higher than at u23s?
Emery: Oh yeah, everyone lasted much longer. I think at under 23s we got out, and we could watch the race from the front.
Did you have to do anything special here to get away (from the field)?
Chambers: Ahh… pull very hard, yeah!
Luca De Maria (ITA) – Silver
"The whole race we fought with Australia and we gave all the power at the end. We did not know we were second. A great result for us."
Bastian Seibt (GER) - Bronze
"This was a great race. We knew our strength would be in the middle of the race. Coming up to the finish we only knew we were somewhere in the medal ranks, but didn't have any clue where. This is great and it was great challenge for me to row the LM2- for the first time at the World Championship."
Women's pair A final
A devastating sprint by the Kiwi pair stole the gold from a British pair who had led from the first stroke of the race; the GB ran the media gantlet with aplomb, nonetheless, although they were clearly a bit dazed:
Question to Heather Stanning: In the last 500 meters as you hung on, you hung on, you had a three foot lead, a two foot lead, a one foot lead, a six inch lead, what was going through your mind in that last 500 meters?
I don't know, I don't remember now!
And Helen Glover, you're really disappointed with the silver medal, you wanted to have gold here; what perspective do you have for next year and the London 2012 olympics; what does it mean for you, this result?
"I think in very real terms it's a great result, it's a silver at the world championships, and it gives us somewhere to go (laughs). We've got a year to get there."
Juliette Haigh (NZL) – Gold
"We just were giving all the power we had and we didn't know that we had won. We thought it was Great Britain. It is only when we looked at the big screen that we saw we had won the race. It's a great feeling and a second title in a row after Karapiro."
Kate Hornsey (AUS) – Bronze
"This is awesome and almost like winning gold. Yesterday was the big one with qualifying for the final and the Olympics, so we had nothing to lose today. It's very exciting, especially as we have only rowed together for a week. This was just the start – I can't wait for the W4- next!"
Women's quad
The German quad put on a bit of a clinic today, albeit not without a bit of a challenge in the third 500 by a very game US crew that plowed up from fourth early in the race to take silver by the line, and was really the only crew to give the Germans any challenge. After a bunch of great races but no medals, stroke Megan Kalmoe finally booked herself a trip to the medals stand, always good to see.
Interview with US women's quad
Natalie Dell: We were nice and composed through the whole race, collectively everybody was just listening to Stesha, and she kept us in tune the whole race. There probably weren't five strokes that she wasn't saying something to reassure us, following the race plan?
Any special call that you remember, Stesha?
Stesha Carle: I think as soon as I called "second" everybody got up and went.
You even started pulling up on the Germans…
Carle: We definitely started pulling up on them, but you know…. Maybe next year!
Megan, you have been denied the medal stand a few times…
Megan Kalmoe: Thanks ed!
Tell us about the difference.
Megan: It was great. I think we just really committed this year. There wasn't a day that I didn't to to train thinking about wanting to be here.
It has been a bit of a funny summer for you all, with lineup changes and more; how do you reflect back on it now?
Stesha: We made the most of every race, and sometimes it wasn't on the podium, but today it is, and we're happy for all those steps to get us here.
You were in the four last year, and switched to sculling this year; how do you look back on the whole year to get to a silver medal?
Adrienne Martelli: This has been my first whole year with the team, so it has been a lot of ups and downs, taking it day by day basically. I wasn't really in the hunt until early summer, and have just been taking every new experience and learning from it and building from it. Making the boat was just so incredible, and all the girls have been so supportive of me and welcoming. I've learned so much from them and their commitment, and the dynamic in the boat was really great.
You seem very much up to speed now; was there a time earlier this summer when you felt like you weren't there?
I did a lot of work in the single, and I think that got me in shape, and I figured out okay, that doesn't work, this does work, and I think that really set me up well through this.
A lot of folks talk about how the switch to sculling from sweep is so hard; did you find that to be the case?
I started initially sculling last summer, and I went through quad selection then, but I could only do okay in the bigger boat, so I really lost a lot of seat races. It wasn't until this summer when we went through NSR2 and elite nationals and really learned how to move the small boats, which is what I think ultimately helped me in the quad.
Britta Oppelt (GER) – Gold
"This is fantastic. I can't really believe it yet. This was a beautiful race. It's been an awesome quad and we had a lot of fun together."
Stephanie Schiller (GER) – Gold
"This is a dream come true. The Americans really pushed hard on the last 500, but Tina called a push, which worked really well. But we still only knew when we crossed the finish line that we had really won."
Sarah Gray (NZL) – Bronze
"It was a tough race with a lot of competition. We were expecting more but we are happy with the third place. We are focusing on next year now. The gold at the Olympics is our goal."
Men's Eight A Final
Anyone who wants to break the German men's eight streak, which dates back to the 2009 World Cups, will simply have to wait, as the Germans grabbed the lead a couple dozen strokes into the race and never gave it back. The race for the rest of the medals behind them was truly crazed, with only the Dutch not really in the thick of it; the men's eight really is deeper than it has been for a while. It's all eyes on Germany at this point, who will try to pull off the insanely difficult fourpeat next year in London. The GB eight in particular seemed very much unhappy with being unable to match the Germans, and you wonder if the home crowd next year may have something to say about it when the time comes.
Interview with GER 2-seat Andreas Kuffner
You have a very good streak going; did you think you could hold onto it this week?
" We were very nervous before the race started, and didn't think that this would be so clearly (decided)."
Based on the heats and semis, your times looked good; have you had good rows all week?
"Yeah, we had a good heat, but we knew that we have to put something on the heat so that we go faster in the half-final, and we did it, and yesterday we know okay, we have to do more for the final, and we did it too, and it's great."
Was there any point where you knew you had the race in hand?
"We led from the start, and I think with 300 meters before the race was ended, we knew."
What was going through your head in the last minute of the race?
"In the last minute nothing, just pull on this, pull on this! In the finish we were very happy."
What is it that makes this crew special?
"I think it's the way we do the whole season, that have a constant level, and from the heat to the final, a constant level. That's something the team is known for."
Eleven months to the Games; are you thinking about them at all yet, not at all?
"Sure, sure; the whole season was for next year, and it was very important today to win this to start good preparation for next year."
Interview with Canadian M8 coxswain Brian Price
Can you take us through the race?
"The winds were really strong today, strong with a tailwind, and it got really bad in the last 300 meters, it was a cross, crosstail, and it shot our boat around a bit. Out of the blocks we got out pretty well, we actually went out with Germany; they moved ahead a little, and we were ahead of the British and the Dutch, who were the ones we were kind of gunning around. We knew that they were fast. Through the middle of the race tho, looking across, I'm thinking, this is more than a two-boat race here, there's a lot of boats across. So the pressure for us was just to keep on our pace and keep driving through that."
Were you a little out of the medals for a while?
"Yeah, we were; we were in fourth coming through 1500. It was Australia on the inside, who we had beaten the other day in the semi, and they were having a great race, and I knew we had to start getting into them pretty quickly. Because if you have a crew that has a great race going, it's very motivating for them. So we started to get on top of them, started moving on them, and when the water started getting bad, our strokes were starting to get rougher at the finishes, but we have rowed in that kind of water before, so we just started putting on more power, more power, more power."
Were you calling for it?
"Oh yeah, I was calling for it, and they were giving it to me, and the more I called for it the more they were giving me. With 150 to go, we just mowed through; because I had been looking across at their stern, and then by the end I was looking across at their eight man. So we moved an awful long way; that's probably about three seats, and it was happening fast."
Did the guys have anything to say about the row?
"One of the guys beforehand, Andrew Byrnes, said it was going to be five boats within half a length, and it think it was pretty darn close to five boats across. So the men's eight field is tight, it's getting real tight."
You talked about it some yesterday, and you guys have been in that spot before, for good or ill; any thoughts?
"It's always good to win, you always want to win any race you do. It's very impressive that they have won this many times. They're just setting the standard high, and we have to be able to come up to that standard. And if we don't, we'll either be on a lower stanchion of the podium, or we'll be off it. So we have less than a year to get it right, and they have less than a year to stay up there. "
It seems like this week your boat has come together; is that accurate?
"Oh yeah; we've gotten better since Lucerne; we've had a few crew changes, and the boat did get better throughout the regatta, which was a short amount of time, only five, days, but the boat did get better throughout the regatta. With these young guys, they're only going to improve, because of their youth, and because of their experience building. The one thing that's been big for us this year has been staying behind Mike Spracklen. He's been the guy that's drilled us, and not let us lose focus, and kept us on task all the time, reminding us of days like this – so when you need power with 150 to go to get on the podium, it was there because he drilled that into our heads."
Interview with GB rower (sorry, name not available) and Greg Searle
"It never felt like we could really utilize everything that you would like to do as a rower, but it was the same for everybody, and fair play that they've put three consecutive wins together. But it's also good fuel for what's going to be a very tough year next year, probably internally – we're going to have to fight for every inch to get in any of our boats. Just knowing that the pressure is on them.
"It just felt like it was moving all over the place, not so much as in the previous days with the wash, but it was a sidewind or a crosstail or something, and it really felt like the boat was moving all over the place."
The germans seemed to pull out an extra gear this year.
"They're obviously a very good crew, that's their top-seated boat; a nation of hopes has been pinned on that german eight. So they are a strong crew, but I have every belief that we are going to beat them next year. Our goal was to win the gold medal, that's always been the case, and obviously today was the last sort of dress rehearsal if you like for London, and they've got one up on us. But as alex just said, next year is the Olympic year, and I trust in jurgen's program, and I trust in what we're doing, and our aim is still to win the Olympics, and our best race will come on that Olympic final day. I have every confidence that we will be hearing our national anthem, and not theirs then."
Where does this leave you in your challenge to win Olympic gold in 2012?
Greg Searle: "No doubt it is a bitter pill to swallow to come in second, but in a way we'll be very motivated for 11 months to the day when the Olympic final happens in the eight."
Women's four and light men's eight races for lanes
Both the US women and light men won their races for lanes today, albeit in very different fashion; the women had something like a 10 second lead at 1000 gone, while the men won in the last few strokes of the race by rowing down an Italian crew that had overstroked the field significantly the whole way down the course.
Notes from the course:
There are 10-12 nations not attending Worlds this year due to Ramadan – had they been able to attend, there could have been up to 75 countries represented at this year's Worlds.
The crowds were much larger today, with people truly all over the place; the weekend could be wild. In particular, hordes of schoolkids walking two by two around the course added to the atmosphere.
You wonder if the men's eights ought to be put on a bus and taken to a resort somewhere - ah wait, we're in a resort. Well, maybe a resort where there aren't hundreds of rowers prepping to race tomorrow... ah well, enjoy!
The mascots came out in force today – a person dressed in a bell costume represented the city of Bled (with the regularly ringing church bells), and the NZ contingent rolled out a dude in an actual Kiwi suit.
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