It was a light day of racing for the US team in general, with only three singles and the women's pair racing in semis. Steve Tucker rowed one of his patented even-split races (1:44.58, 1:42.98, 1:42.92, 1:44.89) to advance to the A final in the LM1x; Tim Whitney respectably put himself in the C final in the C/D semi; and Jen Devine in the women's 1x (racing a brutal semi) and the women's pair heads to the petites.
Rowing the 24 Redux
The 24 person boat that took two trips last night had some stars among the ranks - Kris Karlson, Greg Hughes, Chris Wilson, and others represented the US contingent, while IOC VP Anita DeFrantz sat bowseat.
Balmary Defeats Karsten
Hey, we know it's ony a semi, but Sophie Balmary of France has to feel ok about having an open water lead over the defending Olympic champion for most of her race.
Remember, however, that Karsten is doubling up in the single and double; she has to go through the semis in the double, and could be saving herself for the next few races.
It turned out that Jen Devine was in this same semi; talk about a tough semi draw.
Another Wet German
After Marcel Hacker placed fourth today, he collapsed, flipped, and went into the drink to become the fourth German rower who placed fourth to end up in the lake.
While it has come to seem like a national trait here in Lucerne (falling out of the boat after missing qualification by one place), it's not the first time for Hacker - he fell out of the boat in 1999 in St. Catharines after finishing 10th and qualifying for the Olympics.
Xeno, Rock Star
A full contingent of Swiss teenagers showed up for today's semi featuring Zeno, and he gave them what they came for - first place in the semi, and a victory lap afterward as they trailed him with flags waving, bells ringing, and red shirts at full strength. Sure, it's only a semi, but it's good to see the guy row over to his supporters to say hello and thanks.
Audience Stats
There were 3500 paid spectators today. It looked like about a third of them left after Xeno's race. Tickets for the weekend racing are very nearly sold out.
Italian Passion, British Reserve
The cultural differences between the Italians and Brits was in stark relief at the finish of today's men's pair semi, where the Brits and Italians finished 1-2. After crossing the line, the Italians punched the air, splashed water, and gave each other high fives; the Brits quickly turned their boat, rowed across the course just meters over the finish line, and headed back to the dock.
The Argentinians played it much like the Italians, just psyched to have made the A final to take a shot at the medals.
Cuba Qualifies
The Cuban double made the A final with an excellent race that broke the Lithuania double in the final strokes; what will this do for the future of rowing tourism to Cuba?
Basalini, one if by Single, two if by Pair...
Talk about switching boat classes with ease; Italian lightweight sweep rower/sculler Stefano Basalini has switched back to sculling, and looks on track to rack up another worlds medal. Basalini won the Lightweight quad in '97, the Light single in '98, the lightweight pair in '99, and now is rowing the single again here at Lucerne.
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