All four United States crews advanced out of the repechages, or second-chance races, on Wednesday to highlight the fourth day of competition at the 2006 FISA World Rowing Championships on Dorney Lake in Eton, England.
The women's quadruple sculls and lightweight women's quadruple sculls advanced directly to the finals, while the lightweight men's double sculls and lightweight men's four advanced to the semifinals.
The lightweight men's double sculls tandem of Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Cody Lowry (Bristow, Okla.) advanced to the semifinals with a second-place finish in its repechage. The duo sat in third position through the 1,500-meter mark before overtaking Turkey for the last qualifying spot for the semifinals. The U.S. clocked a 6:40.06. Cuba led from start-to-finish, winning the race with a time of 6:36.87. Ireland finished third in a 6:42.06, as Turkey fell to fourth place.
The lightweight men's four of Tom Paradiso (Blue Bell, Pa.), Simon Carcagno (Pennington, N.J.), Matt Muffelman (Mathews, Va.), and Colin Farrell (Oaklyn, N.J.) also finished second in its repechage to advance to Friday's semifinals. The U.S. got off the line well and led the race after 500 meters. Italy then made its move, taking over the top position during the second quarter of the race. While Italy led the rest of the way, the U.S. rowed away from Belgium to secure second place and a spot in the semifinals. The U.S. clocked a 6:12.42, while Italy finished with a time of 6:10.27.
The lightweight women's quadruple sculls quartet of Michelle Trannel (East Dubuque, Ill.), Katie Sweet (Seattle, Wash.), Abby Broughton (Tetonia, Idaho), and Anne Finke (North Palm Beach, Fla.) finished third in its repechage to advance to Sunday's final. The crew sat in third position the entire way down the course. Denmark won the race with a time of 6:48.59, while Germany finished 5.98 seconds behind in second place. The U.S. crossed the finish line with a time of 6:54.70. Canada finished fourth to claim the last spot in the final. The four crews will take on heat winners China and Great Britain on Sunday.
Jennifer Kaido (West Leyden, N.Y.), Liane Malcos (Carlisle, Mass.), Ala Piotrowski (Manchester, N.H.), and Lia Pernell (Seattle, Wash.) finished fourth in the repechage of the women's quadruple sculls to advance to Sunday's final. The quartet held the second position through the 1,500-meter mark before dropping to fourth in the final quarter of the race. Russia led from start-to-finish, clocking a time of 6:37.01. China finished second, followed by Germany. The U.S. crossed the finish line with a time of 6:41.65. Canada and the Ukraine rounded out the field. The top four crews join heat winners Australia and Great Britain in the final.
With only six entries, the men's four with coxswain is a final-only event that does not require heats. However, the boats raced for lane assignments for the final on Wednesday morning. The U.S. crew of Dane van den Akker (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Kyle Larson (Seattle, Wash.), Scott Gault (Piedmont, Calif.), Chris Callaghan (Tualatin, Ore.), and Brodie Buckland (Olympia, Wash.) led the race through the 1,000-meter mark before coming home in fourth place with a time of 6:22.56. Great Britain won the race with a time of 6:19.87, followed by Canada and Germany. The six crews now will race for medals in Sunday's final.
Likewise, the lightweight men's quadruple sculls crew of Bjorn Larsen (Lake Stevens, Wash.), Andrew Liverman (Oakton, Va.), Evan Price (Butler, Pa.), and Shane Madden (Ambler, Pa.) rowed in a race for lanes on Wednesday. The U.S. sat in fifth position the entire way down the course, crossing the finish line in a 6:19.12. Italy won the race in a 6:06.69, followed by Germany and France. The five crews will race again on Sunday in the final.
The men's double sculls tandem of Francis Cuddy (Amherst, N.H.) and Shane O'Mara (Tampa, Fla.) did not race in Wednesday's scheduled C/D semifinal as the day's racing schedule was cancelled at 10:30 a.m. due to weather. Cuddy and O'Mara now will race on Thursday.