The United States will have seven crews racing on the first day of finals on Saturday at the 2006 FISA World Rowing Championships on Dorney Lake in Eton, England. The women's single sculls, lightweight women's single sculls, women's pair, men's pair with coxswain, women's four, men's four, and lightweight men's eight will all race for medals tomorrow.
After racing New Zealand to a dead heat for third place in the first semifinal of the men's four, the U.S. boat of Brett Newlin (Riverton, Wyo.), Josh Inman (Hillsboro, Ore.), Matt Schnobrich (St. Paul, Minn.), and Michael Blomquist (Greensboro, N.C.) came back to win a head-to-head battle with New Zealand in a late afternoon re-row on Thursday to secure a spot in the final. The crew will take on boats from France, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany, and Slovenia in Saturday's race for the medals. France and Great Britain won the two semifinals, with the defending world champions from Great Britain clocking the fastest time.
In the women's single sculls, Michelle Guerette (Bristol, Conn.) held off a furious charge by Italy's Gabriella Bascelli to finish third in her semifinal and claim the last spot in Saturday's final. Guerette, last year's bronze medalist in the event, will take on scullers from the Czech Republic, Belarus, France, Sweden, and Russia. Belarus' Ekaterina Karsten and the Czech Republic's Mirka Knapkova won the two semifinals, with Knapkova clocking the fastest time.
The women's pair of Anna Mickelson (Bellevue, Wash.) and Megan Cooke (Los Gatos, Calif.) won its repechage, or second-chance race, to advance to Saturday's final. The pair, which won the world cup race in Lucerne and is also racing in the women's eight here in Eton, will take on crews from Germany, Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Germany and Canada won the two heats and enter the final as the top seeds.
In the lightweight women's single sculls, Lisa Schlenker (Lake Oswego, Ore.), a 10-time national team member and two-time medalist in the event, advanced to Saturday's final by finishing third in her semifinal. Schlenker will take on scullers from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and the Netherlands in tomorrow's race. Germany's Berit Carow clocked the fastest time of the semifinals in winning her race, while Switzerland's Pamela Weisshaupt won the other semifinal.
The women's four of Rachel Jeffers (Los Gatos, Calif.), Esther Lofgren (Newport Beach, Calif.), Erin Cafaro (Modesto, Calif.), and Portia Johnson (Seattle, Wash.) came from behind to win its repechage to advance to Saturday's final. The crew will take on heat winners Australia and China, as well as Belarus, the Netherlands, and Germany, in the final.
With only six entries, the men's pair with coxswain is a final-only race that did not require heats. However, the six crews raced for lanes on Tuesday, and the U.S. boat of Vincent Puma (Irvington, N.Y.), Pat Godfrey (Gorham, Maine), and Ted Farwell (Madison, Wis.) crossed the finish line in first place to earn the top seed heading into the final. The U.S., Germany, Italy, Serbia, Canada, and Greece will race again on Saturday, this time for medals.
Likewise, the lightweight men's eight raced for lanes on Tuesday, and the U.S. crew of coxswain Bracknell Baker (Wellesley, Mass.), Cameron Booth (Buffalo, N.Y.), John Nichols (Palo Alto, Calif.), Will Daly (Vail, Colo.), Jake Goodman (Corrales, N.M.), Greg Ruckman (Cincinnati, Ohio), Pete Morelli (Buffalo, N.Y.), Jon D'Alba (Berwyn, Pa.), and Sam Saylor (San Diego, Calif.) finished fourth. On Saturday, the crew gets a chance to improve on that position and win a medal. The field includes Germany, Italy, Denmark, Poland, and the Netherlands.
The U.S. will also have four crews racing in placement finals on Saturday.
In the men's single sculls, Jamie Schroeder (Wilmette, Ill.) finished sixth in his semifinal and will now race in the B final, which determines places 7-12. Schroeder will take on scullers from Switzerland, Sweden, Argentina, Cuba, and the Netherlands.
The men's pair of Sam Burns (Seattle, Wash.) and Dan Beery (Oaktown, Ind.) finished fourth in its semifinal and will now race in the B final for places 7-12. The duo will take on pairs from Slovenia, South Africa, Serbia, Italy, and the Czech Republic.
In the women's double sculls, Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.) and Brett Sickler (Los Gatos, Calif.) finished fifth in their semifinal and will now race in the B final for places 7-12. The duo, which will also race in the women's eight final on Sunday, will take on scullers from the Czech Republic, Italy, China, France, and Hungary in Saturday's race.
The lightweight men's double sculls tandem of Cody Lowry (Bristow, Okla.) and Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg (Philadelphia, Pa.) finished sixth in its semifinal and will now race in the C final for places 13-18. The duo will take on crews from the Czech Republic, Chile, Slovakia, Russia, and Cuba.
In the adaptive events, legs-trunk-arms four with coxswain of Ryan Pawling (Jenkintown, Pa.), Jamie Dean (Pickerington, Ohio), Jesse Karmazin (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), Jennifer Klapper (Scotia, N.Y.), and Aerial Gilbert (Tiburon, Calif.) finished second in its heat, narrowly missing an automatic berth in the final. The crew will race in a repechage on Saturday against boats from Hong Kong, Italy, and Croatia.