LUZERN, Switzerland – Three more U.S. crews advanced to the finals following semifinal competition Tuesday at the 2012 Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Warren Anderson (Paso Robles, Calif.) and Sam Stitt (McLean Va.) tied for the win in the second semifinal of the men’s double sculls. The U.S. crew was in the lead crossing the 1,000-meter mark, with Azerbaijan’s Aleksandar Aleksandrov and Boris Yotov pushing through China for second place. Azerbaijan and the U.S. sprinted together in the final stretch, crossing the line in a dead heat with a time of 6:21.03. China also advanced from the semi in third with a 6:22.26.
“It’s going to be good, tight racing in the final,” said men’s double coach Cameron Kiosoglous. “They are very good racers. Their semi today was even better than the heat – they got off the line more efficiently and had an even race across the course.
“The implications for everyone here are that you either go (to the Olympics), or you don’t. There’s no back up here. Sam and Warren have been through at least one of these cycles. I think just having been through it a couple times and knowing how to pace themselves throughout the regatta is to their benefit.”
Wednesday’s final, scheduled for 5:00 p.m. local time, will see the United States, Azerbaijan and China, as well as Italy, Latvia and Ukraine from the first semi. The U.S. crew will need a top two finish to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games.
In the women’s single sculls, Gevvie Stone (Newton, Mass.) finished second to Denmark’s Fie Udby Erichsen in the second semifinal to advance to the final. Stone was in fourth place after the first 500 meters, but worked her way through France and Estonia over the middle thousand. Denmark posted a 7:36.13 for the win, followed by the U.S. in 7:39.48 and Estonia third with a time of 7:42.79.
Stone will meet Denmark and Estonia again in tomorrow’s final at 5:10 p.m. local time, along with Australia, Serbia and Ireland from the first race. The U.S. will need to finish in the top four in order to qualify for London.
Capping off morning’s semifinals, the lightweight men’s double sculls crew of Will Daly (Vail, Colo.) and Andrew Campbell (New Canaan, Conn.) also finished second in its race to advance. The U.S. crossed each of the 500-meter marks in a solid second place to finish 2.31 seconds behind Hungary at the line. Hungary posted a time of 6:31.46, with the U.S. in 6:33.77. Switzerland advanced with a third-place time of 6:38.01.
Australia, Austria and Bulgaria advanced from the second semifinal. The lightweight men’s double final is scheduled for Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. local time; the U.S. will look to secure a top two finish in order to qualify for London.
Racing continues Tuesday evening with finals for the lightweight four, women’s double sculls and men’s eight.
U.S. Results for Tuesday Morning, May 22, 2012
Men’s Double Sculls (M2x), Semifinal 2
1t. Azerbaijan, 6:21.03; 1t. United States, 6:21.03; 3. China, 6:22.26; 4. Czech Republic, 6:24.46; 5. Poland, 6:29.67; 6. Israel, 6:35.11.
Women’s Single Sculls (W1x), Semifinal 2
1. Denmark, 7:36.13; 2. United States, 7:39.48; 3. Estonia, 7:42.79; 4. France, 7:48.85; 5. Latvia, 8:02.96; 6. Bulgaria, 8:03.05.
Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls (LM2x), Semifinal 1
1. Hungary, 6:31.46; 2. United States, 6:33.77; 3. Switzerland, 6:38.01; 4. Poland, 6:41.29; 5. Sweden, 6:44.72; 6. Slovenia, 6:45.28.
Links
Tuesday Start List
Wednesday Start List (coming soon)
World Rowing Live Results Tracker
Results
Comments | Log in to comment |
There are no Comments yet
|
row2k's Olympics coverage is brought to you by:
row2k's Olympics coverage is brought to you by: