Annyong (Hello) from South Korea! After a long flight, and with wonky jet lag we have made it to Chungju for the 2013 World Championships. Smack-dab in the middle of the country, the course is nestled between farmland, rolling hills, and a lush green golf course. Temperatures are registering in the low 80's today, but the humidity is brutal; the lack of breeze makes for a flat course, but very warm athletes.
For the next five days, this venue on the shores of Tangeum Lake is the home to the global elite rowing community, whether it’s the coaches, athletes, FISA members, families and fans who are here, or those who are not but will have their eyes turned to Chungju. Despite the heat, everyone seems to be enjoying the venue. Modern glass buildings and tents dot the shoreline with great facilities for the athletes and activities for the spectators (think pottery painting, candle making). It's hard to tell since racing is not yet underway, but the attention to detail for both the rowers and their onlookers is promising for a successful event on and off the water.
The grandstand, mostly empty right now, save a few coaches and parents watching practice, will be packed this evening for the opening ceremony, which promises to be quite the spectacle. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will be in attendance and over the past few days the athletes have seen Korean fighter planes practicing synchronized flyovers of the course.
This morning, crews looped the course to the sounds of blaring techno and K-Pop (the official song of the regatta here) before racing begins tomorrow. It's a fun scene as rowers from all nations practice next to one another—as the boats come past the finish line buoys and begin to bunch up, it quickly becomes apparent that the most universal form of communication is "Hey!" There are some words (and tones of voice) that transcend any language barrier.
Spares Races
Spares races were held at lunchtime with a handful of spectators in attendance. The largest of the three races was the M1x with a full six-boat field. Gruner, the German sculler had a fast start and held the lead for 1500 meters until Walton from Great Britain overtook him and opened up the lead to win by a couple of lengths. The next group down the course was the LM1x and W1x with two male athletes from and one female sculler from Canada.
The surprisingly close race of the day can be credited to the starter who handicapped the M2- against the two W2- in the pair race. The commentator initially sounded a bit confused at the staggered start, as he did not relay the difference in the starts, but simply stated it as "a considerable amount." However, that considerable amount was the perfect distance as the GB M2- caught up with the women in the last 500 making for a competitive race between all three crews.
The Air Force flight performance is expected any minute now, followed by a full afternoon of pre-ceremony events….we're crossing our fingers for a Psy sighting tonight!
Keep checking-in for photos, videos, and written coverage of the 2013 World Championships—we're looking forward to a week of great racing.
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