Who to watch- Rowing World Cup III Lucerne

by FISA on 6 Jul 2006 A final opportunity for the best in the world of rowing to test their boat speed before the World Rowing Championships, the third Rowing World Cup has attracted 41 nations to the famous Rotsee regatta course. Starting with heats on Thursday 7 July, a top class field will compete in 23 events.

Men’s Single Scull (M1x)

World Champion Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand stormed past Munich World Cup winner Alan Campbell of Great Britain at the second Rowing World Cup regatta last month. These two will meet again - Drysdale racing on the back of an easy win at the Henley Royal Regatta. But Drysdale may have a new challenge on his hands. At the Holland Beker Regatta Sweden’s Lassi Karonen rowed a superb race to win over Olympic Champion Olaf Tufte of Norway.

Karonen and Tufte are regular training partners and the mutual help may be edging both of these athletes closer towards leader of the pack; Drysdale. Last year’s phenomenon, the Czech Republic’s Ondrej Synek appeared to be off form at Poznan but he may have learnt from his mistakes and will be ready to come back for this final Rowing World Cup. Watch out also for home town favourite, Switzerland’s André Vonarburg. With the cow bells ringing in support Vonarburg will be giving this race all that he has.

Women’s Pair (W2-)

The last Rowing World Cup was all about Germany and Australia in this event. Between the two countries they managed to shut out any other nation from the top five spots. But with the Australians absent from Lucerne and back home training, and Germany still mixing and matching their combinations, the top spots in this event could be anyone’s guess.

World Champions Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh of New Zealand failed to fire at Poznan, their first race in Europe this season. And now, with a month of European living behind them, they will be a force to contend with. The one stable outcome from the continuous German reshuffling, Nicole Zimmermann and Elke Hipler could turn out to be the crew to beat. Zimmermann and Hipler won at Poznan and remaining together, this duo is bound to be on the improvement path. They both also have the experience of the 2004 Olympic women’s eight behind them.

Men’s Pair (M2-)

Out of the picture at Lucerne are gold and silver medallists from the Poznan Rowing World Cup, Australia and Serbia & Montenegro. This could potentially open up the field for Poznan bronze medallists, Jochen Urban and Andreas Penkner of Germany. The German men’s squad will use Lucerne to help finalise World Championship line ups but the result of Urban and Penkner winning bronze last month has kept them together as a crew and out of the men’s eight. Sitting back in fifth at Poznan, current World Champions, New Zealand’s Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater did not perform to expectation and will have spent the last three weeks doing the necessary tweaking to put them back in the medals.

Keep an eye out also for Croatia. The longstanding Skelin brother combination has broken for the first time in five years. Younger brother Niksa is teaming up with Milan Razov who leaves the Croatian eight to be part of this event.

Women’s Double Sculls (W2x)

There’s little doubt that current World and Olympic Champions Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell of New Zealand are the favourites in this field. The Evers-Swindell’s showed that they are back on form for another year after winning at Poznan and another month in Europe can only help their acclimatisation. But a little gremlin hangs over the twins at Lucerne. They were beaten for the first time in three years on the Rotsee course last year. Will this play to the favour of the British?

In the absence of Australia’s top two boats (who finished second and third in Poznan) a gap could open up for the new rising stars in British sculling and winners of the first Rowing World Cup, Annie Vernon and Anna Bebington. Then there is also the experience of two-time Olympians Volha Berazniova and Yuliya Bichyk of Belarus.

Watch out for last year’s Junior World Champions, and 2006 Munich bronze medallists, Jitka Antosova and Gabriela Varekova of the Czech Republic. They may continue to show the extend to which they can foot it at the senior level.

Men’s Four (M4-)

Great Britain has controlled this event since the beginning of last year, however at the first Rowing World Cup in May the Brits received a warning when Germany and the Netherlands finished less than half a second behind. Germany’s Munich line up, that was rearranged in Poznan albeit to ill effect, is back together. Be sure to remember the names Gregor Hauffe, Toni Siefert, Urs Kaeufer and Philip Adamski. The Netherlands missed the second Rowing World Cup but went last week to the Henley Royal Regatta only to win by default when Great Britain withdrew due to illness.

There is little doubt that Germany and the Netherlands want to knock the British off their perch but they are not the only ones. Stepping up the pace at Poznan, Slovenia showed that they are no longer content hovering on the edge of the medals. They took second with a new look New Zealand crew who finished third.


Women’s Eight (W8+)

This season’s yellow jersey holders, Romania, won at Poznan over one of the biggest eights fields to be boated in recent years. In Lucerne the Romanians appear again but they will miss the fight of the Chinese. Instead Romania will have to re-confront their defeaters from Munich, Germany. This time the German crew will race in just one event, not double up with the pair as well, so Romania will be up against a potentially more rested crew.

Always sparking keen interest in the eight, the United States boats their first eight for the 2006 season. With four athletes remaining the same as the 2005 boat that just got piped at the line in Gifu, and with World Champion and Olympic medallist Caryn Davies back in the middle of the boat, expect power from this crew. Part of this crew US crew raced last weekend at the Henley Royal Regatta and not only won, but also set a course record. Romania had better watch out.

Great Britain front up again for Lucerne with the crew that finished third last month at Poznan. They look to be demonstrating an ongoing improvement in this event although at the Henley Royal Regatta they were beaten in the semi-final by the United States.


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