World Rowing Championships get under way
20 August, 2006, Eton, Great Britain, The home of rowing
for the 2012 Olympic Games got a test run as the 2006 World
Rowing Championships began at Dorney Lake, just outside of
London.
Contending with bumpy but fast water conditions rowers from
59 countries competed in the first day of heats. Great Britain
showed the strength of their recently revamped rowing programme
by winning three events. Lightweight single sculler Zac Purchase,
20, recorded the fastest qualifying time in his event to lead
the way for the British who also recorded wins in the men's
four and men's double.
Germany got off to a solid start with an impressive seven
minute flat time in the women's pair when Elke Hipler and
Nicole Zimmermann took on current World Champions, New Zealand.
New Zealand finished three seconds back in second and will
have to return to race the repechage.
Germany also impressed in the men's single when their top
single sculler, Marcel Hacker went to an easy win in his heat.
But leading the men's singles going through to the next round
could be the Czech Republic's Ondrej Synek who got within
five seconds of the World Best Time when he was pushed by
Switzerland's Andre Vonarburg in his heat.
Also showing strongly in the single are both the reigning
World Champion, Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand and current Olympic
Champion Norway's Olaf Tufte. Both of these scullers won their
heat to advance directly to the semi-final.
The men's double looks to be shaping up into a French - Slovenian
showdown. Jean-Baptiste Macquet and Adrien Hardy of France
won their heat and recorded almost identical times to reigning
World Champions, Iztok Cop and Luka Spik who won their respective
heat. These two crews have been battling it out all season
and at present the score is one all.
Racing continues Monday 21 August with the remainder of heats.
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