Wide Spread of Medals on Second Day of 2021 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals

The Junior competitors got the second day of finals underway with three boat classes. Spain continued to be impressive, but other nations started to join them on the medal table including a first-ever medal for Sweden at the Beach Sprint Finals. The afternoon block of racing saw mixed junior doubles and the elite solos which featured lots of familiar names from flat water rowing.

 

Junior Men’s Doubles (CJM2x)

With a low tide at the start of the day, there was a long sprint down the beach to the boats in the quarterfinals. France had the smoothest buoy turn in the first quarterfinal which earned them the win. In the second quarterfinal, Italy took a wide corner around the first slalom buoy allowing Portugal to take a lead but with a smoother sprint back to the beach, Italy moved in front and crossed the line first. Having come second in the B final the day before, Spain’s Miguel Salas Cordoba was joining forces with Jaime Soler Bernaldez to race the double. The experience seemed to pay off as Spain went around the turning buoy first and Soler Bernaldez had sprinted to the buzzer before Germany had even landed on the beach. Following a medical withdrawal of Belarus, Japan raced for time only in their quarterfinal.

France had a strong position in the first semifinal being the first boat to navigate the turning buoy. With France, at 38 strokes per minute back to the beach, Italy was at 39 trying to close the gap. France hit the buzzer first to put them into the A final with a guaranteed medal. Having not had opposition in their quarterfinal, Japan were keen to give Spain a race, but the Spanish duo were just too strong for them and had a significant lead by the turning buoy. Spain chose not to conserve any energy for the A final as they sprinted towards the line.

After just a few minutes rest, Japan was back on the start line to race against Italy in the B final. However, they were a bit too keen and caused a false start when the bowman jumped into the boat too soon. They were awarded a yellow card and the race was restarted. Italy soon motored into the lead, and continued to move away to take the bronze medal.

In the A final, France went out fast looking to finally overcome Spain and earn their first gold medal of the competition. Both boats took wide arcs back to the beach after the buoy turn and it was all to play for as Spain really started to push in the final scull to the beach and France just couldn’t match the speed.

Gold: ESP – Silver: FRA – Bronze: ITA

 

Junior Women’s Doubles (CJW2x)

After a long run to their boats, Germany took the early lead in the first quarterfinal but after they clattered one of the slalom buoys, Sweden drew level. With the straighter route back to the beach, Sweden moved into the lead and took the win. Spain got their boat under way really quickly in the second quarterfinal and, with a bit of a hiccup in the Portuguese boat, Spain continued to extend their lead. After a slight steering error from Spain on the return to the beach, Portugal managed to close the gap and it came down to the final beach sprint with Spain managing to get to the buzzer first.

Sweden had the cleanest start in semifinal 1 as they smoothly entered the boat, but France was fastest to scull away. However, experience on the course came into play as Sweden had the best navigation and got to the finish first to secure their place in the gold medal race. In the second semifinal, Spain was second into the boat, but first to take a stroke. Japan was first to the turning buoy though and with a great line back to the beach, their boat speed was impressive, and they were first to hit the finish buzzer.

Having met each other many times in gold medal races, France and Spain found themselves racing for the bronze medal in this boat class. Both crews had a smooth entry into the boat, with France taking the early lead once they were underway. With a higher rating and a smooth buoy turn, France continued to extend their lead and with great navigation back to the beach, they took the bronze.

A wave came crashing in as the crews entered the boats in the gold medal race, but the crews seemed unphased. Japan had awesome boat speed, but Sweden had excellent navigation so there was very little between the two boats on the way out. Japan overshot the turn slightly, costing them over two lengths, allowing Sweden to move away and navigate a straight line back to the beach. Stina Bujalla had a clean exit from the boat and sprinted to the buzzer to take the gold, and the first medal for Sweden with Japan’s silver also the first medal for their nation.

Gold: SWE – Silver: JPN – Bronze: FRA

 

Junior Mixed Doubles (CJMix2x)

Following her gold in the solo on the previous day, Hela Belhaje Mohamed joined forces with Bilel Frigui, who had won bronze, to represent Tunisia in the mixed double. Their experience paid off as they despatched Spain in the first quarterfinal. There was disaster for Italy in the second quarterfinal as Nicola Michele Rizzi’s seat came off as he jumped into the boat, allowing Portugal to take a strong lead. In the third quarterfinal, all four athletes had the experience of having raced in the solo on the previous day, but it was the USA with by far the best boat speed. However, it came down to the final beach sprint when the USA held on to the lead by just over a second.

In the first semifinal, France was fastest out from the beach, but with a better buoy turn, Tunisia started to close the gap. They had too much work to do though to overcome the fast French duo and Kerrian Boulay was first to dive onto the buzzer putting France in the gold medal final. The USA had a quick start in the second semifinal. Portugal gave it absolutely everything, but there was an upset at the turning buoy as they missed it, picking up a one-minute time penalty. They knew immediately what they had done, and seemed to let the USA scull away to victory.

In the B final, Tunisia’s Behlhaje Mohamed and Frigui went out looking to add to their medals from the solo and were the first around the turning buoy and had 2-3 lengths lead as they sculled back towards the beach. They continued to dominate and, with a clean exit from the boat, they secured the bronze medal.

The A final was a showdown between the USA and France as both nations went out hoping to get their first gold of the event. By the second slalom buoy, France had a lead of a length and, at 38 strokes per minute, they continued to lead the USA at 33 strokes per minute. France continued to extend their lead on the scull back towards the beach and sprinted towards the line to take a gold to add to their five silver medals earned so far.

Gold: FRA – Silver: USA – Bronze: TUN

 

Men’s Solo (CM1x)

Italy’s Giovanni Ficarra, who is a lightweight World U23 Champion from 2017, unsurprisingly had a fast start. Christopher Bak from the USA soon moved into the lead but, after going the wrong way around the turning buoy, he went around again the correct way, allowing Ficarra to win convincingly. The athletes in the second quarterfinal had plenty of experience of flat-water racing, and there was very little between them at the turning buoy. Ioannis Kalandaridis was fastest on the return and was able to secure a place for Greece in the semifinals.

Both athletes in the third quarterfinal also had vast international experience of flat water sculling so it was interesting to see what they could do on the sea. Lithuania’s Zygimantas Galisanskis appeared to come off his seat initially allowing Tunisia’s Mohamed Taieb to take a strong lead. However, after an error by Taieb at the buoy turn, Galisanskis took the lead and won the sprint to the line. The last quarterfinal featured Norwegian Olympic medallist from earlier this year, Kjetil Borch. He was up against Aubrey Oldham from Canada who has more coastal rowing experience. Oldham was the first to take strokes but the boat speed of Borch soon came into play. It was so close on the return. Borch was first out of the boat and won the sprint to the buzzer by just over two seconds.

There was already a two length margin for Ficarra by the first slalom buoy in semifinal 1, and he had the cleaner buoy turn. He continued to build his lead with a dead straight line back to the beach. The two National Team athletes went out fast in the second semifinal. Galisanskis seemed to have the better of Borch on the slalom course but a slightly wider buoy turn, allowed Borch to draw level. It came down to the sprint across the sand and Borch just got to the buzzer first.

The coastal experience of Kalandaridis really showed in the B final as he looked in a strong position for the bronze medal throughout the race. With the tide coming in, there was more rowing and less running and, with no need to sprint, a comfortable bronze was secured for Greece.

Italy’s Ficarra had a fantastic start and was well away by the time Borch was into his boat, but the powerful Norweigan soon got his boat up to speed. There was a three length lead for Ficarra after the turning buoy and with a perfect course back, he was first to the beach and celebrated during his sprint to the buzzer. Borch crossed the line with a somersault to take the silver medal.

Gold: ITA – Silver: NOR – Bronze: GRE

 

Women’s Solo (CW1x)

Khadija Krimi, who has represented Tunisia at two Olympic Games, had a slight crab at the start of her quarterfinal, allowing France’s Maya Cornut to take a two length lead. That deficit was too much to make up. Two experienced flat water athletes raced in the second quarterfinal and it was a close race out to the turning buoy. With the better turn and great navigation back to the beach, Greece’s Zoi Fitsiou took the lead and held on to the line.

Poland’s Olympian and World Champion Agnieszka Kobus-Zawojska was awarded a yellow card for a false start in the third quarterfinal and the race got underway cleanly at the second attempt. Canada’s Brienne Miller made the best of the turn and lined herself up perfectly for a straight run back to the beach. Miller hit the buzzer whilst the Polish sculler was still dismounting her boat. The last quarterfinal was a close affair between Cassidy Norton of the USA and Ainoha Casanova Calpena of Spain. The Spaniard made the buoy turn slightly ahead but Norton had strong boat speed on the return leg. With less than two seconds separating them at the finish, Casanova Calpena progressed to the semifinals.

Cornut had the best start and displayed excellent navigation in the first semifinal, but there was very little between the boats at the turning buoy. They reached the beach almost together but Cornut had the best sprint to the line, securing her place in the gold medal race. In the second semifinal, Spain’s Casanova Calpena was the fastest off the start. Miller caught a crab during the slalom but had an impressive recovery and didn’t lose too much ground. The speed of the Canadian boat was really impressive on the return to the beach and Brienne Miller booked her place in the gold medal race.

In the B final, Casanova Calpena was first into her boat and left Fitsiou with work to do. Fitsiou’s boat speed soon closed the gap though and they reached the turn together where Casanova Calpena had the tighter turn. Fitsiou had a very impressive sprint back to the beach allowing her to hit the buzzer first and take the bronze medal.

Cornut took the early lead in the gold medal race and continued to show impressive navigation but the sheer boat speed of Miller allowed her to catch up by the buoy turn. It was all to play for during the scull back to the beach, and the fast-moving Canadian looked to be moving through into the lead. It all came down to the final beach sprint in one of the closes races of the day as Miller beat Cornut to the buzzer by half a second.

Gold: CAN – Silver: FRA – Bronze: GRE