May 31st 1998

Era ends as Redgrave's four fails medals on ladies' day in Munich

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An era ended when the four of James Cracknell, Luka Grubor, Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent came fourth in the final of the first round of the Krombacher Rowing World Cup today. This is the first time that Redgrave and Pinsent have lost a World Cup, World Championship or Olympic race since they won their first world pairs championship in 1991.
The Romanians Vasile Mastacan, Costel Mastacan, Florin Corbeanu and Cornel Nemtoc, all former medallists, won in 6 mins 16.78 secs, with the Germans second and the Poles coming through after 1500 metres to take the bronze medal. The British crew were third after 500, second at half way, but lost their challenge after that.
Today Redgrave was in the three seat with Grubor, subbing for the injured Tim Foster, at two. The shuffle since the heat on Friday did not produce the extra mile that they knew they would need to keep the Romanians and the gung-ho Germans at bay.

but Blackie, Bishop, Batten, Langlands and Hall excel

Guin Batten's bronze medal was a terrific start to her World Cup, coming in at 34 through wash which should not have been on the course. The former world champion Trine Hansen of Denmark took an immediate lead in an attempt to break the Russian Irina Fedotova who had done a very fast time in the semi-finals. But the Russian was unphased and took the lead after 1500 metres. The American Sarah Jones dropped back while Batten moved from fifth at 500 to fourth at 1000 to third at 1500. In a strong finish she could not catch Hansen. Jones was fourth after a late challenge on Batten, Maria Brandin of Sweden was fifth and Natalia Stasiouk of Belarus sixth. Batten takes 5 points to the next round in Hazewinkel.

Dot Blackie and Cath Bishop set up their easiest victory so far this season, taking the lead before the 1750 marker over the Americans Sally Scovel and Lianne Nelson who had led thus far. The Russian world bronze medallists Albina Ligatcheva and Vera Potchitaeva, who had twice caused Blackie and Bishop to turn on their sprint finish in Duisburg two weeks previously, never showed higher than fourth. The British pair now have the maximum 8 World Cup points and the yellow jersey, and are unbeaten this season. The Danes Christina Rindorn and Maria Vraa took the bronze behind the Americans. Libby Henshilwood and Rachel Woolf were sixth.

Tracy Langlands and Jane Hall earned six World Cup points with second place in the lightweight double sculls. The Danes Lene Andersson and Anna Helleberg took gold and the Swedish sisters Kristina and Monika Knejp succeeded in just capturing the bronze position when the Romanians Camella Macovicuic and Angela Tamas went into a spectacular decline 100 metres from the line.

Romania stormed out to win the men's eights, with the Russians beating the Germans, who were minus their Cambridge Blue Stefan Forster who is taking exams, for second place. Britain's crew were fourth, fighting off the new American crew, and earned four World Cup points. The US were fifth and the German under-23 crew sixth. The British line-up was Bob Thatcher, Andrew Lindsay, Richard Hamilton, Ben Hunt-Davis, Simon Dennis, Louis Attrill, Ed Coode, stroke Steve Trapmore and cox Christian Cormack.

A length covered all four women's eight finalists, the order being Germany, Romania, Belarus and Britain. The British earned four World Cup points. The crew, who doubled in other events, was Sue Walker, Francesca Zino, Kate Mackenzie, Alex Beever, Sarah Winckless, Lisa Eyre, Dot Blackie, stroke Cath Bishop and cox Suzie Ellis.

World champion James Koven of the US won the men's sculls just over a length in front of Vaclav Chalupa. Egypt's Ali Ibrahim just made third ahead of Olaf Tufte of Norway. Andrie Reinhold of Latvia was fifth and Luka Spik of Slovenia sixth. Spik was the early leader who paid severely. Koven and Chalupa bided their time, both trailing Ibrahim at half way. Britain's Greg Searle was second, ranking eighth, in the B final, and has scored no World Cup points so far.

Stephen Williams and Fred Scarlett, the spare men from Oxford Brookes, rowed a gutsy final to finish fourth in the coxless pairs. The medals went to Sens and Kirchhoff of Germany, Martinov and Straga of Croatia and Sorocan and Bosnneaga of Romania. The British pair were awarded four World Cup points.

Tim Male and Matthew Beechey earned four World Cup points in fourth place in the lightweight double sculls in a spirited performance. The Germans Ingo Eular and Bernhard Ruehling were first, the Czechs Tomas Kacovsky and Vaclav Malacek second, and the Swiss Markus and Michael Gier third.

Simon Goodbrand and Colin Greenaway were sixth, with two World Cup points, in the double sculls. The medals were taken by Undset and Storseth of Norway (gold), Skorgevik and Bekken of Norway (silver) and the Poles Kolbowicz and Korol (bronze).

James Brown, Ben Webb, Philip Baker and John Warnock were sixth in the lightweight fours, earning two World Cup points. The Olympic and World champions from Denmark were the winners, with Russia and Austria taking silver and bronze respectively. Germany were fourth and Spain fifth.

The quadruple scullers Alison Sanders, Alison Mowbray, Elise Laverick and Rowan Carrol were fifth, earning three World Cup points, in their final. The gold was taken by the outstanding German crew, with Russian second, Belarus third and Denmark fourth.

Switzerland's Caroline Luethi and Bernadette Wicki won the double sculls in a nail-biting finish with Dina Myetaknudinova and Olena Ronzhina of Ukraine.

The Austrians won the men's quadruple sculls, with Ukraine taking the silver medal and Switzerland the bronze. Full results from FISA Online

© Copyright Christopher Dodd, 1998.