World Rowing

The 2012 Olympic Games in London are drawing nearer as the clock ticks through the half way point of the four year Olympic cycle.

A total of 49 countries have entered teams to take part in the 2010 World Rowing Junior Championships Racice, near Prague, Czech Republic from 5 to 8 August.

Medals at the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships were spread between 23 nations at the completion of the regatta in Brest, Belarus.

On the second day of finals of the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Brest, Belarus, 15 events raced with gold medals being spread over 12 different nations.

The final day of racing at the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Brest, Belarus, saw a complete change in the weather.

In the first year of spreading the World Rowing Under 23 Championships finals over two days, six events lined up on Saturday to race for Under 23 World Champion status. At the Brest, Belarus regatta course the United States set the ball rolling by winning the first final, the women’s four and then breaking a World Best Time in the women’s pair indicating their sweep rowing superiority.

Semifinal racing at the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Brest, Belarus, saw times get close to the World Best Times as crews fought to make it through to tomorrow’s final. The lightweight women’s double sculls nearly broke the World Best Time when Greece and New Zealand raced to a photo finish.

Semifinal racing at the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Brest, Belarus, saw times get close to the World Best Times as crews fought to make it through to tomorrow’s final. The lightweight women’s double sculls nearly broke the World Best Time when Greece and New Zealand raced to a photo finish.

A thunderstorm yesterday afternoon caused racing to be suspended and the heats in four boat classes to be re-scheduled for this morning. These crews lined up bright and early, starting at 8:00, under sunny skies, with the promise of hot weather for later in the day.

All late afternoon races in Brest today were cancelled due to thunder and lightning with severe wind. These races have been re-scheduled for tomorrow (Friday) morning 23 July. All the following races will be raced in the morning hours. A new schedule has been published and is available here.

The 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships got under way today in Brest, Belarus. Opening with heats in 20 of the 21 events, under-23 athletes raced in hot and humid conditions. Temperatures were in the high twenties, moving into the low thirties through the day making hydration an important element in the racing regime. But times were reasonably quick as the rowers enjoyed flat water and light tail wind conditions on the custom-built rowing regatta course.

More than 20 000 tickets have been sold for the 2010 World Rowing Championships at Lake Karapiro, New Zealand as the clock ticks down to 100 days to go.

The inaugural Africa Youth Games recently took place in Morocco and rowing featured as one of the 17 sports involved.

Selection for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, YOG, began last year at the 2009 World Rowing Junior Championships and the process was completed earlier this week. The Games will take place in Singapore in August.

Participation is still on the rise for the world’s under 23 rowers as over 880 athletes have confirmed participation in this month’s World Rowing Under 23 Championships to take place in Brest, Belarus from 22 to 25 July. In total, 57 nations have entered. In 2009, 830 athletes from 56 countries were present, making this year yet another record breaking entry since the event took on World Championship status back in 2005.

Since its inception in 1993, the African Rowing Championships has been growing with every edition and this year featured the largest participation ever. The championship was held in Tunis, Tunisia, earlier this month.

Great Britain has won the Rowing World Cup series for the fourth consecutive year and this year clocked up a record 231 points.

The third and final Rowing World Cup for 2010 wrapped up in Lucerne, Switzerland, with the four Blue Riband events. In the eights last year’s World Champions showed that they still had the goods: the United States won for the women and Germany were the best of the men.

The first six events of the Rowing World Cup raced in the A Finals this morning, earning medals, and finalising the placing for the overall World Cup standings.

With temperatures in the much more comfortable low 20s Celsius, sun shining and no wind, racing got under way on Lucerne’s famous Rotsee Lake.