Day VIII: Sunday 30 August
Lightweight Women’s Double Scull – Final A
This crew contains World Champions for the last two years in the lightweight quad scull, Bronwen Watson and Alice McNamara. They finished third in their semi final and, therefore, were drawn in lane six for the A Final in which Germany, Greece and Great Britain – coached by expat Australian, Paul Reedy – were the favourites.
The girls did not begin well and allowed the field to take an early lead over them, settling in sixth place almost a length from the leaders Poland after 250 metres. At 500 metres Poland still led from Greece and Great Britain, with Australia moving up to fifth.
At half way Greece had worked their way to the front over Poland, with Great Britain third and Australia still in fifth place.
At 1,500 metres Greece held their lead over Great Britain, now second, with Poland third and Australia still fifth and out of the running.
Greece spreadeagled the field to win gold from Poland, with Great Britain third. Australia was fifth, 9.86 seconds from the winners. The winning time was 6 minutes 51.46 seconds.
Men’s Quad Scull – Final A
This new combination of Nick Hudson, Jared Bidwell, David Crawshay and Dan Noonan made their way to the A Final the hard way, through the repechage, before a very good second place in their semi final behind World and Olympic Champions Poland.
Poland, Germany and Croatia were the joint favourites based on World Cup form this year.
Australia began well and settled in the lead and at 500 metres were narrowly in front of the Polish crew, with Germany in third place.
At 1,000 metres Australia still led the Poles however the Poles were starting to push through as they hit halfway with Germany third and the others off the pace.
By 1,500 metres the Olympic Champions Poland looked to have an unassailable lead over Australia and the fight was on as Germany joined into the battle in earnest.
At the line it was close with Poland winning gold in a time of 5 minutes 38.33 seconds, from Australia with silver and Germany the bronze.
Australia’s effort was great and the crew and coach’s plan almost worked perfectly, but a great result to build on for the future.
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Day VII: Saturday 29 August
Men's Adaptive Arms Only Single Scull – Final A
Ben Houlison, making his World Championships debut, has performed well in the preliminary rounds and faced off against World and Paralympic Champion Tom Aggar from Great Britain in the A Final. The other heat winner was from New Zealand.
Aggar led from the start along with Italy and Ukraine and, settling down, Ben was holding down fifth spot as Aggar took the lead approaching the 500 metres mark and went through over four seconds clear of Ukraine and New Zealand, with Ben still in fifth place.
The British sculler led the field all the way to the finish, dominating the field as the race changed complexion behind him, with many chances still for the medals. Ben was lifting his rating and chasing for a medal.
At the line Ben had grabbed third spot with a barnstorming finish and a bronze medal in his first World Championship.
Gold medal to Great Britain, silver medal to Ukraine, bronze medal to Australia. Winning time was 4 minutes 51.48 seconds.
Adaptive Legs, Trunk and Arms Coxed Four – Final A
This new crew of Alexandra Green, Carol Cooke, Peter Siri and Henry Macphillamy with Lisa Brown coxing tackled Paralympc Champions Italy in their heat row, and now had the job in front of them in the A Final as race favourites Great Britain had dominated their heat early in the week, along with Italy which dominated the other heat.
Italy began well as did Great Britain with Australia back in the field as Great Britain and Italy settled in first and second respectively, with Germany in third then followed Canada, Australia and Ukraine; at 500 metres that was the order.
In the second and final 500 metres Great Britain dominated the race to win comfortably by three seconds over Italy and Germany, with the Australian crew no match for their more-experienced rivals at the rear.
Gold medal to Great Britain, silver medal to Italy, bronze medal to Germany. Winning time was 3 minutes 25.33 seconds.
Women's Four – Final A
The crew of Sophia Robson, Laura Osti, Libby Alderman and Emily Rose were required to undertake a race for lanes with only six entries in their category and drew lane five for today’s A Final.
The Australian girls began well but the very big Netherlands crew, who are members of the Dutch eight, went to the lead along with Canada and Germany and held the lead through 500 metres over Canada and Belarus, from the USA Germany and Australia at the tail of the field.
At halfway the Netherlands still led from Canada, with the USA improving and moving into third just in advance of Belarus and Australia, then came Germany.
The Dutch lead was 2.28 seconds over the USA by 1,500 metres with Canada third, and the Aussie girls had again grabbed fourth spot over Belarus in a very good third 500-metres push by this young crew.
Gold medal to the Netherlands, silver medal to the USA, bronze medal to Canada, with Australia fourth just 0.84 seconds off the bronze medal. Winning time was 6 minutes 31.34 seconds.
Women's Pair – Final A
The crew of Kim Crow in bow and Sarah Cook in stroke seat had finished second in their semi final to the USA and were looking forward to this A Final after a disappointing Olympic campaign in 2008.
Out of the blocks it was Australia in the lead over Great Britain and Germany, and as they settled down it was Romania that grabbed the lead over the USA and Australia in a terrific race in the early stages.
At the half way mark the USA and Romania were locked together with New Zealand next, then Great Britain and Australia in a cracking race with Germany at the tail.
With 500 metres left no change in the placings with USA up but only just over Romania and New Zealand, with Australia, Germany and Great Britain scrapping for the minor placings.
In the last 500 metres Australia could not catch the leading crews as the USA crew, which contained two members of the gold medal eight from Beijing, proved too strong.
Gold medal to the USA, silver medal to Romania, bronze medal to New Zealand, with Australia fifth just a boat length from the winners in a cracking race for the big crowd in the grandstand. Winning time was 7 minutes 06.28 seconds.
Women's Double Scull – Final A
The women’s double scull Sally Kehoe and Pip Savage made their way to the A Final by finishing second in their semi final and looked set for a good effort in the final.
After 500 metres the USA led with Australia in fourth, but only 0.6 seconds from the lead.
At 1,000 metres the Czech Republic led from the USA and Poland, Great Britain and Australia and Bulgaria starting to hit their stride.
The leading three crews were fighting hard into the last 1,000 metres with any of the six crews a chance of a medal.
The last 500 metres was frenetic as Poland held off Great Britain, while just behind Bulgaria and Australia sprinted and finished third and fourth as the Czech Republic and USA dropped out of contention.
Gold medal to Poland, silver medal to Great Britain, bronze medal to Bulgaria with Australia fourth. Winning time was 6 minutes 47.18 seconds.
Men's Four – Final A
The Olympic silver medal-winning crew from Beijing of Matt Ryan, James Marburg, Cameron McKenzie McHarg and Francis Hegerty had won their heat and semi final leading into this clash with Great Britain, a repeat of the Olympic final in Beijing where a different British crew won gold over Australia.
Off the line it was a close tussle with Australia’s bow getting to the front by 500 metres, narrowly over Great Britain, with a blanket covering the other four crews.
At 1,000 metres Great Britain led from Australia by one second, with Belarus in third place, then followed a great battle between Slovenia, Czech Republic and France.
In the third 500 metres Australia strived to close the gap on Great Britain as the crews behind swapped placings at regular intervals.
The Olympic silver medallists put the hammer down in the last 500 metres but Great Britain proved a little too strong, winning narrowly.
Gold medal to Great Britain, silver medal to Australia, bronze medal to Slovenia. Winning time was 5 minutes 47.28 seconds.
Men's Eight – Final B
The Noel Donaldson-coached men’s eight of Tom Larkins, Josh Dunkley-Smith, Mitch Estens, Tom Swann, Bryn Coudraye, Sam Loch, Fergus Pragnell and Richard Allsop with Toby Lister coxing tackled the B Final after a disappointing repechage result saw them miss the A Final. The field included Russia, USA and Ukraine.
The boys began well and paced it with their more-experienced rivals, getting to 500 metres in second spot just 0.23 second behind Ukraine, with the USA in third place. Russia was the other crew in the race in fourth place.
At halfway Australia had made a concerted move and had established a length's clear water over Ukraine, the USA and Russia.
At 1,500 metres the order remained the same with Australia looking too strong, and trying to make a positive statement after not having made the A Final.
At the line Australia prevailed with Ukraine second over the USA with Russia at the rear.
The winning time was 5 minutes 31.72 seconds.
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Day VI: Friday 28 August
Men's Lightweight Four – Final C
This young crew of Darryn Purcell, Tom Bertrand, Ross Brown and Angus Tyers contested the C Final after qualifying through the C/D semi final yesterday and drew alongside the well-performed Great Britain and New Zealand crews in the race.
The Australian crew got away well however it was Great Britain that led from the outset over Australia and New Zealand, then followed Belgium, Russia and Chile.
By 1,000 metres the Australians were now in a tight tussle with New Zealand, although Great Britain had opened up nearly a length lead over those two crews, with Belgium the only other chance of a place.
In the third 500 metres the Australians pushed past New Zealand while the British had the look back at them both, and Belgium was now beginning their run for home.
At the line it was Great Britain first in a time of 6 minutes 42.09 seconds, Australia second and Belgium third, with the margin closing at the line to 1.82 seconds. A good effort by this young crew and their coach Chris O'Brien.
Women’s Lightweight Double Scull – Semi Final A/B
This crew contains World Champions for the last two years in the lightweight quad scull, Bronwen Watson and Alice McNamara, however this is their international debut as a double sculls and after drawing the well-performed Great Britain in their heat they looked prepared for a fight in their semi final, with Greece the main danger along with Canada and Cuba.
The girls began well knowing that the first three would advance to the A Final on Sunday however it was the Greeks in the lead over Cuba with Australia in third, then followed Canada, Hungary and the USA.
At half way the order was the same with Australia about three seconds back from Greece and watching the Canadians as a threat for the place in the final.
At 1,500 metres Greece still led from Australia, who had moved into second place, then followed Canada and Cuba, feeling the pinch. The Greeks had more than three seconds lead.
At the line the Greeks had led all the way to score from Canada who overtook Alice and Bronwen in the dying stages for Australia to be third, with all three going to the A Final on Sunday. The winning time was 7 minutes 29.50 seconds
Semi Final 1 was won by Germany in a time of 7 mins 27.93 seconds, from Great Britain in second and Poland in third.
Men's Quad Scull – Semi Final A/B
This new combination of Nick Hudson, Jared Bidwell, David Crawshay and Dan Noonan did not have a great row in their heat but performed strongly in the repechage to advance to the semi finals. They did however draw the Olympic Champions Poland and up and comers Croatia in the semi final and tackled the event knowing only the top three would advance to the A Final.
They began well and settled in third spot behind Ukraine and Poland and held that spot to the 500-metere mark, with Croatia in fourth along with Slovenia and Estonia.
At halfway Poland had hit the front from Ukraine, with Australia still third from Croatia in fourth place.
By 1,500 metres the Croatians had made their push and grabbed second with Australia and Ukraine in a battle for that all-important third spot.
The last 500 metres was a terrific struggle with the tenacious Australians finishing well to grab second in the closing stages behind Poland.
At the line it was Poland winning, in a time of 5 minutes 56.04 seconds, from Australia and Croatia. Poland won by 1.65 seconds.
Semi Final 2 was won by Germany in a time of 5 mins 57.52 seconds, from Italy in second and France in third.
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Day V: Thursday 27 August
Semi-finals day has arrived at the 2009 World Rowing Championships with three Australian crews in action in the main semi-finals.
The sun has burnt through the clouds with a very slight head wind blowing down the course.
A number of Australian crews went out for training this morning, while the men's lightweight four will jump on the water soon to contest their C/D semi final.
They will race at 12.48 pm local time, shortly before 9pm in Australia.
Men's Lightweight Four – Semi final C/D
This young crew of Darryn Purcell, Tom Bertrand, Ross Brown and Angus Tyers contested the C and D semi finals as a result of not making it through to the main draw via the heats and repechages and drew alongside the well-performed New Zealand crew in the race.
With the first three to advance to Final C the Australian crew got away well and led early from New Zealand and Chile, with Indonesia in fourth place. That’s how they went to the 500 metre mark with Australia less than a second clear of New Zealand.
By 1,000 metres the Australians were now clear of New Zealand, with Chile and Indonesia no match for the two leaders.
In the third 500 metres the Australians pushed further clear of New Zealand, and no change behind them.
At the line it was Australia first in a time of 6 minutes 21.44 seconds, New Zealand second and Chile third. The Australian crew will now tackle the C Final on Friday.
Semi Final C/D 1 was won by Great Britain in a time of 6 mins 19.45 seconds, from Belgium in second and Russia in third.
Women's Pair – Semi final A/B
The crew of Kim Crow in bow and Sarah Cook in stroke seat began well in their semi final of the women’s pair and at 500 metres were a close second behind Russia, with pre-race favourites Romania and the USA just back a little.
At 500 metres it was Russia from Australia, then the USA, Argentina, Romania and Croatia at the rear.
At the half way mark the Australians had taken a very narrow lead over the USA, which contained two members of last year's Olympic gold medal eight, then followed early leaders Russia, with Romania fourth and beginning to move into the contest.
With 500 metres Australia clung to a slender lead over the USA, with Romania moving into third from the tiring Russians. The Aussie girls lead was narrow and the two crews behind had much more experience in the boats.
In the last 500 metres the USA rowed through Australia for the final result to be USA first in a time of 7 minutes 19.55 seconds, Australia second and Romania third. Kim and Sarah now advance straight to the A Final to be rowed on Saturday.
Semi Final 1 was won by New Zealand in a time of 7 mins 24.63 seconds, from Great Britain in second and Germany in third.
Women's Double Scull – Semi final A/B
The women’s double scull, Sally Kehoe and Pip Savage, were both members of last year's Beijing Olympic Team – albeit in different boats – and began their 2009 international season with a win in their heat on Sunday. They drew pre-race favourites Great Britain in their semi final.
At 500 metres it was Great Britain from the Czech Republic, with Australia in third just 0.96 seconds from the leaders, then followed Germany, Ukraine and Belarus.
At 1,000 metres the Czechs had taken the lead from Great Britain, with Australia third from Germany who were moving into their rhythm.
The leading four crews all knew they had a battle on their hands, in the last 500 metres, to get to the final and the pressure was really on. At this stage Great Britain again went to the lead over the Czechs, with Australia and Germany both lifting.
At the finish the Brits held on to win by just under half a length from Australia, with the Czech Republic going through to the A Final and the Germans to the B Final.
The winning time of 6 minutes 55.08 seconds was the faster of the two semi finals. Semi Final 2 went to Poland in a time of 6 mins 57.76 seconds, from the USA in second and Bulgaria in third.
Men's Four – Semi final A/B
The Olympic silver medal-winning crew from Beijing of Matt Ryan, James Marburg, Cameron McKenzie-McHarg and Francis Hegerty came from behind to win their heat on Sunday, and were looking for a good, consistent 2000 metres' effort in the semi final to prepare them for the A Final on Saturday.
They got out of the blocks as planned and after a concerted effort, went through 500 metres more than a length clear of Belarus, the Czech Republic and Greece.
At 1,000 metres Australia held a commanding lead and, in the grandstand, the crowd's thoughts turned to Saturday's final and the battle looming with Britain.
In the third 500 metres Australia consolidated their four-second lead, with the battle on behind them for the place in the A Final.
The Olympic silver medallists held their composure over the last 500 metres, proving too strong for Belarus. The Australians recorded a time of 6 minutes 0.94 seconds, winning by over three seconds, with the Czech Republic in third.
This crew now moves directly to the A Final to be rowed on Saturday.
Semi Final 1 went to Great Britain in a time of 6 mins 0.17 seconds, commandingly from France in second and Slovenia third.
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Day IV: Wednesday 26 August
Three Australian crews will aim to progress to the semi finals on Day 4 of the World Rowing Championships as racing has begun under cloudy skies.
The wind has switched to a light tail.
The men's lightweight four and men's quad have made it onto the water already, with the lightweight four 20 mins from starting.
Men's Lightweight Four – Repechage
This young crew of Darryn Purcell, Tom Bertrand, Ross Brown and Angus Tyers, disrupted by a season-ending injury to Chris Bigg which saw Tom Bertrand elevated into the crew after completing his commitments with the Under 23 team, took on Repechage 2 against five high-quality opponents on day four of competition.
With the first two only to advance to the semi finals the Australian crew got away well but it was the Swiss that led from Australia, with Canada in third then followed Belgium, Portugal and Chile. That’s how they went to the 500-metre mark with Australia less than a second behind the favourites Switzerland.
By 1,000 metres the Swiss led by 1.46 seconds from Australia, with Canada hot on the heels of Australia, and the order the same behind the leaders.
In the third 500 metres the Swiss pushed, but Canada was on the charge and passed the Australian crew to move into second place with Australia a close third.
At the line it was Switzerland first in a time of 6 minutes 02.59 seconds, Canada second and Australia third. The Australian crew will now tackle Semi Finals C/D on Thursday.
Repechage 1 was won by France in a time of 6 mins 00.83 seconds, from the USA in second and Great Britain in third.
Men's Quad Scull – Repechage
This new combination of Nick Hudson, Jared Bidwell, David Crawshay and Dan Noonan had finished fourth in their heat and were looking for a top-three finish to advance to the A/B semi finals to be held on Friday.
They began well and settled in the lead over Estonia by 2 seconds and the USA, coached by expat Australian Tim McLaren, in third place. Great Britain had withdrawn on the morning of the race due to illness.
At halfway Australia led by the same margin but now over the USA, with Estonia back in third and then followed Iran, now in fourth place.
By 1,500 metres the Australians had moved 2.5 seconds clear of the USA, with Estonia third and Iran still fourth.
At the line it was a comfortable win to Australia in a time of 5 minutes 46.93 seconds, from the USA and Estonia. The crew is now looking forward to Friday's semi finals.
Men's Eight – Repechage
The Noel Donaldson-coached men’s eight of Tom Larkins, Josh Dunkley-Smith, Mitch Estens, Tom Swann, Bryn Coudraye, Sam Loch, Fergus Pragnell and Richard Allsop, with Toby Lister coxing, did not begin well and were outpaced early by the USA, but held second spot at 500 metres, then followed Italy and Poland settling in fourth place.
That’s how they went through 500 metres with Russia in fifth and Ukraine at the rear.
At halfway the order had changed with the USA leading followed by Italy and Poland, with Australia now 3 seconds off the lead in fourth place and with the job in front of them.
At 1,500 metres the Polish made their move with the locals cheering a Polish victory in the making. The Polish crew, comprising many of last year's eight from Beijing, were looking too strong for the field as they charged to the front.
At the line Poland prevailed with the Italians almost a length down at the end, then followed the USA in third and Australia fourth 5.99 seconds from the winners.
Australia will now contest the B Final on Saturday. The winning time was 5 minutes 29.72 seconds.
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Day III: Tuesday 25 August
Men's Adaptive Arms Only Single Scull – Repechage
Ben Houlison – making his World Championships debut – was against World and Paralympic Champion Tom Aggar of Great Britain, however the field in his repechage did not have the same reputation as Aggar, and Ben grasped his opportunity by getting out of the blocks first and establishing an early lead over the USA.
By 500 metres Ben was 1.33 seconds clear of the USA, with Spain in third, then followed Germany and Belarus. It looked a race in two even at the halfway mark with Ben taking longer, more deliberate strokes than the USA sculler and beginning to edge clear in the third 250 metres.
Ben led the entire second 500 metres and hit the line first, 8.43 seconds clear of the USA, with Spain third, then Germany and Belarus. The winning time was 5 minutes 54.47 seconds and Ben now tackles the A Final on Saturday.
Repechage 1 went to Ukraine in 5 minutes 53.75 seconds, from Italy second and Russia third.
Adaptive Legs, Trunk and Arms Coxed Four – Repechage
This new crew of Alexandra Green, Carol Cooke, Peter Siri and Henry Macphillamy with Lisa Brown coxing made their debut against Paralympic Champions Italy in their heat row, and went to the repechage after being no match for Italy.
Their repechage seemed a little easier than their heat but far from an easy task, with Russia and Canada looking tough to beat and only two crews to go through to the A Final.
The Australians got out of the bocks well as did the Canadian crew, which went to the early lead over Australia and Russia, with Ireland and Poland further back – that’s how they went through 500 metres.
It was all to race for in the second 500 metres as Canada went further clear of the battle for second between Australia and Russia. At the line Canada were clear, Australia were second and into the A Final, Russia were third just in front of Ireland, and Poland was at the rear of the field. The winning time was 4 minutes 02.03 seconds.
Repechage 2 was won by Germany in a time of 3 mins 54.43 seconds, from Ukraine in second and USA in third.
Women's Four – Race for lanes
The crew of Sophia Robson, Laura Osti, Libby Alderman and Emily Rose were required to undertake a race for lanes – with only six entries in their category, the event is to be a straight final on Saturday.
The Australian girls began well but the very big Netherlands crew went to the lead, and held it through 500 metres over the USA and Australia from Canada, Germany and Belarus.
At halfway the Netherlands still led from the USA with Canada moving into third just in advance of Australia, then came Germany and Belarus.
The Dutch lead was 2.07 seconds over the USA by 1,500 metres however the Aussie girls had again grabbed third spot over Canada in a very good third 500 metres push by this young crew.
At the line it was Netherlands first, in a time of 7 minutes 14.23 seconds, USA second and Australia third.
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Day II: Monday 24 August
Six Australian crews will race on the second day of the World Rowing Championships and the atheltes have been greeted with sunny skies again at the Malta Regatta Course in Poznan.
The wind has switched from the first day of competition and now is a mild head wind, tending straight up and down the course.
Ben Houlison will be the first Australian in action as he contests Heat 1 of the adaptive men's single scull.
Men's Adaptive Arms Only Single Scull – Heat
Ben Houlison, making his World Championships debut, was unlucky in the draw as he faced off against World and Paralympic Champion Tom Aggar from Great Britain in his heat.
Aggar led from the start with Ben holding down third spot; the Ukraine sculler was in second place, followed by USA, Poland and Korea. That was the order at 500 metres with half the distance covered.
The British sculler led the field all the way to the finish, clear of Ukraine with Ben Houlison hanging on to third place. Ben now goes to the repechage on Tuesday.
Tom Aggar’s winning time was 5 minutes 37.37 seconds.
Heat two went to New Zealand in 6 minutes 12.59 seconds, from Spain in second and Italy third.
Adaptive Legs, Trunk and Arms Coxed Four – Heat
This new crew of Alexandra Green, Carol Cooke, Peter Siri and Henry Macphillamy with Lisa Brown coxing made their debut against Paralympc Champions Italy in their heat row. A baptism of fire for international debutantes Green and Macphillamy.
Italy began well, as did Australia, settling in first and second respectively, with Russia in third then followed USA, France and Poland. At 500 metres that was the order with Italy clear by 4.5 seconds.
In the second and final 500 metres Italy dominated the race to win comfortably by nine seconds, however the Australians were well clear of third place, which was occupied by the USA. The winning time was 3 minutes 49.31 seconds. A good first-up effort by the Australians, but they will have to contest the repechage on Tuesday.
Heat 2 was won by Great Britain in a time of 3 mins 42.57 seconds, from Germany in second and Canada in third.
Women's Lightweight Double Scull – Heat
This crew contains World Champions for the last two years in the Lightweight Quad Scull, Bronwen Watson and Alice McNamara, however this is their international debut as a double sculls combination. They drew the well-performed Great Britain and USA crews in their heat, which was the last of three.
The girls began well, knowing that the first two would advance to the semi finals to be rowed on Friday, and consolidated their effort just 1.17 seconds behind the crew from Great Britain, coached by Australian Olympian Paul Reedy.
At half way Great Britain led from Australia in second, with Cuba third, then followed USA and Portugal.
At 1,500 metres Great Britain held their lead over Australia by 2.34 seconds, from Cuba in third place, USA and Portugal.
Alice and Bronwen worked well in the last 500 metres and crossed less than a length, or 1.48 seconds, behind Great Britain, and the USA grabbing third place. The winning time was 8 minutes 02.46 seconds.
Heat 1 was won by Poland in a time of 8 mins 08.29 seconds, from Canada in second and Sweden in third.
Heat 2 went to Greece in a time of 7 mins 58.37 seconds, from Germany (2nd) and Denmark third.
From Bronwen Watson ...
"It was very tough. We were trying to look at a speed of seven minutes and it was eight minutes to do that race and we were definately going hammer and tongs so that showed the strength of the wind," Watson said.
"We were really pleased just to get our first race under the belt. It's our first race internationally this year and we are racing against girls who have six or seven already.
"The GB crew are going to be the main contenders so it's good we got a good idea of their pace and what we do against them.
"So there's a lot we can take away from that race and can continue with stronger performances for the rest of the week."
Men's Lightweight Four – Heat
This young crew of Darryn Purcell, Tom Bertrand, Ross Brown and Angus Tyers – disrupted by a season-ending injury to Chris Bigg which saw Tom Bertrand elevated into the crew after completing his commitments with the Under 23 team – took on Heat 2 of four on day 2 of racing.
With only Brown having any Senior A experience the task ahead was going be tough as Spain got away well to lead from the Czech Republic and the young Australian crew holding down third place; Great Britain and Chile were next.
By halfway Spain led the Czechs by two seconds with Australia 3.46 from Spain then Great Britain and Chile.
In the third 500 metres the Czech Republic pushed through to the lead from Spain and Great Britain, with Australia a close fourth.
At the line it was the Czech Republic first in a time of 6 minutes 40.92 seconds, Spain second, Great Britain third and Australia fourth. The Australian crew will now tackle the repechage on Wednesday.
Heat 1 was won by Poland in a time of 6 mins 39.59 seconds, from the Netherlands in second and France in third.
Heat 3 went to Olympic Champions Denmark in a time of 6 mins 36.57 seconds, from Japan in second and Canada in third.
Heat 4 went to Germany in a time of 6 mins 34.06 seconds, from Italy in second and Switzerland in third.
Men's Quad Scull – Heat
This new combination of Nick Hudson, Jared Bidwell, David Crawshay and Dan Noonan had trained well at home and in Italy and looked forward to their heat race.
They began well and settled in second spot behind France and held that spot to the 500 meters mark, with Olympic Champions Poland up there along with Slovenia and Estonia.
At halfway France still led from Poland and Slovenia, with Australia now in fourth place.
By 1,500 metres the French crew was under pressure from the Olympic Champions and Poland looked ready to pounce, with Australia back in fifth but not far from the leaders.
At the line it was close with Poland winning, from France and Slovenia, in a time of 6 minutes 19.68 seconds. Australia finished a close fourth just 2.40 seconds from the winners.
Heat 1 was won by Croatia in a time of 6 mins 15.80 seconds, from the Czech Republic in second and Italy in third.
Heat 3 went to Germany in a time of 6 mins 25.76 seconds, from Ukraine in second and Russia in third.
Men's Eight – Heat
The Noel Donaldson-coached men’s eight of Tom Larkins, Josh Dunkley-Smith, Mitch Estens, Tom Swann, Bryn Coudraye, Sam Loch, Fergus Pragnell and Richard Allsop with Toby Lister coxing began well and paced it with their more-experienced rivals, getting to 500 metres in second spot just 0.01 second behind Germany, with Great Britain in third place. The USA and Ukraine made up the field.
At halfway it was still Germany over Australia and Great Britain with the margin widening just a little.
At 1,500 metres the order remained the same with Germany looking too strong and Australia being challenged by the strong crew from Great Britain.
At the line Germany prevailed with the fast-finishing British pipping Australia by five one hundredths of a second, which means Australia will now contest the repechage on Wednesday. Germany and Great Britain go directly to Sunday's A final. The winning time was 5 minutes 58.16 seconds.
Heat 2 was won by Canada in third in a time of 6 mins 02.58 seconds, from the Netherlands in second and Russia in third.
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Day I: Sunday 23 August
The first morning of the 2009 FISA World Rowing Championships has commenced under sunny skies in Poznan with the heats of the lightweight men's eight and men's coxed pair.
There is a light wind which is flicking from cross to cross tail, from the stroke to bow side.
The first Australian crew, Sarah Cook and Kim Crow, have began their warm up row and will make their way to the start line at 10.48 local time.
Women's Pair – Heat
The crew of Kim Crow in bow and Sarah Cook in stroke seat began well in Heat 2 of the women’s pair. At 500 metres, they were a close second behind the USA, with Great Britain in third place, then followed Belarus and Portugal.
At the half-way mark the order remained the same however the USA crew, which contained two members of last year's Olympic gold medal eight, had opened up to almost a length lead.
With 500 metres left, no change in the placings, with USA up by 3.94 secs over Australia.
In the last 500 metres Great Britain rowed through Australia for the final result to be USA first in a time of 7 minutes 20.21 seconds, Great Britain second and Australia third. Kim and Sarah now advance straight to the semi finals to be rowed on Thursday.
Heat 1 was won by New Zealand in a time of 7 mins 17.36 seconds, from Romania in second and Argentina third.
Heat 3 went to Germany in a time of 7 mins 26.36 seconds, ahead of Russia in second and China third.
Women's Double Scull – Heat
The women’s double scull of Sally Kehoe and Pip Savage were both members of last year's Beijing Olympic Team, albeit in different boats, and began their 2009 international season in Heat 2 where after 500 metres they were less than a second behind USA, with Germany third, then followed Ukraine.
At 1,000 metres the order remained the same, with USA 1.5 seconds clear of Australia and a similar margin back to Germany, and Ukraine out of the picture.
The leading three crews all knew they would advance however the Australian crew kept the pressure on and, in the last 500 metres, moved to the lead to score a good heat win over the USA and Germany, and will go directly to the semi final on Thursday. Their time of 7 minutes 04.71 seconds was the fastest of the three heats and the girls looked good in their first hit out together.
Heat 1 was won by Great Britain in a time of 7 mins 07.52 seconds, from Bulgaria in second and Finland in third.
Heat 3 went to Poland in a time of 7mins 05.24 seconds, from the Czech Republic in second and New Zealand third.
Men's Four – Heat
The Olympic silver medal-winning crew from Beijing of Matt Ryan, James Marburg, Cameron McKenzie-McHarg and Francis Hegerty began well in heat three but were headed at 500 metres by Germany, which led by just 0.59 seconds over Australia.
At 1,000 metres Germany still led from Australia by 1.54 seconds with New Zealand in third place then followed Belarus and India.
In the third 500 metres Australia closed the gap to just 0.16 seconds as the last 500 metres loomed.
The Olympic silver medallists put the hammer down in the last 500 metres and proved too strong for Germany, winning by 1.71 seconds with New Zealand third and recording a time of 5 minutes 57.83 seconds, the fastest of the three heats.
This crew now moves directly to the semi finals to be rowed on Thursday.
Heat 1 was won by Slovenia in a time of 6 mins 0.77 seconds, from Poland in second and USA in third.
Heat 2 went to Great Britain in a time of 6 mins 0.69 seconds, from The Czech Republic in second and Spain third.
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