Day VIII: Sunday 4 September
Lightweight Women’s Double Scull – A Final
Hannah Every-Hall and Alice McNamara won their semi-final and rowed from lane 4 in the six boat final.
The Australian combination was in sixth place after 500m, with Greece leading Great Britain and USA.
Australia managed to pass the NZ crew in the second 500m and set their sights on reeling in the rest of the field.
Greece was flying however and dragging the remainder behind them and Australia was just under two seconds behind the bronze medal position with 500m remaining.
Despite a late challenge Australia finished in fifth place in a time of 7:05.70.
Men’s Four - A Final
Joshua Dunkley Smith, Nicholas Purnell, Drew Ginn and Sam Loch raced from lane 5 in their final and chased a good start.
They got exactly that as they cannoned out of the start to lead through 500m. Great Britain got their pace up however and drew to within a second of Australia at the halfway mark.
The lead changed in the third 500m as the British reversed the margin to a second and then Australia had to contend with the charging Greeks.
In the race to the line Great Britain claimed the gold, while Greece came past Australia to take the silver medal.
A satisfying bronze for the Australian crew however who recorded a time of 5:58.44.
Lightweight Men’s Eight – A FINAL
David Webster (VIC), Blair Tunevitsch (TAS), Tom Gibson (TAS), Alister Foot (TAS), Rod Chisholm (NSW), Nick Baker (TAS), Darryn Purcell (QLD), Tom Bertrand (VIC) and Ross Brown (WA) rowed from lane 5 in the final.
Through 500m they sat in fourth position while Italy led from France and Denmark, but just a quarter of the race later Australia moved into second place behind the Italians.
Through the middle 500m Australia held onto the Italians and were just half a second down in the run to the line.
In a grandstand finish the crews crossed the line in unison and in a nail biting wait Australia was awarded the gold by 0.16 seconds over Italy in a time of 5:44.57.
Australia’s third gold medal of the regatta.
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Day VII: Saturday 3 September
Women’s Double Scull – A FINAL
Kim Crow and Kerry Hore were aiming to end the domination of the British double, a combination that had won the world championships by six seconds last year.
The British jumped out early to lead Australia by just under a second through 500m, while at the halfway mark the gap had only marginally extended.
New Zealand was hanging onto the coat tails of Australia and through 1500m only 3.5 seconds separated the top three crews.
Britain went for home but Australia and New Zealand responded and began closing the distance.
In a grandstand finish the British hung on for gold, just 1.25 clear of Australia, with New Zealand a further 0.76 seconds behind in third.
Men’s Quad Scull – A FINAL
The men’s quad scull promised a spectacle as Australia battled Germany and Croatia in a race that was bound to feature raw power.
Daniel Noonan, Karsten Forsterling, James McRae and Chris Morgan rowed in lane 2 and through 500m lay behind surprise leaders Russia and Germany.
Australia was careful not to let the Germans get too much of a lead and at the 1000m mark they moved up into second place just less than half a second behind Germany.
With 500m to go Germany was 0.7 of a second in front, but feeling the heat of the Australian quarter who were winding it up, along with world champions Croatia.
Germany had seemingly done enough but within a stroke of the line the 3 seat caught a nasty crab and Australia pounced to take a brilliant gold medal.
Women’s Four – A FINAL
Kate Hornsey, Pauline Frasca, Renee Chatterton and Peta White rowed from lane 5 in their final and were in third position through 500m behind Netherlands and USA.
Australia put in a hard second 500m to close the gap on the leaders and through the next stage of the race they passed the Dutch as the crews motored towards the 1500m mark.
USA had got out to a lead and despite Australia turning on the power through the last quarter of the race, they could not quite reel in the USA.
Australia clocked a time of 6:31.18 to finish less than a second behind the USA, while The Netherlands took the bronze medal.
Women’s Lightweight Quad Scull – A FINAL
Ella Flecker, Maia Simmonds, Hannah Jansen and Alex Hayes raced from lane 5 in the final of the women’s lightweight quad scull.
The girls were in sixth position through 500m, before moving up one position to be fifth at the halfway mark.
Great Britain was setting a cracking pace and Australia was overtaken by Germany in the third 500m and despite their best efforts, Australia could not quite up make up the difference.
They finished in a time of 6:38.52 but will have gained valuable experience from racing in an A Final.
Trunk and Arms Mixed Double Scull – A FINAL
Kathryn Ross and John Maclean started from lane 2 as they looked to add the silver medal they won at the 2007 world championships.
The Ukranian crew enjoyed their typically strong start to lead through 500m, while Australia passed through the halfway mark in fourth position.
China began to hunt the Ukraine down however and before long France had also gone through the previous leaders, with Australia also mounting the pressure.
Ross and Maclean left their run late but swooped on the Ukrainian crew to win the bronze medal in a time of 4:05.13.
Lightweight Women’s Double Scull – Semi-final 2
Hannah Every-Hall and Alice McNamara won their repechage and found themselves in lane 5 for the semi-final.
The top three boats would qualify for the A Final and also take three of the crucial eight Olympic qualifying spots available in the women’s lightweight double scull category.
The Netherlands led though 500m with Australia in a narrow fourth place, but only 500m later the lighty double had taken the lead.
They had begun to make the boat fly and continued to hold their advantage at the 1500m buoys before they withstood the late charge of Canada to win the semi-final in a time of 7:03.25, with Canada and USA claiming the other two final positions.
Men’s Four – Semi-final 1
Joshua Dunkley Smith, Nicholas Purnell, Drew Ginn and Sam Loch raced from lane 5 in their semi-final knowing that a top three position would qualify them for the A Final.
With Olympic qualification also in the back of the mind, Australia started well to lie second behind Canada through 500m, before assuming the mantle as leaders of the race.
Australia held in first through the 1500m buoys as they looked to assure themselves a place in the final but the Greeks were able to pick up their pace and come past the Australians.
The four had done enough however to sow up second place, qualify the boat for London and feature in the A Final tomorrow.
They recorded a time of 5:57.36 to finish less than a second behind Greece, while Germany also progressed to the A Final.
Men’s Pair – B Final
Cameron McKenzie-McHarg and Tom Larkins raced from lane 4 in the B Final of the men’s pair aiming to qualify the boat for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
The pair needed a top five finish to achieve that goal and was fifth through the 500m mark, before finding themselves sixth with 1000m remaining.
Australia then began to slice their way through the field as the early pacesetters fell by the wayside, and before too long they were in second place.
Netherlands held the lead with 500m to go but Australia made light work of passing them before taking a win in the B Final in a time of 6:32.73.
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Day VI: Friday 2 September
Lightweight Men’s Four – A FINAL
Todd Skipworth (WA), Ben Cureton (WA), Sam Beltz (TAS) and Anthony Edwards (TAS) raced from lane 2 in the final and aimed for one place higher on the podium from last year’s silver medal.
Italy led through 500m while Australia was in fifth place, before they moved up into second at the 1000m mark.
The field was coming together in typical lightweight fashion as Australia put the hammer down to storm to the lead.
They shot clear past Italy and honed in on the line, sealing the victory with a number of strokes remaining before crossing the line in a time of 5:55.10 to win a brilliant gold medal.
It was Australia’s first gold medal in the class for 30 years and a fitting end to Day 6 of the regatta.
Men’s Double Scull – A FINAL
Scott Brennan and David Crawshay entered the final of the men’s double scull from lane 1 against a strong field featuring reigning world champions New Zealand.
Germany screamed off the starting pontoon and took the lead through 500m, while Australia was in second place.
At 1000m, New Zealand had shaded Australia into third place but Brennan and Crawshay were holding good form still ahead of the remainder of the field.
In the closing stages of the race as New Zealand hunted down Germany for the gold medal, France flew at Australia and edged them for the bronze medal by 0.36 of a second.
It was a fourth place for Australia in a time of 6:14.67, but a good position to attack the next year from.
Men’s Coxed Pair – A FINAL
James Chapman and Will Lockwood, coxed by David Webster, rowed for a medal in the final of the men’s coxed pair and started well in the still conditions.
Webster, who was aiming for back to back world championships, steered Australia to a lead through 500m, and through 1000m the lead was over three seconds back to Italy.
The Australian boat was moving well and with just a quarter of the race left the margin was still at 3 seconds, but the Italian boat was beginning to charge.
Australia tried to step up and counter the Italians but within the last 100m they passed and Australia crossed for the silver medal in 6:58.20.
The crew won Australia’s third medal of the regatta and were well deserving of their silver medal.
Arms, Shoulder Men’s Single Scull – A FINAL
Erik Horrie lined up in his first world championship final and rowed from lane 2 against a quality field.
The Queenslander got a stronger start than his semi-final a day earlier and was in third position behind Great Britain and Russia through 500m.
Aggar and Chuvashev were going hammer and tong at the front, while Horrie had gapped the rest of the field and he crossed the line to take the bronze medal.
He recorded a time of 5:04.75 and can now set his sights on trying to win selection for the Paralympic Games next year.
Women’s Double Scull –Semi-final 1
2010 world championship silver medallists Kim Crow and Kerry Hore occupied lane 3 in their semi-final.
The Australian crew was joined in a fast start by Ukraine from lane 2, but held a slender advantage through 500m.
Crow and Hore were upping their rate and at the halfway mark they held a lead of over a second and a half on Ukraine, a lead that they extended to three seconds with only a quarter to go.
Australia crossed the line in a comfortable first place in a time of 6:57.27 to qualify the boat for London and earn themselves a middle lane for Saturday’s final.
Men’s Pair – Semi-final 2
Cameron McKenzie-McHarg and Tom Larkins raced from lane 1 in their semi-final in a tough field of the men’s pair.
Reigning world champions New Zealand trailed Italy through 500m, while Australia was in fifth place.
The Australian pair moved up to fourth at the halfway buoys as New Zealand assumed the lead, while Netherlands and Serbia began to fall away.
New Zealand, Italy and Greece still led the field with 500m remaining and despite Australia’s best efforts they were not quite able to qualify for the A Final, finishing fourth in a time of 6:36.95.
They will row in the B Final tomorrow and need a top five finish to book an Olympic berth for Australia.
Men's Quad Scull - Semi-final 2
Daniel Noonan, Karsten Forsterling, James McRae and Chris Morgan lined up in the second semi-final of the men’s quad scull chasing a top three finish to not only progress to the A Final but secure Olympic qualification.
The Noonan stroked crew targeted a similar start to their heat where they set the tone for the race and, along with Germany flew from the start.
At 1000m Germany led Australia by just 0.3 of a second as the two crews powered away from the rest of the field.
The Germans had opened a gap of just greater than a second with 500m remaining, and held on at the line to lead Australia into the final.
Australia crossed in 5:47.58, while Italy grabbed the final spot through by just 0.08 over New Zealand.
The Australian crew will now race from either lane 2 or 5 in the final and can look for their third consecutive world championship medal.
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Day V: Thursday 1 September
Men’s Eight – A FINAL
The Australian men’s eight faced a fast paced showdown against Germany, Great Britain, Canada, Poland and The Netherlands as Germany aimed to win their third straight world championship.
The Germans soared off the line, but Australia enjoyed their best start of the regatta and was in second place, a position they held through 1000m.
Germany was flying but the Australian men’s eight was looking fantastic for a crew that contained five world championship final debutants.
With 500m remaining Australia remained in second but faced the prospect of the fast closing Canadian and British crews.
In a dog fight to the line, Great Britain took the silver medal and Canada the bronze, with Australia narrowly pipped into fourth in a time of 5:31.59.
Women’s Quad Scull – A FINAL
Stroked by Sally Kehoe, the women’s quad scull of Brooke Pratley, Sarah Cook and Amy Clay, entered the final of the women’s quad scull with the security of already having qualified the boat for the Olympics next year.
Germany went out hard off the line, but Australia followed them and were in second place through 500.
At the halfway point, Australia had slipped back into fifth as only just over a second separated them and second placed USA.
With USA and Germany fighting it out for gold, Australia tried to catch New Zealand in the bronze medal position but came up just short, finishing fourth in a time of 6:24.49.
Women’s Pair – A FINAL
Kate Hornsey and Sarah Tait raced in the A Final after securing Australia an Olympic berth in the women’s pair yesterday.
Racing from lane 5 Australia was in third place through 500m as Great Britain led New Zealand, and the places remained the same through 1000m.
The three leading crews had built a gap on the rest of the field and while Great Britain tried to hold off the rampant Kiwis, Australia was set for a bronze medal.
New Zealand defended their world championship title with a late surge on the line to win by 0.08 of a second over Great Britain, while Australia was third in a time of 7:03.98. A great bronze medal for Australia.
Lightweight Men’s Pair – A FINAL
Blair Tunevitsch and Tom Gibson rowed from lane 5 in the final of the lightweight men’s pair.
The Tasmanian duo were fifth through 500m, with New Zealand setting the pace ahead of Great Britain and Germany.
The New Zealand under 23 world champions continued to lead through 1000m, while Australia was locked with Italy in a battle for fourth place.
Australia tried to make up the ground in the second half the race but Great Britain swept to gold with Italy and Germany claiming the minor medals.
Gibson and Tunevitsch crossed in fifth in a time of 6:35.90.
Lightweight Men’s Four – Semi-final 1
Todd Skipworth, Ben Cureton, Sam Beltz and AnthonyEdwards raced in a semi-final containing the topfour crews from the 2010 world championships.
Australia raced in lane 5 and expected a tough race from Great Britain, China and Germany.
It was Great Britain and Australia who took the race to the field and led in that order through 500m, with Germany close behind in third position.
With three crews to qualify for the A Final and also secure Olympic berths for next year, the race was well and truly on but Great Britain and Australia were quickly ensuring they would be clear.
Through 1500m Great Britain had a 0.31 second lead over Australia, while China was over two seconds back in third. The order remained the same across the line with the British taking victory by a second over Australia, with China also progressing to the final.
Men’s Double Scull – Semi-final 1
Scott Brennan and David Crawshay chased a top three finish in their semi-final of the men’s double scull to progress to the A Final and secure Olympic qualification in the boat class.
Germany and Great Britain rowed from the middle lanes and took the lead through the first 500m, with Australia in third place over Argentina.
By the 1000m mark the order was the same with Australia just over two seconds behind the leading Germans.
Australia began to drop Argentina and make their move on the leading two crews with 750m remaining and it was soon clear the three crews that would qualify.
Australia cut the gap on the German and British on the run to the line, but the order remained the same, with Germany taking a half boat length victory over the British, with Australia a further quarter length back in 6:22.91.
Arms, Shoulders Men’s Single Scull – Semi-final 1
Erik Horrie had the chance to qualify Australia’s second boat for the Paralympics in the semi-final of the arms, shoulder men’s single scull.
Horrie raced in Lane 5, while Tom Aggar, the triple world champion and reigning Paralympic champion started in lane 3.
The Chinese sculler from lane 1 led the field out, while Horrie was in fifth place through 500m, behind the Aggar, China, New Zealand and the USA.
Horrie had started to make his move, however, and it didn’t take him too long to overhaul his competitors and move into second place behind Aggar.
He held this position and crossed the line in 5:17.68, just over four seconds behind Aggar, and a boat length clear of USA’s Ronald Harvey.
All three scullers advanced to the A Final and also secured Paralympic qualification for their countries.
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Day IV: Wednesday 31 August
Lightweight Women’s Double Scull – Repechage 3
Hannah Every-Hall and Alice McNamara raced from lane 2 in the third repechage of the lightweight women’s double scull and needed a top two finish to qualify for the semi-finals.
The lighty double started well and took the lead through 500m ahead of Belgium, a lead which they extended to over 1.5 seconds at the 1000m buoys.
The rhythm continued to build for the Australian duo and they had clear water with 500m to go, before crossing the line in 7:06.17.
They were over four seconds clear of Belgium and will enter the semi-finals with renewed confidence after a strong row.
Men’s Eight – Semi-final 1
The men’s eight, coxed by Toby Lister (NSW), and containing Fergus Pragnell (NSW), Matt Ryan (NSW), Bryn Coudraye (SA), Tom Swann (VIC), Francis Hegerty (NSW), Joshua Booth (VIC), James Marburg (VIC) and John Linke (VIC) raced in semi-final 1.
They faced a battle that was likely to consist of Great Britain, Canada and China, with just three crews progressing to the final.
Canada led through 500m as Australia found themselves in fourth place, but through 1000m Great Britain had moved into second and Australia into third.
Canada was still holding onto the lead at 1500m just ahead of Great Britain while Australia was comfortably third ahead of China.
Great Britain managed to pass Canada in the last 500m, while Australia also came home well to finish just over half a length down on Great Britain in third place in a time of 5:33.79.
Australia qualified for the A Final and also a berth in London next year.
Women’s Pair – Semi-final 2
Kate Hornsey and Sarah Tait contested a tough semi-final in the women’s pair with all crews capable of making the A Final on their day.
Australia started from lane 2 and held a slender lead through 500m, just clear of New Zealand, but the reigning world champions managed to wrestle the lead back in the following 500m.
New Zealand was opening up a small margin at the front but the Australian duo was still moving the boat well, as Romania made a challenge for second place.
Heading into the last 500m Australia had tied up a place in the final and subsequently held off Romania to claim an excellent second place in 7:13.43, just 0.04 seconds clear of Romania.
The second place finish also guaranteed Australia a berth in the women’s pair next year in London.
Lightweight Men’s Pair – Semi-final 1
Blair Tunevitsch and Tom Gibson won their heat earlier at the regatta and gained a seeded lane for the semi-final.
The Australian pair rowed from lane 3 in the semi-final and the Tasmanian duo was almost 1.5 seconds clear through the first 500m.
The rhythm and speed of the boat continued to increase and they had a boat length at 1000m, before Great Britain began making inroads.
At 1500m Australia held just over a half second lead as the British began to charge, while The Netherlands also started coming home well.
The three crews hit the line at similar times, with Great Britain taking the win, while Australia crossed in second in a time of 6:39.71, with Netherlands a further 0.12 seconds further back.
All three crews move through to the A Final.
Men’s Single Scull – Quarter-Final 2
Nicholas Hudson faced a quarter-final including multiple world champion Mahe Drysdale with three scullers set to progress to the semi-finals.
The Kiwi took the race out hard while Hudson was in fifth place through 500m, a position he remained in through the halfway mark.
Hudson had moved past the Mexican sculler by the 1500m mark and set his sights on the United States rower who held almost a three second lead over the New South Welshman.
Hudson was coming strongly at him and despite a great effort he was not quite able to reel him in and finished fourth in a time of 7:04.53.
He will now row in the C/D semi-finals.
Men’s Four – Repechage 3
Joshua Dunkley Smith, Nicholas Purnell, Drew Ginn and Sam Loch rowed from lane 3 in third repechage of the men’s four and for a place in the semi-finals.
The top two would advance and Australia took the challenge up early to the field, leading by 0.4 of a second over South Africa through 500m.
The quartet had extended the lead to almost two seconds through 1000m as a place in the semi-finals loomed large, and there was a clear water advantage over second placed Serbia heading into the final 500m.
Australia crossed the line in a time of 5:57.87, more than three seconds clear of Serbia who also booked a place in the last 12.
Lightweight Women’s Quad Scull – Repechage 1
Ella Flecker, Maia Simmonds, Hannah Jansen and Alexandra Hayes raced in the first repechage of the lightweight women’s quad scull and chased a top two finish to make the A Final.
Australia jumped in the first few strokes and took control of the race with a great first split to lead by over a second through 500m from Germany.
The second 500m was even better as Australia took a stranglehold on proceedings, establishing a clear boat length lead as they hunted the finish line.
The margin continued to grow across the second 1000m and by the finish line Australia crossed in a time of 6:41.29, almost five seconds clear of Germany who also progressed to the A Final.
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Day III: Tuesday 30 August
Men’s Pair – Repechage 3
Cameron McKenzie-McHarg and Tom Larkins had finished third in their heat on Sunday and entered a repechage needing a top two finish to make it to the semi-finals.
The Australian duo found themselves in fourth place through 500m behind Germany, Croatia and Poland but by 1000m Australia had caught and passed Poland and had their sights set on Croatia.
The Australian boat was finding great pace and they swept past Croatia in the next part of the race and joined the Germans at the head of the field.
It was clear at the 1500m mark that Australia and Germany would progress, and McKenzie-McHarg and Larkins pushed Germany right to the line, eventually crossing in second place in a time of 6:29.76 and qualifying for the semi-finals.
Women’s Quad Scull – Repechage 1
The women’s quad scull had the chance of the qualifying Australia’s first boat for the Olympics next year if they finished in the top two in their repechage.
They only narrowly missed out on doing so in the heat on Sunday and were full of confidence for their next race.
Ukraine came out off the line hard and led Australia through 500m and 1000m, but stroked by Sally Kehoe, the crew of Brooke Pratley, Sarah Cook and Amy Clay started making significant inroads during the third 500m.
Australia got their bow ball level at 1500m and passed the Ukrainian boat, surging to the line to win and book their place in the final in a time of 6:22.31.
In doing so they became the first boat class to qualify for the Olympics next year.
Lightweight Men’s Four – Repechage 3
Todd Skipworth, Ben Cureton, Sam Beltz and Anthony Edwards raced from lane 3 in their repechage in a bid to advance to the semi-finals.
China had edged out Australia in the heat on Sunday and coach Brett Crow asked his charges for renewed effort today.
The crew produced as they jumped from the start to set up an initial margin of a quarter of a length through 500m, before making it a clear length at 1000m.
The boat was flying and the margin was some six seconds with a quarter to go, before Australia shut off the burners to qualify in a time of 5:54.34 ahead of the Czech Republic.
Men’s Double Scull – Repechage 4
Scott Brennan and David Crawshay entered the repechages of the men’s double scull after a close fought second behind Germany in their heat on the opening day of the regatta.
Rowing from lane 3 in the repechage, the Olympic champions required a top-two finish to progress to the semi-finals and they found themselves second behind Lithuania after the first 500m.
The Australian duo then stepped up the pressure and burst into the lead, almost two seconds clear at the halfway mark and ever-extending the margin.
The pair had the boat moving with great speed and as they crossed the line the winning gap was over four seconds. They recorded a time of 6:15.11 and will now target a strong showing in the semi-finals.
Trunk and Arms Mixed Double Scull – Repechage 1
Kathryn Ross and John Maclean raced in repechage 1 of the trunk and arms mixed double scull with Paralympic qualification available with a top-two finish.
Ross and Maclean chased a better start after their heat yesterday and came off the line well to sit behind Great Britain by just under half a length at the 500m mark.
Ross and Maclean had the British in their sights however and began reeling them in as the pair raced each other to the line.
They overhauled the British to win the repechage, qualify for the A Final and claim that all important Paralympic quota place for London next year.
Ross and Maclean recorded a time of 4:10.82, finishing 1.1 seconds clear of Great Britain, who also qualified for the final.
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Day II: Monday 29 August
Lightweight Women’s Double Scull – Heat 1
Hannah Every-Hall and Alice McNamara raced in the first heat of the lightweight women’s double scull with only one crew set to qualify for the semi-final directly.
Australia was drawn alongside Greece and the European nation jumped from the start to lead proceedings through 500m by over 2.5 seconds.
Australia was in third place through 500m, still trailing Greece, with China in second place by three quarters of a boat length.
Greece’s lead was never troubled as Australia set their sights on trying to reel in the Chinese, and on the line a photo finish was required to separate the pair.
China claimed second by 0.05 of a second with Australia crossing third in a time of 7:00.28.
Women’s Lightweight Quad Scull – Heat 1
The young quartet of Ella Flecker, Maia Simmonds, Hannah Jansen and Alexandra Hayes contested heat 1 of the women’s lightweight quad scull with one place in the A Final up for grabs.
The Italian crew possessed a great deal of racing experience and took the lead from the start in an attempt to break the race open.
Australia however settled well and were just 1.5 seconds down through 500m, a position they maintained across the second quarter of the race.
Italy managed to establish a three second lead, a lead which they held into the closing stages while the gallant Australian crew held off the fast finishing United States. Australia cross second in a time of 6:39.24 and will now row a repechage.
Men’s Coxed Pair – Heat 2
David Webster welcomed two new athlete, James Chapman and Will Lockwood, into the boat that he coxed to world championship gold last year.
The Australian combination raced from lane 1 in their heat and through 500m they were just under a second behind the leading Germans.
The lead grew gradually less in the next 500m, before Australia pounced and seized the initiative just after the halfway mark.
They grew their lead as they chased the only automatic qualifying place for the final and held off the late German surge on the line to win by just under half a second in a time of 6:58.41.
Trunk and Arms Mixed Double Scull – Heat 1
Kathryn Ross and John Maclean raced in lane 2 of heat 1 and faced current world champions Ukraine.
Following the withdrawal of two crews, the winner of the heat would qualify directly for the final and gain a place at next year’s Paralympics.
Ukraine took off from the start and established a three second lead at the halfway mark of the race, with Australia in second place.
Ross and Maclean then upped their rate and began making significant inroads into the lead, eventually finishing less than two seconds behind in a time of 4:15.23.
The Beijing silver medallists will now face a repechage in order to progress to the final.
Arms, Shoulders Men’s Single Scull – Heat 2
Erik Horrie entered his first world championships from lane 1 in heat 2 of the arms, shoulders men’s single scull.
The Queenslander faced a tricky heat with the top three scullers to progress to the semi-finals and the Russian burst from the start to take the lead.
Horrie soon settled into his rhythm however and began trying to peg back the lead that had been established at the halfway mark.
The deficit that had been over two seconds was quickly reduced and despite Horrie not being able to catch the Russian, he finished comfortably second in a time of 5:09.98, the third quickest time of the heats.
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Day I: Sunday 28 August
Men’s Four – Heat 2
Joshua Dunkley Smith lined up with Nicholas Purnell, Drew Ginn and Sam Loch in heat 2 of the men’s four against Netherlands, Argentina, Croatia, Greece and Italy.
With only one crew to progress to the semi-finals Greece flew out of the start to establish a one second lead on the field, with Australia holding down second place.
Australia gradually reduced the margin by the halfway mark and trailed by only 0.9 of a second, with Netherlands in third place a boat length back.
Australia continued to try and reel in Greece in the second half of the race but Greece held firm in the latter stages to take the semi-final position while Australia clocked a time of 5:51.39 and will race a repechage on Wednesday.
Men’s Single Scull – Heat 1
Nicholas Hudson featured in heat 1 of the men’s single scull and will raced from lane 2 alongside one of the pre-event favourites, Ondrej Synek.
Hudson took the race out hard with Synek and held a slender lead through 500m before having the slightly reversed at the halfway mark.
Hudson was keeping good form despite his hard efforts and although Synek was moving slightly away, Hudson remained clear of third place.
The Bulgarian sculler came home strong to snatch second place from Hudson by just 0.15 of a second, with the Australian finishing in 6:58.35.
Women’s Double Scull – Heat 1
Kim Crow and Kerry Hore raced in heat 1 of the women’s double scull and looked to stamp their authority early on in the regatta.
Crow and Hore, who claimed silver at last year’s world championships, aimed for a fast start in their heat and found themselves over a second clear through 500m over Belarus.
At the 1000m mark their lead had built to almost four seconds over China and the combination had shown their intentions.
They were not headed over the final half of the race and crossed to win in a time of 6:56.50, while China also qualified for the semi-finals.
Women’s double scull and Australian women’s head coach Lyall McCarthy said he was pleased with the first race.
“It’s been a long time and we’ve had six weeks preparing for this since Lucerne,” McCarthy said. “We’re ready to go now and it is good to get the first race out of the way.
“Our first step at this regatta was to have a better start than what we’ve had in Lucerne and we’re just gearing up to put a little bit of speed into our formula now.
“Now we can step it up to see if we can really get a bit more action out of the start and light it up a bit.”
Men’s Pair – Heat 1
Cameron McKenzie-McHarg and Tom Larkins faced a tricky heat that included Canada and Hungary, with only one crew to progress to the semi-finals.
The Victorian combination sat in fourth place through 500m behind Canada, Hungary and Cuba, before sweeping past the Hungarians and Cuba through the next period of the race.
They managed to build their lead on Hungary over the third 500m as Canada raced out in front, but the Hungarians began closing quickly in the latter strokes of the race.
Canada took the win, while Australia was pipped on the line by Hungary by 0.2 of a second in a time of 6:35.80. McKenzie-McHarg and Larkins will race a repechage on Tuesday.
Men’s Quad Scull – Heat 4
Daniel Noonan, Karsten Forsterling, James McRae and Chris Morgan raced in heat 4 of the men’s quad scull from lane 1. Australia has had good success in this boat class over the past two years and looked to continue the trend early in the regatta.
They flew from the start and had over a second lead over Olympic champions Poland through the first 500m, before extending the margin by another half a second at the halfway point.
With two crews to progress to the final Australia was never challenged and they continued to build on their advantage, eventually finishing over 2.5 seconds clear of Poland in a time of 5:49.23.
Noonan said a quick start to their race was important.
“We knew we didn’t want to get caught up in a repechage on Tuesday so we did what we talked about which was to get out quick and establish a lead and hold onto it,” Noonan said.
“We knew Poland would be on the pace and New Zealand made the final at Lucerne as well so were always going to challenge.”
Men’s Eight – Heat 2
Fergus Pragnell, Matt Ryan, Bryn Coudraye, Tom Swann, Francis Hegerty, Joshua Booth, James Marburg and John Linke lined up in heat 2 of the men’s eight and were coxed by Toby Lister, knowing three crews would gain direct progress to the semi-finals.
Australia faced world champions Germany, Poland and New Zealand and as expected the Germans took the race out hard to lead by just under a second from Australia at the first check point.
Only Australia was able to go with the pace of the Germans and the margin remained similar at the 1000m mark, before Germany pushed again.
Stroked by Pragnell, Australia was holding off the challenge of the other two crews but Poland began to pick up the tempo coming towards the line.
In a tight finish, Germany took the win by 1.19 seconds over Australia, who recorded a time of 5:31.11, while Poland was third, 0.43 seconds behind.
Women’s Quad Scull – Heat 1
Sally Kehoe, Brooke Pratley, Sarah Cook and Amy Clay featured in the first race of the regatta where Olympic quotas were available for London next year.
Australia raced against Great Britain, New Zealand, China, Romania and Vietnam and the Australian crew jumped the start to lead by over a second through 500m.
Australia saw New Zealand make a challenge in the middle stages of the race as the battle developed for a straight passage to the final.
The Kehoe stroked crew held just a bow ball lead at the 1500m mark as New Zealand through down the gauntlet. With Great Britain also making ground, New Zealand snatched the lead of Australia and managed to hold off both Australia and Great Britain to claim the win by under half a second.
Australia crossed second in 6:22.89, with Great Britain a further quarter of a second behind.
Cook said the crew enjoyed the first hit out at the regatta.
“This was a really good first step in our regatta and we are looking forward to stepping it up in the repechage,” Cook said. “We have had a great training block at the AIS European Training Centre over the past six weeks and I think that showed today.
“We want to do a better job in the repechage though and we know what we need to do to achieve that.”
Sally Kehoe - "It was amazing to see four crews within one second...it is great to see that in chick racing."
Women’s Pair – Heat 2
The women’s pair of Kate Hornsey and Sarah Tait entered the event after only a few days of preparation following the withdrawal of Phoebe Stanley.
Hornsey and Tait had enjoyed a couple of promising sessions together and had their first racing test against the winners of World Cup 3 from Great Britain.
The top two crews would move to the semi-final stage of competition and Great Britain from lane 1 seized the initiative with a quick start.
Australia, on the far side of the course in lane 5 also began well and held down second place, a position they built on, some five seconds clear of Italy at the 1000m mark.
It was a race between two with Australia and Great Britain comfortably clear and both pairs eased to the line to move directly to the semi-finals.
Australia crossed just under four seconds behind Great Britain in a time of 7:12.22.
Lightweight Men’s Pair – Heat 1
Blair Tunevitsch and Tom Gibson combined in the men’s lightweight pair in the first heat and raced from lane 4.
Italy threw down the gauntlet in the opening strokes of the race and took a lead through 500m, but Tunevitsch and Gibson were not letting the Italians get away.
By 1000m Australia had drawn within a whisker of the lead and set their sights on overhauling the Italian combination, something they managed shortly afterwards.
Australia moved up another gear in the third 500m and stroking at 36 continued to move ahead of the Italians, building a 1.5 second lead heading into the last quarter.
Australia at the line had pushed the margin past two seconds over Italy and crossed to take the win in a time of 6:36.04. Both crews progressed to the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Lightweight Men’s Four – Heat 2
The Australian men’s lightweight four of Todd Skipworth, Ben Cureton, Sam Beltz and Anthony Edwards raced from lane 2 in their heat.
With the closeness of lightweight four racing underlined at last year’s world championships with arguably the closest and most exciting final of the program, the reigning silver medallists Australia were always going to face tough racing.
They were drawn alongside China, but it was France who jumped out of the start to take the lead through the first quarter of the race.
China and Australia then found their rhythm to power past the French, with China holding a half second lead over Australia at 1000m.
The crews went bow ball to bow ball over the second half of the race with both crews holding the lead, but China was able to finish stronger to claim a one second victory over Australia, who crossed the line in 5:59.04.
Australia will now face a repechage on Tuesday.
Men’s Double Scull – Heat 1
Olympic champions David Crawshay and Scott Brennan entered their first world championships together since their Olympic triumph.
Following a seventh place finish at World Cup 3 in Lucerne back in July the Aussie combination was ranked seventh and came up against second ranked Germany in the heat.
The two countries were locked together in lane 3 and 4 and Germany started strongly, establishing close to a two second lead over the Australia duo through 500m.
It was a margin that Australia didn’t let Germany build on however and through the next 1000m of the race it was clear that no other crew could match the speed of the leading two.
Australia made a run at the line on Germany, but was unable to reel them in, finishing second in a time of 6:19.40, 1.47 seconds down on the Germans. Australia will race in the repechages on Tuesday.
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