Bulgaria, Russia rock the boat

Press, 6 November 1978, Page 32

Bulgaria, Russia rock the boat

From

TIM DUNBAR

Strong challenges to East Germany’s supremacy in women’s rowing were issued bv both Bulgaria and Russia during women’s finals day of the world championships, at Lake Karapiro on Saturday. East Germany won all six women's events in the last world championships at Amsterdam. On this occasion they had to be content with a mere three golds and a silver.

Perhaps the biggest surprise that confronted an estimated crowd of 23,000 was the total eclipse of the defending double sculls champions, Anke Borchmann anti Roswietha Zobelt, who finished sixth and last in a race which gave Bulgaria its first gold medal of the day. There was also a big slip by the East German quadruple sculls crew, which had only one crew change from last year but could only finish sixth. It was the first I year in six that East Ger-

many had failed to win the event.

Bulgaria contested all six! finals and took two sculling! golds —the double and the quad — while Russia took medals in all fours events it contested, having been disqualified from the coxed fours. Russia won one gold — the prestige eights — two silvers and a bronze. The dominance of the Eastern Bloc was virtually untouched, although United States and Canada did pick up a silver and a bronze each.

Easily the outstanding single feat at the championships was achieved by the 23-year-old East German, Christine Hahn, who once again showed why she is the best women’s single sculler in the world. Mrs Hahn won her first world title at Lucerne in 1974 and has not been beaten at a world championship or Olympic Games since then.

The East German has no intention of retiring until at least after the Moscow Olympics and when she

finally does the F.I.S.A. president, Mr Thomas Keller, said F.I.S.A. might consider making a special award to mark her efforts.

The heat-winners, Iskra Veiinova (Bulgaria) and .loan Lind (United States), never really figured and finished back in disappointing fourth and fifth places respectively. In the cox less pairs there was a tremendous finish with East German (Cornelia Bugel and Ute Steindorf) only getting there by 0.22 s from two determined Canadians. The Netherlands.' third, and Canada reversedtheir placings from the Amsterdam world championships.

New Zealand's entry in this race, Raewyn Lofthouse and Robyn Mathieson, were well out. of their depth — partly due to a complete lack of top competition this season — and struggled more than four lengths behind fifth-placed Rumania.

There may have been a little bit of hand-slapping behind the scenes after Norway was too quickly called

in third in front of the United States in the double sculls final. The Americans, Lisa Hansen and Liz Hills, were eventually presented with, their second successive world championships bronze medals after the photo-finish was examined — the margin must have been only five or six centimetres as the time difference was just onehundredth of a second.

It was perhaps appropriate in the conditions .that Russia won the women’s eight most handsomely, as Ithe amazing ripples along [the bottom of their boat corresponded with the chop of the water.

Russia, after recording an incredibly fast sub-3min time in the heats, had established itself as favourite well before the race and it lost little time establishing its dominance on the field. East Germany made a good start but was down on the fast-rating Russian crew by over 3s at the half-way stage and there was even more clear water between the two at the finish.

Criticism of the standard of the New Zealand coxed four and eight was stifled rather rapidly after the fine performances by these crews in the petit (consolation) finals.

Both won their races and, in almost identical conditions, to those in the final, the four recorded a remarkable time of 3min 52.385ec in beating the Netherlands and China. New Zealand might be now officially ranked seventh in the world but the time of the four actually bettered all but that of the gold medallist, East Germany, in the final. The eight, too, went well and beat Australia by a half-|a-length after a great battle ;all the way down the course. I Both New Zealand crews had good starts. “The girls went out today really determined to prove something and they did,” said the New Zealand women’s coach, Mr Pat ! McQuinn. The eight’s time i bettered two of those in the I final.