A Hot Start on the "Lake of the Gods"
The first day of competition on Lake Rotsee was a real challenge in every respect. In sweltering heat, the athletes competed in intense races that promise plenty of excitement for the weekend's finals.
The top para-rowers made their mark early in the morning, even before the intense heat reached Central Switzerland. Claire Ghiringhelli had the home crowd cheering right from the start of this year’s Lucerne Regatta: She won the PR1 heat by a clear margin ahead of Sweden’s Ebba Einarsson and England’s Katie O’Brien. In the men’s PR1 single sculls, Erik Horrie of Australia and Benjamin Pritchard of Great Britain secured victories in their respective heats.
Reigning world champion Fiona Murtagh (Ireland) put in a strong performance in the women’s single sculls and qualified for the semifinals with the fastest time in all the heats. Because of the large field of competitors, the men had to compete twice on the very first day of the competition. Olympic champion Oliver Zeidler (Germany) and his fellow medalists from Paris, Yauheni Zalaty and Simon van Dorp (Netherlands), all advanced to the semifinals with ease. “It was a good day for me,” Zeidler said after his second race.
The men’s eight is traditionally one of the highlights of the regatta. Longtime rivals the Netherlands and Germany had already faced off in the preliminary round, with the Dutch coming out on top by half a boat length. However, stiff competition is expected in Sunday’s A final, as Great Britain and Australia posted even faster times in their heats.
The second day of competition begins on Saturday at 9:05 a.m. Swiss time.
