In cool, but mostly sunny weather conditions and with increasing headwinds during the day, racing on Sunday’s final day of the LUCERNE REGATTA took place across Lake Rot.
No less than 16 countries shared the medal cake in the 15 race categories. Great Britain and China were the only nations to win 3 titles, while Holland was in the medal tally with two titles. In addition, 8 country representations were able to secure gold once.
The races were characterized by successes of the favorites, which was not surprising considering the proximity to the big goal of all athletes this season, the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The German Oliver Zeidler and the Russian Hanna Prakhatsen won the single races. In a heartbeat final, the British eight outperformed the German eight in the final meters, thus underlining this season’s category hierarchy. There were plenty of impressive performances. For example, the men’s double four and the women’s double four from Holland, the Romanian women’s double sculls Nicoleta-Ancuța Bodnar/Simona Geanina Radiș or the Irish men’s lightweight double sculls (Finton McCarthy/Paul O’Donovan), who delivered superior true demonstrations of their skills.
Unfortunately, the hopefuls of the Swiss delegation did not make it onto the victory pontoon. Roman Röösli and Barnabé Delarze started very fast in the double sculls and even took the lead of the field for a while. Finally, however, they paid tribute to the horrendous speed and crossed the finish line in fifth place – still within striking distance of the very strong competition. At least they left the season’s dominators from France, Matthieu Androdias/Hugo Boucheron, behind. In the women’s skiff competition, Jeannine Gmelin was on the defensive from the start and lost a lot of water and time to the competition, rowing far below her usual performance level. She had to settle for 6th place. Also making its appearance in the final was the young women’s double four, formed with the 2024 Paris Olympics in mind, with Pascale Walker, Lisa Lötscher, Ella von der Schulenburg and Salome Ulrich. They did well and finished in 5th place, even ahead of the Dutch European champions from 2020 in Poznan, Poland.
All in all: Despite the complex circumstances due to the Corona, the organizing committee and the large number of helpers mastered the task of staging a major sporting event with flying colors. Of course, the great rowing festival lacked the mood and atmosphere of the public on Lake Rot. But in July 2022 it should be possible again a LUCERNE REGATTA with audience at the lake with the cheers of the audience and the sound of the cowbells. This hope must be!

Media inquiries: Mic Zemp, Communication LUCERNE REGATTA (+41 79 729 47 49 / communication@lucerneregatta.com )

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

The weather brightened up on the second day of competition after the nasty, rain-soaked previous day at the World Cup II on the occasion of the LUCERNE REGATTA. Although there was a headwind again and again, this did not affect the usual fair competition conditions on the Rotsee.

While in the small boat classes the majority of the established, world-class boats were at the start, there were large gaps in the field of participants in the large boats. Large rowing nations from overseas were missing, either due to the Corona risks or the pre-Olympic planning.

As the first winner of the regatta, China’s Huiru Li was able to visit the winning pontoon together with Lydia Heaphy (IRL) and Federica Cesarini (ITA) for the medal presentation in the lightweight single sculls. Switzerland’s Eline Rol, who surprisingly secured a place in the final in a direct duel with compatriot Sofia Meakin in the semi-final, was able to move up to 5th place in the final meters. The B-final was won by Martina Veldhus from the Netherlands, while Sofia Meakin had to settle for 5th place or 11th overall after a good start.

There was an Italian double victory in the men’s race. Niels Torre was surprisingly victorious in the lightweight men’s single, ahead of former champion Martino Gorretti – the 2019 world champion in Linz – and Chile’s Felipe Andres Cardenas Morales, who made people sit up and take notice. Remarkably, Goretti, who is employed as a coach at the Erlenbach Rowing Club, was able to be celebrated by a loud Erlenbach supporter group.

As hoped, the two flagships of the Swiss delegation qualified for Sunday’s final races: the double sculls with Roman Röösli and Barnabé Delarze and skiffer Jeannine Gmelin. The duo did so quite clearly behind the boats from China – world champion of 2019 – and France and will additionally meet the representatives of Ireland, Great Britain and Holland from the second semi-final in the final. Jeannine Gmelin had to fight a hard battle. Only in the last meters she managed to outdo the Chinese and to reach the final behind the Russian Hanna Prakhatsen and the Austrian Magdalena Lobnig. From the second semifinal, Victoria Thornley (GBR), Sanita Puspure (IRL) and Kara Kohler (USA) secured their ticket to the final. Also in the final the 2024 Olympic project of SWISS ROWING, the women’s double four. Benefiting from the fact that only 6 boats were at the start. However, also handicapped by the quarantine and the associated uncertainty after a Corona case in the boat squad.

On Sunday, starting at 10:15 am, 13 other boat categories will fight for the medals. We are excited to see who will prevail in this last big showdown. We expect close and exciting competitions in almost all boat classes here at the LUCERNE REGATTA. Only the two eights do not show the field strength as in “non-corona” times. The women’s eight will not be held due to lack of entries.

 

Media inquiries: Mic Zemp, Communication LUCERNE REGATTA (+41 79 729 47 49 / communication@lucerneregatta.com )

 

After last weekend’s final Olympic qualifiers marked the start of the international rowing regattas on Lake Rot, the LUCERNE REGATTA got off to a successful start today with the heats of all boat classes. SWISS ROWING is at the start with 10 boats.

In cool, changeable weather, the first starting signal of this year’s LUCERNE REGATTA sounded at 9.00 this morning. Despite international travel restrictions, a considerable field of participants with around 170 boats from 47 countries will meet on Lake Rot to test their form for the last time for the Olympics.
The media interest in the races on the ‘Lake of God’ is also unbroken, with around 60 media representatives and various TV stations reporting from Lake Rot these days.

The Swiss rowing team is represented with a very large fleet of 10 boats. And on the first day of the race it showed that several boats have ambitions to reach the finals.
6 boats qualified for the semi-finals or even for the final. Tomorrow, Saturday, 3 boats will row in the hope race for the last places in the final.

However, there were no sporting surprises on the first day of the LUCERNE REGATTA. All the favourites in the individual boat classes qualified for the next rounds and will therefore row their semi-finals on Saturday and the finals for the medals on Sunday.

The strict Covid safety concept – albeit elaborate – proved its worth. Two athletes with possible covid symptoms were subjected to a post-test today. Both tests were negative. Thus, both crews will be able to compete again tomorrow.

Due to the better weather prospects for the weekend and the resulting number of walkers, it was also decided that masks would be compulsory between the finish and the rowing centre during the races. Securitas will support the OC in this.

 

From 21 – 23 May, the whole rowing world is looking towards the Rotsee. The excitement for the close decisions and the hard-fought duels is immense. And this is what the schedule looks like:

• Friday, 21 May: Preliminary heats
• Saturday, 22 May: Semi-finals
• Sunday, 23 May: Finals with live TV broadcast by SRF at 10.25 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Swiss hopes lie in the men’s double sculls, the mens four and in the women’s single sculls.

(May 17, 2021) The annual international rowing regatta on Lake Rotee is a meeting point for the international rowing elite and also puts the spotlight on Swiss competitive rowing. Through the commitment of SWISS ROWING as host federation of the LUCERNE REGATTA, these synergies are to be strengthened.
The organizers of the LUCERNE REGATTA and the Swiss Rowing Federation SWISS ROWING have entered into a marketing cooperation for the years 2021 to 2024 and thus want to formalize and strengthen the existing cooperation. SWISS ROWING is now the official host federation of LUCERNE REGATTA and will appear under this title at the regatta on Lake Rot. At the same time, the federation will provide financial support and additional services as part of the partnership. This is intended to strengthen and expand the international regatta as a meeting place for international and Swiss rowing.

“With our commitment as host federation, we do justice to the importance of the LUCERNE REGATTA and at the same time set an example for the Swiss rowing sport,” Sabine Horvath, vice president of SWISS ROWING, explains the cooperation. This commitment also serves the LUCERNE REGATTA, especially since it also involves benefits in favor of the regatta organizers. “We are pleased about the commitment of the rowing federation as host federation and the realization of a SWISS ROWING lounge on the grandstand,” Andy Bucher, president of LUCERNE REGATTA, is also pleased. However, due to the strict Covid 19 measures, the cooperation will not yet be fully effective this year, especially as there will be no spectator area and thus no SWISS ROWING Lounge can be realized. The two parties are therefore counting on an increased visual presence of the Host Federation at this year’s regatta from May 21 to 23, 2021.

Further information:
Christian Stofer, Director SWISS ROWING, Mobile 079 407 91 67, www.swissrowing.ch
Andreas Bucher, LUCERNE REGATTA, Mobile 079 608 67 43, www.lucerneregatta.com

From May 15 – 17 the “Final Olympic Qualification Regatta” (FOQR) took place on the Rotsee. A total of 29 boats from all boat classes could still secure a ticket for the Olympic Games in 3 months. From a Swiss point of view, the qualification of Frederique Rol and Patricia Merz in the women’s lightweight double sculls is very pleasing.

We congratulate all qualified athletes and look forward to exciting races at the Lucerne Regatta next weekend!

International rowing is part of Lucerne’s DNA. Since the first international rowing regatta was held on lake Lucerne in 1908 and then on the famous Rotsee, this city in central Switzerland has attracted rowers from all around the world.

 

Full article on www.worldrowing.com

Media Release 25.06.2020

At the 146th Delegates’ Meeting of the Swiss Rowing Association (SRV) in Cham, Heinz Schaller was dismissed after twelve years due to the term limitation and deservedly declared an honorary member.

We sincerely congratulate Heinz, our Chief Logistics and Infrastructure on this honorable award and look forward to further cooperation with him.