Race 2022: Friday report from the track – coverage of world championships

Almost all of the crews for the 29 events ready to be hosted at the 2022 World Championships are here in Racice, although some got here just in time: while many crews completed the penultimate round of practice after a week on site – like the US Crews – – Ukraine unloaded a full trailer for the 12 crews and 34 athletes they brought with them…

and row2k met these “newcomers” to the M2x event on a Friday flight.

Sinkovics spotted!

To start row2k’s coverage, we bring you a few things that caught our eye in yesterday’s attendee roster and our notes from a day on the course.


Notes on the entries

  • The Women’s Eight is just a 6-boat straight final this year, in part due to neither Britain nor Germany fielding a crew. The Brits finished last in the repechage and final in Tokyo and the ‘rumour’ has it that they haven’t found a line-up up to the standard to send them this year. The Germans scratched their W8 due to a COVID outbreak that also affected their ladies couple and men’s quad.
  • Other women’s eights note: The USA eight doubles with their W2-, Romania doubles their 4- and 2-, but the Dutch win this fun fact category as all eight do the double: the NED W8+ is their W2x, W2 and W4.
  • ITA seems to have stacked their M8+ using the athletes who are usually in their prioritized fours and pairs.
    Race 2022: Friday report from the course
  • Meanwhile, New Zealand are running clear-eights here, despite winning the men’s eights and silver in the women’s eights at Tokyo last year – and the Kiwi press is already reporting that NZ is “Despite success in Tokyo, participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics will be unlikely”we see here the first evidence of this.
  • Doubling isn’t just for the big boats: Romania’s Ionela Cozmiuc will contest both the LW1x and W1x, while New Zealand’s Jackie Kiddle will contest both the LW2x and LW1x. With all the extra laps of racing at these events, you don’t see that kind of doubling that often.
    Race 2022: Friday report from the course
  • There are light men’s singles here from both Palestine and Lebanon, which may not be the firsts per se (we’ll have to verify that), but it’s certainly the first time both nations have appeared in the Row2k Pick ‘Em that dated back to the 2008 Olympics.


Notes on the entries


Autumn has fallen: Passing showers and brisk breezes were the order of the day, with autumn in full swing for the late summer championships (btw, it was the timing of the European Multisport Championships that led to the ‘late’ World Championships here, here in September).


Birthday girls and boys: Along with the batting of Canadian women’s eight Sydney Payne, who celebrated another trip around the sun, there were four birthdays in the US team on Friday: Alex Karwowski OLY, men’s eight, Emelie Eldracher, PR3 Mixed Four coxswain, dr Peter Wenger, team doctor and Brett Johnson, longtime USRowing media man – but only Payne got a cute sash for the occasion, as seen above.


China Still Winning Warmups: The Chinese women continue to take dynamic warm-ups to new levels, performing a choreographed and synchronized series of exercises, complete with a cadence-calling coach.

Race 2022: Friday report from the course


Practical day for everyone, including the paramedics: Today was the practice run for the emergency crews here on site who performed a full rescue operation with a distressed single rower who was removed from the boat, ported onto the dock and wheeled up the steep Racice ramps to a waiting ambulance.


Training starts, by squad: Officials conducted Friday’s practice starts in groups of four, which was just enough for the entire US women’s eights and their reserve teams in three pairs and a foursome to complete an all-red-white-blue flight.


The names are on the boats: There’s a lot of first-time “stuff” that needs to happen when you show up at Worlds to use a fleet of brand new boats, and that includes putting the names on the US named boats. It was fitting to see that three of the boats are named after legendary coaches who have died since the last World Cup: Carie Graves, Jim Barker and Ted Nash.

Race 2022: Friday report from the course


And we have one: Rainbow over shipyard image? Check.


Next up: race

The drawing takes place on Saturday afternoon – you can see the sowing here–with races starting on Sunday. The week culminates in these three final days, as follows, to help you memorize your calendar:

  • Friday finals for the non-Olympic lightweight events, the PR3 pairs and doubles and the PR1 singles.
  • Saturday finals for the pairs, foursomes (Olympic and Para), foursomes and the lightweight and mixed PR2 doubles;
  • Sunday finals for the heavy doubles, eights and then singles for the open weight and PR1 athletes.

Also, here’s where the race starts for each boat class, with links to the row2k previews for each:


Sunday M1x – W1x – LM1x – LW1x – LM2x – M2- – M2x


Monday W2- – LM2- – LW2x – W2x – LM4x – LW4x – W4- – M4- – W4x – M4x – PR2 M1x – PR2 W1x – PR3 M2- – PR3 Mix 2x – PR3 Mix 4+


Tuesday LW2- – M8 – W8 – PR1 M1x – PR1 W1x – PR2 Mix2x – PR3 W2-

Race 2022: Friday report from the course

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