By Adrian Manguit, EBC Sports International, Florida Bureau
SARASOTA, FL (Eagle News) -The World Rowing Championships were held at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, FL from September 24th to October 1st 2017. Over 70 Nations from around the world gathered to compete in sixteen different rowing categories for men and ten different categories for women, including both able-bodied and para-rowing athletes. All rowers who competed during this event are considered elite rowers, which takes years of hard-work and winning at junior world championships and World Rowing Under-23 Championships. This was only the second time in history that the World Rowing Championships were held in the United States. The previous time was in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1994.
Out of the 70 countries that competed, only twenty-nine countries came home with a medal. The best overall leader in medals was the rowing team from Italy. Italy won 3 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals. Overall second place was New Zealand, with 3 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals. And third was the rowing team from Australia with 3 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal. The United States rowing team was unable to win a gold medal, however they won 4 silver medals and 2 bronze medals, ranking seventeenth in the overall standings.
These elite rowing athletes have been preparing for this event for months, which can be pivotal in their preparations for the upcoming 2018 Summer Olympics, as expressed by Xavier Vela Maggi, who won the bronze medal in the Lightweight Men’s Pair category, saying,
“We’ve been put together in the pair after the Rio Games. However, we’ve only been training for one month before these world championships because I live in Spain and my partner in Brazil. But this is a very good step in our four-year journey toward Tokyo.”
FISA (Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron or the World Rowing Federation) President Jean-Christophe Rolland expressed his pride in his sport.
“It has been a fantastic week, congratulations to you, the athletes”, says Rolland. He continues,
“You inspired us and we are all proud of you. You have delivered a fantastic World Rowing Championships.”
There was also a sense of comradery during all the regatta, despite the competitive nature. The focus of rowing continues to be health and fitness, socializing and forming friendships, as stated on the world rowing website.
(Eagle News)