Koven takes repechage heat
American wins spot in semifinals at World Rowing Championships
Posted: Tuesday September 08, 1998 04:23 PM
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Koven won the single scull race and qualified for the semifinal on Thursday
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COLOGNE, Germany (AP) -- American James Koven took advantage of
his last chance to defend his crown, earning a place in the single
scull semifinals after winning his repechage heat on Tuesday.
Koven, who won the title last year in France, covered the
2,000-meter (1.25-mile) course on the Fuehlinger See in 7 minutes,
18.50 seconds, a convincing 2.59 seconds ahead of Latvia's Andris
Reiholds, who also qualified.
Britain's Greg Searle, the Olympic single sculls bronze
medalist, won his heat to advance, crossing in 7:26.43.
Clocking the top two chronos in their heat, Fredrik Bekken of
Norway and 1994 world champion Andre Willms of Germany also
qualified. The two finished ahead of Olympic silver medalist and
1993 world champion Derek Porter, preventing the Canadian from
reaching the semifinals.
Porter wasn't the only former champion to be thwarted, with 1990
world champion Jueri Jaanson of Estonia also missing the boat,
finishing third in his heat.
In the women's single sculls, 35-year-old Maria Brandin of
Sweden, winner at Henley, also made the cut, winning her heat in
8:08.15.
Britain's Peter Haining, the only sculler to win a world title
three times, made the most of his second chance, clinching his
repechage leg in 7:36.76.
Australia's Michael McKay and Drew Ginn kept alive their hopes
for a title in the men's coxless pair, finishing second in their
heat behind Britons Stephen Williams and Fred Scarlett, heat
winners in 6:44.79.
The two Australians are also competing in the coxed four, where
they joined forces with James Tomkins, Nicholas Green and Brett
Hayman on Sunday to qualify for the semifinals.
The Olympic coxless four champions missed selection for the
event this season, after illness kept them out of Australian
trials, so decided on a different tack.
The "oresome foursome" are making an unusual attempt at three
different titles at the worlds, rowing together in the coxed four,
then splitting up to race in the coxed and coxless pairs and have
qualified for all three.
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