Team Canada delivered stellar performances at World Cup II on the Rotsee this weekend, with a 4th place finish in the Lightweight Women’s Double (LW2x) and a gold medal win in the Women’s Coxed Eight (W8+).
The Lightweight Women’s Double, featuring the dynamic duo of Jenny Joan Casson and Jill Moffatt, had a strong race in their heat, finishing 2nd with a time of 7:09.24. They trailed only the USA, who clocked in at 7:05.31, with both teams securing their spot in Sunday’s final.
After a weather delay that saw the usually serene Rotsee turn rough with whitecaps, the W8+ took to the water for a fiercely contested preliminary race against teams from the USA, Australia, and Great Britain. The Canadian crew finished 3rd with a time of 6:07.78, just 1.61 seconds behind the leading USA.
On Sunday, the finals brought more excitement and notable achievements for Team Canada. The LW2x finished 4th overall with a time of 7:03.43, closely chasing down the USA (7:01.37), who finished third. Great Britain (6:54.83) and New Zealand (6:57.68) secured the first and second positions, respectively.
The LW2x coach, Jeremy Ivey, says they’re disappointed to finish off the podium and shared that they strategically used this regatta to try some new race tactics and didn’t quite get the outcome they were aiming for. “The field in this event is very deep, so any mistakes down the track, technically or tactically, you are going to pay for it. We have a clear picture of the adjustments we’ll have to make to close gap on our competitors before heading into Paris.”
Despite being off the podium, Moffatt remains optimistic about their prospects in Paris. “Ultimately our goal was to be on the podium at World Cup II and we didn’t succeed in that. So, we are definitely going to come home and really analyze where we can make strides forward to Paris. We still believe we can podium at the Paris Olympic Games and will be putting the pieces together to do that.”
The highlight of the day came with the W8+ clinching the gold medal in their race in a time of 6:04.47. The powerhouse crew of Abby Dent, Kristina Walker, Sydney Payne, Kristen Siermachesky, Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, Maya Meschkuleit, Caileigh Filmer, Jessica Sevick, and coxswain Kristen Kit delivered a phenomenal performance, finishing ahead of Great Britain (6:05.57) and the USA (6:08.77). The crew had to adapt to a last-minute change due to illness, with Kristen Siermachesky stepping in for Avalon Wasteneys, and Abby Dent moving up to the stroke seat. Even with this change, Dent was confident in their plan.
“We embraced the last-minute changes and used it to our advantage. The boat stuck to the rhythm from stroke one and never backed down, staying calm, cool, and collected right to the end.”
Given that the Women’s Eight had been closely training with their spares, Siermachesky shared that the last-minute transition into the boat felt seamless. “Jumping into the boat, I felt supported and driven by the entire squad. There was no doubt that everyone was prepared and committed to each other in race mode.”
With World Cup II in Lucerne now concluded, Team Canada is setting their sights on the next big challenge: Paris. The team is eager to build on their successes and will head back to Canada for the final block of training before the Olympic Games, starting at the end of July. W8+ coach, Tom Morris, is proud of what this crew has accomplished and knows the work isn’t done.
“There’s really a palpable desire and energy to get the most out of the remaining blocks before the Olympic races. We’ll take a moment to reflect on the learnings that we’ve gained from this event and what we can tune in the last phase of the season before the main event.”
Complete list of results on worldrowing.com. | World Cup II Roster
For more information:
Colleen Coderre
RCA Communications Lead
coderre@rowingcanada.org
Susanne Wereley
RCA Communications Manager
s.wereley@rowingcanada.org