Alumna Sickler Repeats as Rowing World Champion
9/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
MUNICH, Germany -- Former University of Michigan rower Brett Sickler (2002-05) won her second straight world championship with the U.S. women's eight Sunday (Sept. 2) at the 2007 FISA World Rowing Championships. The American boat led the race from start to finish to clock in at 6:17.20. The triumph sewed up a 2008 Beijing Olympic bid for the U.S. womens eight.
With Sickler in the bow seat, the U.S. got off the line well and established a 0.49-second lead on second-place Canada at the 500-meter mark. At the midway point of the race, the U.S. continued to lead the Canadians by half a second, but thats when Romania began making its charge. The defending Olympic champions clocked the fastest middle 1,000 meters to move from sixth place to second position at the 1,500-meter mark, trailing the U.S. by just one second heading into the final quarter of the race. As the crews raced towards the finish line, Romania tried to challenge the U.S., but the American boat responded and went on to win its second straight world championship by just more than one second. Romania finished second in a 6:18.33, with Great Britain winning the bronze medal with a time of 6:19.66.
"We knew it was going to be ridiculously fast, and we knew we had to be patient in the first 1,000 (meters)," Sickler said. "I think we were all kind of surprised that we were up at that point. When we passed through the 1,000, we knew that we had more, and we gradually increased the rate. With 500 to go, we knew that someone was going to have to row really hard to take it from us. It was the best race of my life so far. It was amazing."
Four other Michigan alumnae competed at the world championships: Janine Hanson (2003-06), Heather Mandoli (2001-04), Katie Reynolds (2001-04) and Ellen Tomek (2003-06).
Hanson (Canada) and Tomek (USA) each helped their respective nations clinch bids in the womens quadruple sculls event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The top seven boats in the quadruple sculls event collected Olympic bids. Hanson and the Canadians placed fifth (6:40.37), while Tomek and the U.S. boat were sixth (6:41.01).
Mandoli and Reynolds were members of the Canadian eight that finished sixth in a time of 6:23.10. Although Canadas eight missed out on a chance to earn a 2008 Olympic bid -- the top five teams received bids -- it can attempt to re-qualify at a final qualification regatta that will be held July 15-18, 2008, in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Sickler, Hanson and Tomek have not officially qualified themselves for the 2008 Olympics. The bids awarded today go to the nations and it is up to each country to then finalize its specific boat lineups in the next year.
2007 FISA World Championships Site
Team Sites: USRowing | Rowing Canada
Wolverines in International Waters
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
