The U.S. junior men's eight won the gold medal on Saturday to highlight the final day of competition at the 2005 FISA Junior World Rowing Championships in Brandenburg, Germany.
While the race was tight throughout, the crew of Jimmy Germano (Pomona, N.J.), Mike Gilson (San Francisco, Calif.), Clayton Sachs (Lincoln, Mass.), Jesse Johnson (Mercer Island, Wash.), Neil Stanga (Arlington, Va.), Neil McPeak (Linwood, N.J.), Henrik Rummel (Vaerloose, Denmark), Michael Rossidis (Garden City, N.Y.) and Derek Johnson (Hillsborough, Calif.) led at every 500-meter split and pulled away during the last quarter of the race for a 1.67-second victory over Germany. The U.S. held a narrow 0.10-second margin over the Germans after 500 meters and was in a virtual dead heat, only 0.01 seconds ahead of New Zealand, at the midway point of the race. That's when the U.S. began to make its move, building a 0.8-second advantage over Germany and a 1.5-second advantage over New Zealand with 500 meters to go. The U.S. then pulled away, finishing with a time of 5:58.08. Germany held off a hard-charging Romania for second place, stroking a 5:59.75 to Romania's 5:59.89. Russia finished fourth, with New Zealand falling to fifth. France rounded out the field in sixth place. The victory marked the first time the U.S. had won the event since 1992.
The junior women's eight of coxswain Ariel Frost (Oakland, Calif.), Jenny Cromwell (Bellevue, Wash.), Alie Fishman (Dallas, Texas), Ellie Logan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine), Lauren Hofmayer (Orinda, Calif.), Erin Knox (Snohomish, Wash.), Elizabeth Demers (Andover, Mass.), Annie Gayman (Seattle, Wash.) and Caitlin McGrath (Westport, Conn.) just missed a medal after finishing fourth. The crew battled Romania for second place for the first half of the race and held a slight edge on Great Britain with 500 meters to go. However, the British boat's sprint was just too much as it pulled away from the Americans during the last quarter of the race. Germany went wire-to-wire for the victory, clocking a 6:46.69. Romania finished second in a 6:48.72, while Great Britain won the bronze medal with a 6:50.94. The U.S. stroked a 6:53.95, followed by Russia and the Czech Republic.
The junior men's four with coxswain of Zach Vlahos (Piedmont, Calif.), Adam Jones (Pomona, N.J.), Lucas Spielfogel (Boca Raton, Fla.), Bradley Wernst (Falls Village, Conn.) and Tyler Montgomery (Baltimore, Md.) also finished fourth, just missing a medal. While Germany led from start to finish, the U.S. boat battled Canada for third place for much of the race and sat in medal position with 500 meters to go. However, Poland was able to pass the crew in the final few meters to finished third and earn the bronze medal. Germany stroked a 6:22.19 for the victory, while Italy finished second with a time of 6:23.27. Poland earned the bronze medal by clocking a 6:32.25, while the U.S. finished in a 6:32.83. Canada and Serbia and Montenegro rounded out the top six finishers.
The junior women's pair of Desiree Burns (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and Kari Stenbakken (Sammamish, Wash.) finished fifth in its final. The duo sat in fifth position off of the start and was able to move into fourth place with 500 meters to go. However, Burns and Stenbakken were never able to mount a challenge for a top three position and a spot on the medal stand. Romania led the race from wire-to-wire to win the gold medal with a time of 7:28.03. Germany finished second in a 7:31.26, followed by Italy in a 7:33.10. Bulgaria finished fourth in a 7:44.16, followed by the U.S. in a 7:45.57.
The junior women's four of Jordan Peek (Jacksonville, Fla.), Adrienne Mecham (Lake Stevens, Wash.), Sara Gribler (Marysville, Wash.) and Lori Gordon (Winchester, Mass.) finished sixth in the final. The quartet was never able to challenge for a medal, coming home in a 7:10.87. Italy won the gold medal with a time of 6:59.82. Belarus won the silver medal by clocking a 7:04.25, while Germany finished third in a 7:05.66. Poland and New Zealand finished fourth and fifth, respectively.