Wind dying down but there’s a choppy patch at 1750m in lanes 5 and 6.
Czech Republic, Netherlands, China, USA, Germany, Ukraine.
A false start has been called and the boats have to turn at 100m to go back to the start. Interesting to see how that happened with the bow ‘clogs’ in use. Technical fault perhaps. No crew has been awarded a yellow card. Long wait as crews get settled and the start system is checked. It’s 9 minutes past race time when the race restarts; this time starting by umpire’s flag. Attention… Go! Old school!
China were close to qualifying in the heats. They don’t have a fast start and are a canvas back on USA, Germany, Ukraine and Czechs level at the front. USA taking the lead towards 500m and China have come up to 2nd. It’s China at 500m. Lots of power into the back end of the stroke from the Chinese double. Wind is moving to more of a crosswind which may trouble the USA in lane 1. China a length and a half ahead at 1250m but less than a canvas between USA and Czechs with only two going to the final. These two crews cross 1500m level. It’s going to be a big finish! Both are closing on China and overlapping them. USA up the rate and lead by three feet. Czechs lifting but they don’t have enough. China and the USA are separated by half a length. Czechs were a canvas down in third and go to B-Final with Germany, Netherlands and the Ukraine.