Rowers come second in Europe

Greeks earn four medals in Poznan’s European Championship, including two golds

Greece won two gold and two other medals in the European Rowing Championship in Poznan, Poland, yesterday as all of its four entries in the finals finished in the top three.

The results on the last day of the event took Greece to second place in the medals table behind the Czech Republic, a remarkable feat for this country at a European level.

Chryssa Biskitzi and Alexandra Tsiavou won gold in the women’s lightweight double sculls after leading the way from start to finish, clocking 7.21.03, over 11 seconds ahead of their closest rivals, Poland. Biskitzi and Tsiavou have already secured their trip to next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing.

In the men’s double sculls, Yiannis Tsamis and Yiannis Christou had scraped through to the final on Saturday, but yesterday they staged an amazing comeback in the last 300 meters to overtake Italy, Russia and Croatia and finish first with nearly a boat’s length ahead of the chasing pack. It was an amazing result and the first top-level medal for the unfancied Greek crew.

Vassilis Polymeros and Dimitris Mougios earned the silver medal in the men’s lightweight double sculls, losing only to 2005 world champions Zsolt Hirling and Tamas Varga of Hungary. The Greeks, who have also qualified for the Beijing Olympics, timed 6.39.26, behind Hungary’s 6.36.99.

Finally, Greece won the bronze medal in the men’s four, with the crew consisting of Yiannis Tsilis, Giorgos Tziallas, Giorgos Tziobanidis and Pavlos Gavriilidis. They clocked 6.13.50, just a second behind second-placed Germany. The Czech Republic finished first.