Synek was some 26 seconds slower than Karonen, and was closely followed by his teammate David Jirka in third.
Women’s singles witnessed a similar surprise as the Czech number one, Mirka Knapková, was overtaken by the Czech women’s double sculler Jitka Antošová. The difference between their finish times was over 17 seconds. Bronze goes to Antošová’s sister and double scull teammate, Lenka.
In men’s pairs, too, elder crews were all beaten by an under-23 duo, Jakub Koloc and Petr Melichar.
Results have been posted on the website of the Czech Rowing Association, with an abstract also published by the Czech news website Idnes.cz.
Hořín Lateral Canal opening into the Labe (Elbe) river on the outskirts of the town of Mělník. Source: Thorsten Bachner, Wikimedia Commons.
The race venue was the Hořín Lateral Canal north of Prague. The narrow waterway was built in early 20th century as a ship shortcut between the Vltava and Labe (Elbe) rivers. In the recent years, Czech rowing championships on the 6 kilometre distance take place here every spring. The head race of singles and pairs serves as a preliminary trial for the Czech national team selection.
