Joel Naukkarinen won World Championship bronze in coastal rowing, where competition conditions may change constantly.
Rower Joel Naukkarinen fought to a historic achievement in Finnish terms on Sunday, when he got the World Championship bronze in the so-called coastal– in rowing.
Naukkarinen’s World Championship bronze is the first prize medal for Finland in this sport, where competition is held along the sea coast in varying and often demanding conditions.
This time, the World Cup medals were decided in brisk waves in Saundersfoot on the south coast of Wales.
Men’s in the beach sprint unit, Naukkarinen fought from one heat to another and finally to the semi-finals. The course required technical skill and control of the boat in the waves, so that the line from the end buoy could be kept towards the shore and the buoys could be turned from the right side.
Many’s performance failed in a wave to lose control of the boat, which meant the boat flipped sideways.
In the competition, they first ran about a hundred meters along the sandy beach to the water, where the assistants held the boat in place. Also at the end, the same distance was run to the finish line and the signal buzzer was pressed at the finish line.
On the competition course, we first rowed into the counter wave, and after a 180-degree turn, we came back to the shore. Naukkarinen’s medal performance lasted about three and a half minutes.
Naukkarinen’s bronze performance begins in this video at approximately one hour and 52 minutes.
After securing the bronze medal, Naukkarinen pressed the buzzer with his knee.
“This it was a great victory for our coastal national team and the best possible decision for an intense hard work to try to raise Finland to the top of the world in the sport before it is accepted as an Olympic sport”, Naukkarinen said in the Melonta and rowing association’s press release.
In beach sprint, the competition progresses through time trials to the next stage, where pairs fight for a place to continue. The tide brought its own spice to the competition.
“In the last three heats, the running part was longer than normal due to the low tide, when the water line moved about a meter per minute. I purposely slowed down the run a little, as I calculated that the difference here would probably be tenths, and avoiding big mistakes in harsh conditions is more crucial than the struggle for hundredths of a second.”
According to Naukkarinen, the nature of the sport is that the track is constantly changing.
“Conditions and the performance are always different, and you get the race boat a few minutes before the start, when the athlete is usually already at the starting line. Just before that, you can hear or get to choose the track you will row on, who you will compete against, and the competition schedule is not fixed, but the starts are determined by numerous circumstances. The trip is fast-paced, and you have to be ready for everything and for a long time, Naukkarinen said.
Naukkarinen emphasized the importance of auxiliary forces.
“What is not visible from the outside of the sport is working in the pits on the beach. Down to the units, coastal rowing is an extreme team sport. This medal was completely won by our team, and I only got the honor of being a driver.”
Next week, Naukkarinen will compete in the European Championship of the sport in San Sebastian, Spain.
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