Garda Rowers Fall Short in Final After Narrow Heat Win

An extra half boat length and it would have been a big celebration for the bissaioli of Garda. That blow was lost when it seemed like the victory was achieved, with the bow of the Ichtya arriving first to slice through the finish line and edging out the home boat by a narrow margin, skippered by Matteo Pincini, Michele Bertoncelli, Ferdinando Sala, and the coxswain Alberto Malfer. A great disappointment for the team of President Aligi Pincini, who was quite eager for a victory on home waters.

They had demonstrated their strength in the second of the three heats, which decided the six crews that would then compete for the evening’s prize final, finishing just one second behind the Arilicense crew at the end of the long course. “This is the right time”, had predicted the president of the association La Rocca with some satisfaction.

“For the short course in the final, we can definitely get ahead.” Unfortunately, it did not go as the Garda bissaioli expected, “betrayed” to some extent by the lane draw and therefore forced to race offshore.