Rowers on the U.S. team from Fairfield County had mixed results Thursday in the World Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovenia. New Canaan's Andrew Campbell and Weston's Nick LaCava advanced to the finals in their events, while Norwalk's Dan Walsh suffered through a disappointing day in rowing's signature event.
Campbell, a sophomore at Harvard, finished second in the lightweight men's single. He finished in 7:12.86, about five seconds behind winner Henrik Stephansen of Denmark. Campbell will race in the final Friday.
LaCava and the U.S. men's lightweight eight also won its heat. The crew will advance to Sunday's final.
The solid showings by those rowers was offset by the disappointment of Walsh and the men's eight. They finished second in the B final, losing to Ukraine. The eighth-place finish in the regatta means the U.S. did not qualify for the 2012 Summer Games. They will have to qualify in the Olympic Qualification Regatta scheduled for May 20 to 23, 2012, in Lucerne, Switzerland. "No excuses," Nareg Guregian of North Hills, Calif., told USRowing. "We lost. I feel like we let down our country."
The U.S. won its first medal of the championships, taking a silver medal in the women's quad.
Besides Campbell, Rowayton's Brian de Regt will also be competing Friday. For complete information, visit the USRowing website.
Follow Tom Renner on Twitter.
Click here to follow Daily Voice and receive free news updates.
