Public health student Alina Hagstrom won a gold medal at the Under 23 World Rowing Championships held in Poznon, Poland.
Alina and her partner Regina Salmons from the University of Pennsylvania, had come from behind in the final 500 meters of their semifinal on Friday. They took control of the race on Saturday. The U.S. pair was third at the 500-meter mark but moved through the defending World Championships from Chile and passed the Australian crew to take a half-length lead at the halfway mark.
“I think the start was a little rough,” Alina told USRowing.com. “We had a lot of adrenaline going for us. I think we were really quick to get cool, calm and collected and just say, ‘this is our race, make it ours.’ Even if we were starting behind, I think both our mentalities were, ‘yes, we can.’ It was a very positive race for both of us.”
The American pair extended its lead through the final 1,000 meters, winning with a time of 7-minutes, 31.24-seconds. Great Britain finished second in 7:33.68, with Chile earning bronze.