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Westport Rowers Finish 10th At World Junior Championships

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- Ridgefield’s Kaitlyn Kynast won a gold medal with the United States at the World Rowing Junior Championships last week in Brazil.

Ridgefield's Kaitlyn Kynast, right, celebrates with coach Liz Trond (center) and teammates after winning the gold medal in the Women's 4.

Ridgefield's Kaitlyn Kynast, right, celebrates with coach Liz Trond (center) and teammates after winning the gold medal in the Women's 4.

Photo Credit: USRowing.org
Kaitlyn Kynast, partially obscured by her flag, celebrates with teammates.

Kaitlyn Kynast, partially obscured by her flag, celebrates with teammates.

Photo Credit: USRowing.org
Darien's Julia Cornacchia, standing second from left, celebrates with teammates after winning a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships. Cornacchia rows for the Connecticut Boat Club of Norwalk.

Darien's Julia Cornacchia, standing second from left, celebrates with teammates after winning a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships. Cornacchia rows for the Connecticut Boat Club of Norwalk.

Photo Credit: USRowing.org
Kaitlyn Kynast, second from right on the U.S. team, listens to the national anthem with her teammates.

Kaitlyn Kynast, second from right on the U.S. team, listens to the national anthem with her teammates.

Photo Credit: USRowing.org

Darien’s Julia Cornacchia won a bronze medal, while Westport’s Oliver Bub and Lucas Manning also competed for the U.S. in the competition in Rio de Janiero. Five U.S. teams won medals, which tied for second with Italy behind Germany, with 11 medals.

Kynast competed on the women’s four with Dana Moffat, Marlee Blue and Katy Gillingham. The U.S. finished second last year, but with Blue and Moffat back from last year’s team, was able to keep Germany at bay and win the gold.

“In the last heat, we kind of fell apart in the last 500, and I think crossing that 500 today, we knew we weren’t going to let that happen again,” said Kynast, who rows for Connecticut Boat Club in Norwalk.

Liz Trond, Kynast’s coach at CBC, coached the gold-medal winning crew for the U.S. squad.

Cornacchia, Kynast’s teammate at CBC, helped the Women’s 8 capture the bronze as the crew surged in the final 500 meters to overtake Romania and earn a spot on the medal stand. Germany won the gold, followed by Romania.

Bub and Manning, who row for Saugatuck Rowing Club, finished fourth in the B final for 10th-place overall.

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