With one session of the Junior Championships to go it could hardly
be closer, as the three pairs who have dominated the event for most of
the second day are bunched at the top of the table. Krzysztof
Kotorowicz (pictured left) and Jacek Kalita (on the right) of Poland
alternated in the lead with Cecilia Rimstedt and Sara Sivelind of
Sweden as the third session wore down. The Poles finished in front,
thanks to a good last deal. But Joe Grue and John Kranyak of the USA
can surely not be counted out, less than a board behind the leaders. It
will be all to play for tomorrow, with a world championship gold medal
at stake.
The three leading pairs' scores are all remarkably impressive,
since each of them have averaged over 60%. But since the pairs in
fourth and fifth places (Barbosa/Palma of Portugal and Eide/Livgard of
Norway) are averaging over 59% themselves, they too can not be ruled
out of the mix.
In the Schools Championships the event is also as close as can be.
Right at the very end Andrzej Bernatowicz and Jan Betley overtook
Bartlomiej Igla and Artur Machno, both partnerships being from Poland.
With third and fourth places (Franceschetti/Landry of France and
Dessain/Mela of England) less than a top behind them both, a close
finish can be expected here too. Again, the leading pairs are putting
together an impressive run of form, with the top three partnerships all
averaging more than 59%. |