The Italian team from the University of Pavia that took the main prize for the third straight year, was quite impressed with the regatta’s organization.

“I think this is the first time any one of us has seen a race with this many crews in line,” Italy Team Manager Federico Ucci told RT.

The sportsmen also shared with RT their small secrets of preparing for such competitions.

“The truth is, in rowing you don’t prepare yourself based on the others,” Ucci said. “You just try to prepare yourself for the best race you can do and then you hope that you’re better than the other ones.”

Their Moscow colleagues also have not dived heart and hope to win the competition next year.

“We must give new life to it and make sure that the Moskva River gets that beautiful sport back again,” Yulia Anikeeva from the Watersports Enthusiasts Association told RT. “When fast boats slice through the water right in the heart of a great city, when ten 8-man boats dash off together, it's unforgettable.”

“Here in Moscow, we will soon see a competition among teams from 12 different universities from across the world,” Anikeeva added. “It's quite prestigious for any university, but we’ve got to develop it more since it lost position here after the fall of the USSR.”