While China, who sent a large team for the first of the three scheduled World Cups this season, won the most medals – nine, including golds in the lightweight women's double sculls and the lightweight men's pair – it was Germany who finished top of the medal table thanks to a total of seven which included four golds.

One of the high points of the competition was the emergence of what looks like an ominously good men’s double sculls pairing in Marcel Hacker, their 2000 Olympic bronze medallist and 2002 world champion in the single sculls, and the man who recently beat him in the national trials, Stephan Krueger.

Despite having raced together for only a few weeks, this two looked very assured as they earned a victory over a field in which Serbia and the Czech Republic took silver and bronze.

This year’s European Championships, due to be held in Poznan from May 29 until 31, and the World Championships in Aiguebelette, from August 30 until September 6, could witness a new German flourish, although the absent Croatian pairing of Martin and Valent Sinkovic, who were the first to go under six minutes last year in winning the world title, will have distinctly different plans.

“We are going to race at the Europeans in this line-up,” Hacker said.

"“We want to compare our speed against the Croatians and Italians.

"Only after Europeans will we decide which boats we will race in Aiguebelette.

"But we are really happy to get to race together here.”

Germany’s other golds came in the women’s double sculls, the men’s quadruple sculls, and the men’s eight, where their Olympic champions face a season where they need to restore their reputation after defeat by Britain at the last two World Championships.

China won silver and bronze in the women's pair after getting five of their six entered crews through to the final. But it was the Dutch pair of Olivia van Rooijen and Elisabeth Hogerwerf who earned the gold.

China also took silver and bronze in the lightweight men's four.

Belarus won two gold medals, one by 42-year-old Ekaterina Karsten in the women's single sculls.

The six-time Olympian Karsten was a last minute entry in the single after her doubles partner had to withdraw due to injury.

Belarus was also successful with gold in the men's four.

As well as the women's pair, the Netherlands won a second gold medal in the lightweight men's double sculls.

Brothers Tycho and Vincent Muda kept the lead in a close race to the line which saw the silver and bronze medals decided by less than a second.

Poland picked up six medals overall to finish third on the points table. Poland's medals included gold in the women's double sculls following an impressive performance by Magdalena Fularczyk and Natalia Madaj.

Overall 20 nations earned World Cup points.

The World Rowing Cup is due to resume after the European Championships with the second racing in Varese, Italy, from June 18 until 21, followed by World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne from July 10 until 12.