Photo Credit: World Rowing / Benedict Tufnell
Time for the first major Championships of the Paris Olympiad; the European Rowing Championships. This regatta forms part of the multi-sport European Championships (an event that includes Athletics, Canoe Sprint, Beach Volleyball, Cycling, Gymnastics, Climbing, Table Tennis, and Triathlon as well as rowing). Rowing (and canoeing) will be held on the Oberschelssheim course, host of the 1972 Olympic regatta as well as the World Championships in 1981 and 2007. It last hosted a senior international regatta during the final World Cup of 2012.
So, as always here are my previews of each event and who I think will be among the medals.
W1X
15 entries
On paper the pick of the entries is Magdalena Lobnig of Austria. She is the only Olympic medallist in the field having won bronze in Tokyo. She’s also the most experienced athlete in the field having been competing in the single for the last ten seasons. 2022 did not get off to a good start for the Austrian however; she was forced to withdraw from the first World Cup of the season after the heat and hasn’t raced since (despite putting an entry in for Henley). It remains to be seen what sort of form she’s in. At her best she’s capable of her second European W1X title.
So far this season the in-form sculler is Karolien Florijn of The Netherlands. She raced at both the first and second World Cups, taking the gold on both occasions. She’s spent the last three seasons as a member of the very successful Dutch W4- that won the European title in 2020 and 2021 and took silver in Tokyo. She also has world and European bronze medals in the W4X.
Winner of the third World Cup was Alexandra Foester of Germany. That win in Lucerne was the first by a German W1x since Katrin Rutschow in 2004. 20-year-old Foester is on a high, having successfully defended her U23 World title last week. She also raced at the second World Cup, finishing fourth. An outstanding talent, and one to watch for paris, but it remains to be seen if the German team keep her in the single or move her to a crew boat.
Another sculler who has been amongst the medals this season is Jeannine Gmelin of Switzerland. She raced at the second and third World Cups taking silver and bronze respectively. She won this title in 2018 and was silver medallist in 2019. But since 2019 she hasn’t quite shown the dominant form that took her to a world title in 2017; disputes between her and the Swiss federation over coaching perhaps caused a distraction and led to a drop in form that culminated in a fifth place in Tokyo (where a medal had been expected). But, she’s back with coach Robin Dowell and her form so far this season has shown she’s getting back into medal contention.
I think the medals will be contested between these four scullers, but behind them the battle for the minor placings will be pretty fierce. Lenka Antosova of the Czech Republic has raced at all three World Cups (the only sculler in the field to have done so). She reached the A-Finals in Belgrade and Poznan and won the B-Final in Lucerne. She’s also raced the W2X at the last two Olympics, finishing 19th in Rio and tenth in Tokyo.
Another A-Finalist from Belgrade is Jovana Arsic of Serbia. She finished sixth at World Cup 1 and ninth in Lucerne. She’s also a Tokyo Olympian having placed third in the C-Final (15th overall) in the W1X.
Spain haven’t made the A-Final of a senior Championship regatta in this boat class since the European Championships of 2004. But this season they may just achieve that. Their representative in the single is Virginia Diaz Rivas. So far this season she has two tenth-placed finishes at the first and third World Cups, but she’s a very experienced athlete, albeit more familiar with sweep than sculling. She won the W2- European title in 2019, silver in 2020 and bronze in 2021. She also made the A-Final in the pair at the Tokyo Olympics.
A name to watch for the future is 23-year-old Gaia Colasante of Italy. She makes her senior debut in Munich on the back of a bronze medal in the BW4X at the 2021 U23 World Championships.
Also racing in Munich are Desislava Angelova of Bulgaria (eighth at the second World Cup), Eeva Karppinen of Finland (racing for the first time this season having finished fifth at the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta), Audrey Feutrie of France (fifth at the 2021 U23’s and 15th in Lucerne), Viktorija Senkute of Lithuania (tenth at last year’s Europeans), Norway’s Siri Eva Kristiansen (winner of the C-Final in Lucerne), Nina Kostanjsek of Slovenia (11th in the LW1x at the 2020 Europeans) and Diana Serebianska of Ukraine (who also makes her 2022 debut after last racing at the FOQR).
Predictions: A lot depends on the race fitness of Lobnig, but Florijn is the sculler of the moment. I’m picking her to win the Netherlands first W1X European title. I’m going to pick Gmelin for the silver and Foester for the bronze.
W2-
10 entries
This season has seen three different winners of the three World Cups so far – two of those winning crews are racing in Munich. What’s interesting in this event is just how many crews are doubling-up in the W8 – GBR, NED, ROU, IRL and ITA all have one or both of their W2- also racing the W8.
Great Britain’s Emily Ford and Esme Booth were winners in Belgrade (winning GB’s first women’s sweep World Cup gold since 2017). Both made their senior debut last season, placing fourth in the W4- at the Sabaudia World Cup. Ford was a member of the GB W8 that finished last at the Tokyo Olympics. But since moving to the W2- they have shown real medal potential. As well as taking gold in Belgrade they also finished in bronze behind New Zealand and Romania in Lucerne
Winners of the second World Cup were The Netherlands, Ymkje Clevering and Veronique Meester. As well as winning gold in the W2- they also doubled-up in the W8 and won a second gold. Both Meester and Clevering have raced both sweep and sculling this season (and are part of a rare group who have raced sweep and sculling at the same regatta having finished fourth in the W2X and first in the W8 in Belgrade). They were also both members of the Dutch W4- during the Tokyo Olympiad that won the European title in 2020 and 2021 and then took silver in Tokyo.
The fastest European W2- at Lucerne were Romania, Ioana Vrinceanu and Denis Tilvescu. They finished in silver medal position behind New Zealand, some four seconds ahead of the British. They both also raced in the W8 in Lucerne, picking up a bronze medal. They spent most of the Tokyo Olympiad as members of the W8, finishing sixth at the Games, having won the European titles in 2020 and 2021.
Bronze medallists at the Poznan World Cup were Ireland, Emily Hegarty and Fiona Murtagh. Hegarty raced in the pair at the 2018 World Championships and in 2020 she finished fifth at the Europeans (with partner Tara Hanlon). In 2021 Hegarty moved into the W4-, joining Murtagh, winning silver at the Europeans and then followed that up with bronze at the Tokyo Olympics (a first Olympic medal for the Irish women).
Greece come into these Championships on a high – their pair of Evangelia Fragkou and Christina Bourmpou won the U23 World title last week. 19-year-old Fragkou made her senior debut at the Belgrade World Cup, making the A-Final in the W2X with Zoi Fitsiou. Bourmpou is the more experienced of the two – she won the BW2- title in 2019 and won bronze at the 2020 Europeans and also made the A-Final at the 2021 Europeans and the Tokyo Olympics (partnered by Maria Kyridou). This is a very exciting young combination; I would expect them to comfortably reach the A-Final but may be just off the podium.
Another exciting young combination are the 2021 U23 World Champions from Croatia, Ivana and Josipa Jurkovic. The twins made their senior debuts in 2019 finishing eighth in the W4- at the Europeans. In 2021 they moved into the pair, finishing fifth at the Europeans and then winning Croatia’s first women’s World Cup gold medal at the first World Cup (albeit in an event with only three entries). They followed that up with silver at the second World Cup before finishing the season with U23 gold. This season they have made the A-Final at both the Belgrade and Lucerne World Cups and it’ll be fun to see the 2021 U23 World Champions go up against the champions from this year.
Italy finished 12th in the W2- at the Tokyo Olympics and have one member of that crew racing in Munich, Aisha Rocek. The Europeans mark her first race since Tokyo. She’s joined by Veronica Bumbaca. She made her senior debut last season racing to a sixth place as part of the W8 at the Europeans. This season she raced in the W4- that finished fifth in Lucerne. Rocek is doubling-up in the W8 and Bumbaca is stroking the W4-.
Denmark’s Nikoline Laidlaw and Sofie Vikkelsoe raced in the pair at both the first and second World Cups, finishing ninth both times. They also doubled-up in the W8 in Poznan, winning an historic silver medal (Denmark’s first ever W8 medal).
The Czech Republic are the only crew in the event to have raced at all three World Cups this season, and their results have been improving as the season progressed. Radka Novotnikova and Plavlina Flamikova finished seventh in Belgrade which was followed by fifth in Poznan and then fourth in Lucerne. Another A-Final appearance should be their minimum target for Munich, but I don’t expect them to be in the fight for the podium.
The final crew in the event are Germany, Lena Osterkamp and Marie-Catherine Arnold. This pair were members of the W4- that finished 12th in Poznan and then raced in the W8 in Lucerne finishing fifth (out of five).
Predictions: This should be a really good battle for the medals between the Netherlands, Romania and Great Britain. I’m going for a Dutch win with Romania just pipping the British for the silver.
W2X
13 entries
This has the makings of one of the best events at the championships. It will see two crews who are unbeaten so far this season race each other for the first time.
Romania (Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis) are the reigning Olympic and European champions and have only been beaten once since 2019 (when they finished second at the World Championships). This season they have only raced once, winning in Lucerne by clear water.
Up against the Romanians are the other undefeated crew of 2022 – the Netherlands and Roos de Jong and Laila Youssifou. They won in Belgrade and also in Poznan, doubling-up to take gold in the W8 as well. De Jong was in the W2x that won bronze behind the Romanians in Tokyo and also finished behind them at the 2019 Worlds, and also both the 2020 and 2021 Europeans. Youssifou raced in the W4x in Tokyo and also at the 2020 and 2021 Europeans, winning gold on both occasions. Romania vs The Netherlands is really shaping up to be a clash of the titans but the question is can the Dutch record their first win over the Romanians?
But there are a number of other crews who will be fighting it out for a place on the podium. Leading the charge will most likely be the Italians, Kiri Tontodonati and Stefania Gobbi. This duo were runners-up to the Romanians in Lucerne. Both raced in Tokyo, Tontodonati finishing 12h in the W4- and Gobbi fourth in the W4X. This season is the first time they have raced together as a double since 2017 when they won bronze at the Europeans.
Lithuania’s line-up features triple Olympian, Donata Karaliene. She’s been racing as a senior international since 2008 and has two European and one World title to her credit and won Olympic bronze in Rio. Silver in the W2X at the 2021 Europeans was followed by fourth at the Tokyo Olympics. She raced in the single at the first World Cup and then formed a partnership with Dovile Rimkute for the Lucerne World Cup where they finished third. 20-year-old Rimkute made her senior debut this season and raced the double in Belgrade with Viktorija Senkute, finishing fifth. After winning bronze in the W2X with Karaliene in Lucerne she switched to the single to race at the U23 World Championships in Varese last week, making the A-Final.
One of the most interesting entries are Ireland, with Sanita Puspure and Zoe Hyde. 40-year-old Puspure became the first Irishwoman to win a world title in 2018 when she won gold in the W1X. She successfully defended her title in 2019 and also won the European titles in 2019 and 2020. She was one of the favourites for gold in Tokyo but was forced to withdraw after the semi-final due to illness. Her partner for Munich, Zoe Hyde, is a member of Killorglin Rowing Club, and made her World Cup debut in Poznan. She made her international debut earlier this season, winning a bronze medal in the W2- at Piediluco Regatta. This combination showed real promise in Poznan taking the bronze medal in their first competitive outing.
Another highly experienced duo are Marta Wieliczko and Joanna Dittmann of Poland. These two are normally members of the quad, but with no entry from Poland in that boat class in Munich they instead are entered as a double. This will be the first time Wieliczko has raced in this boat class since the junior World Championships ten years ago. Both these athletes raced at the Tokyo Olympics, Wieliczko winning silver in the quad and Dittmann making the A-Final in the W4-. So far this season they have raced at all three World Cups in the quad finishing sixth, seventh and fourth respectively. It’ll be interesting to see how well these two experienced quad racers get on in the smaller boat.
Great Britain has a new combination for Munich, Kyra Edwards and Saskia Budgett. These two were both members of the U23 BW4X that won bronze at the U23 World Championships in 2018. Edwards raced in this boat class at the 2019 World Championships, placing 14th. Budgett was in the double with Holly Nixon at the 2021 Europeans and won a bronze medal (Great Britain’s first W2X European medal since 2015). Munich will be Budgett’s season debut whilst Edwards subbed into the W4X at Lucerne and came away with a silver medal (the first medal of her senior career). This is a boat with a lot of potential, and an A-Final place is definitely a target, but I don’t think they will be challenging for a medal at this stage.
Greece has selected a very young crew to contest the European Championships, Sofia Dalidou and Styliani Natsioula are just 16 and 17 years old respectively, and won the Junior World Championships last weekend, perhaps a reward for that victory included a trip to Germany to race the senior Europeans! Definitely two names to watch for the LA Olympiad.
Also racing are Hungary (Vivien Preil and Eszter Kremer – 11th in Poznan), Austria (Katharina Lobnig – Magdalena’s older sister – and international debutant Tabea Minichmayr), Germany (Judith Guhse – 12th in Lucerne and Sophie Leupold – sixth in the W4X at WC3), Norway (Thea Helseth and Jenny Rorvik ninth in Poznan and eighth in Lucerne), Switzerland (Fabienne Schweizer and Nina Wettstein – 12th in Poznan and 14th in Lucerne) and Ukraine (Diana Serebrianska – who’s also racing the W1X, and Anastasiia Kozhenkova – a bronze medallist from the W4X in Belgrade).
Predictions: as mentioned above this should be an epic contest for the gold between Romania and The Netherlands. I think the Romanians will take it, but not by much. It’s also going to be a good contest for the bronze with any one from Ireland, Italy, Poland and Lithuania in with a shout……if I have to pick one of them, I’m going to go for Italy to get the final podium place.
W4-
10 entries
This looks like it will be a four-way battle for the medals between Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Romania. The British may come into Munich as the marginal favourites having won in both Belgrade and Lucerne. Their crew includes Rowan McKellar and Rebecca Shorten who both rowed in this boat class at the Tokyo Olympics, just missing out on a podium. They also raced at the 2021 Europeans winning a bronze medal. Also in the crew are Heidi Long and Sam Redgrave. Long made her senior debut in 2019 racing in the GBR2 W8 at the third World Cup. She is also the first woman to win all three Open sweep events at Henley. Redgrave made her senior debut last season winning a bronze medal in the W2- in Sabaudia.
The Netherlands were silver medal winners behind Australia at the Poznan World Cup; their crew of Marloes Oldenburg, Bentha Boonstra, Hermine Drenth and Tinka Offereins also doubled up in the W8 and took gold. All four raced at the Belgrade World Cup as well, although not in the W4-. They won another gold in the W8 and Drenth and Offereins won bronze in the W2-. Oldenburg, Drenth and Offereins also won a silver medal in the W8 at the 2021 European Championships. The Netherlands always do well at the Europeans and have won this event for the last three championships.
Ireland won an historic bronze medal in this event at the Tokyo Olympics – the first ever Irish sweep Olympic medal and the first ever Olympic rowing women’s medal. This season they have half of that crew racing in Munich, Aifric Keogh and Eimear Lambe. They were also members of the crew that won bronze at the 2020 European Championships and silver in 2021. This season they are joined by Tara Hanlon and Natalie Long. Hanlon raced in the W2- at the 2020 Europeans making the A-Final. Long made her senior debut this season winning a bronze medal in the W2- at Piediluco Regatta and then moved into the W4- for the Poznan World Cup where Ireland finished in bronze medal position behind Australia and The Netherlands.
Romania has a new line-up for Munich but it’s a unit full of experience as all four of them raced in Tokyo. Elena Logofatu is the only survivor from the W4- that finished ninth at the Olympics. Stroking the crew is Iulian Buhus who was ninth in the W2- in Tokyo. At bow is lightweight Olympian Gianina Beleaga (sixth in the LW2X) and the final member of the crew is Magdalena Rusu who was sixth in the W8. Rusu and Buhus raced in the W4- at Lucerne finishing second to GB whilst Beleaga and Logofatu were bronze medallists in the W8. All four also raced at the 2021 Europeans with Beleagu winning silver in the LW1X, Buhus silver in the W2-, Logafatu fourth in the W4- and Rusu took gold in the W8.
Runners-up to the British in Belgrade was Denmark. They are unchanged for Munich with a crew of Julie Poulsen, Marie Johannesen, Frida Nielsen and Astrid Steenberg. Nielsen is the sole survivor of the crew that finished eighth in Tokyo and she was also in the crew that won bronze at the 2019 World Championships and finished fourth at the 2020 Europeans and eighth at last year’s Euros. Both Johannesen and Poulsen made their senior debuts this season (Johannesen also doubled-up in the W8 that won an historic silver medal in Poznan).
Italy finished fifth in Lucerne and are unchanged for Munich. The crew includes Laura Meriano and Giorgia Pelacchi who were U23 World Champions in the BW4+ in 2019. They are joined by Veronica Bumbaca (who also races in the W2-) and Silvia Terrazzi. All four of these athletes were in the W8 that finished sixth at the 2021 Europeans.
Poland has one returner from the crew that finished sixth at the Tokyo Olympics, Olga Michalkiewicz. She’s joined by Weronika Kazmierczak, Zuzanna Lesner and Barbara Jechorek. This quartet finished sixth in Lucerne.
Also racing are Spain, seventh in Lucerne with a crew that includes Tokyo Olympian Aina Cid (who is racing in a boat other than the pair for the first time since 2016), France (11th in Poznan and tenth in Lucerne) and Germany who have a new line-up for Munich having been racing in the W8 all season.
Predictions; My money is on Great Britain to win their first W4- European title with the Dutch in second and Romania pipping Ireland for the bronze. It’s also worth noting how many of these crews are doubling-up in the W8; Great Britain, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Romania are all racing in both the W4- and W8.
W4X
8 entries
The Netherlands will probably start as marginal favourites in this event. They have won this event for the last two years although have none of those medal-winning crews in the boat for2022. Nika Vos, Tessa Dullemans, Ilse Kolkman and Bente Paulis were winners in Belgrade and bronze medallists in Lucerne. Vos was a member of the W8 that won silver at the 2021 Europeans and Dullemans won bronze in that boat the year before. Kolkman also raced at the 2021 Europeans winning the B-Final in the W2-. Paulis (younger sister of Olympic medallist, Ilse) won silver at the u23 World Championships in 2018.
Great Britain will have high hopes for a medal aftet finishing as runners-up to the Dutch in 2021. The crew for 2022 includes Lucy Glover who raced in the quad in Tokyo and was also in the silver medal crew at the Europeans. She’s joined by Jess Leyden, who raced in the quad from 2015 to 2019, winning world championship bronze in 2017. Also in the crew are Lola Anderson, U23 World Champion in 2019, and Georgia Brayshaw, a graduate of the GB Start programme who made her senior debut in 2019. This season they raced both as a quad and two doubles at the Belgrade World Cup winning silver and bronze in the doubles and fourth in the quad. They also raced in Lucerne (with Kyra Edwards replacing Anderson) and took an excellent silver medal behind the rampant Chinese. They will be expecting to get a medal and will definitely be in with a shout to take a first European W4X for GB.
Another crew in contention for a medal is Switzerland. They are a mostly young crew with three of the boat 22 or under with three of the U23 World Champion BW4X from 2021, Salome Ulrich, Lisa Loetscher and Celia Dupre. The fourth member of the crew is Pascale Walker. The 27-year-old is herself a former U23 medallist (taking the BW1X silver in 2017). As a senior international her best result was sixth in the W4x at the 2020 Europeans. As a crew this season they have been improving as the season progressed; fifth in Belgrade was followed by an outstanding silver medal in Poznan behind the Chinese where they also managed to see off the Netherlands by just over a second. Switzerland last won a European medal in this boat class back in 2010 and this crew has a real chance of ending that drought.
Italy were fifth in this boat class at both the 2020 and 2021 European Championships and have several members of those crews racing in 2021. The crew includes two of the boat that finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, Valentina Iseppi and Alessandra Montesano. They are joined by fellow Tokyo Olympian, Chiara Ondoli, who finished ninth in the W2X. The fourth member of the crew is Clara Guerra; she was in the European Championship boats in both 2020 and 2021. They raced at one World Cup this season, winning bronze in Lucerne 1.5 seconds behind the British.
France has the quartet that finished ninth in Tokyo, Marie Jacquet, Violaine Aernoudts, Margaux Bailleul and Emma Lunatti. They raced at the Poznan World Cup and were the third fastest European crew behind the Swiss and Dutch, finishing fifth overall. Jacquet wasn’t able to race in Lucerne, so Lunatti raced in the single finishing sixth and Aernoudts and Ballieul raced the double, winning the B-Final. It will take something special for this crew to make the podium, but they should be able to make the A-Final.
Romania has a young crew entered for Munich all of whom raced at the recent U23 World Championships. Andrada-Maria Morosanu and Iulia-Liliana Balauca won gold in the BW2X, and Cristina Druga and Patricia Cires took silver in the BW4X. Cires and Druga raced in the quad at the Lucerne World Cup finishing fifth. Romania last won a medal in this event back in 2012 – I can’t see them medalling this year, but this will be a crew to watch in the coming years.
Ukraine won bronze at the Belgrade World Cup, and they have three of that crew racing in Munich, Nataliya Dovdgodko, Daryna Verkholiad and Yevheniia Dovhodko. The fourth member of the crew is Kateryna Dudchenko. Dovhodko has Olympic experience and was in the boat that finished fourth in Rio.
The final entry is from Germany. They were European champions in 2019, but since then the Germans have only won one championship medal (European bronze in 2021). The crew for Munich includes Sarah Wibberenz and Marie-Sophie Zeidler who raced in the quad in Lucerne finishing sixth, and Frauke Hunderling and Pia Greiten, fifth in the W2x in Lucerne. Zeidler, younger sister of Ollie, is an U23 silver medallist from 2021. It would be a major achievement for this crew to make the A-Final.
Predictions: Another event that is going to be really tight, I think the British may actually edge it ahead of the Swiss with The Netherlands holding off Italy for bronze.
W8+
7 crews
As mentioned above, this event sees the majority of crews doubling-up with only Germany having a crew solely racing this boat class.
Romania have dominated this event having only lost twice in the last 15 years (to GB in 2016 and Russia in 2015). Their crew this year is a combination of their W2- and half the W4- along with Madalina and Amelia Beres from the sixth place Tokyo W8 and Cristina Popescu and Roxana Anghel from the Tokyo W4-. The Romanians have only raced as an eight once this season, winning bronze behind Australia and Canada in Lucerne.
Denmark is also combining their W2- and W4- along with Christine Cardel and Cecilie Brunnich Sorensen. Both these athletes raced at the 2022 U23 World Championships, Cardel finishing fifth in the BW2- and Brunnich Sorensen tenth in the BW4-. The Danes made history in Poznan when they won silver in the W8, a first ever medal for a Danish W8.
Great Britain is following the trend with their W4- and W2- doubling up in the W8. The two members of the crew not racing any other event are the bow pair of Rebecca Edwards and Lauren Irwin. Edwards raced in the W8 at the Tokyo Olympics and Irwin was U23 World Champion in 2019. They were both members of a second GB W4- in Lucerne and finished ninth. This crew has raced once this season, winning the Remenham at Henley ahead of a strong Australian boat that went on to win in Lucerne. If they carry that form into Lucerne, they will have high hopes of coming away with a major medal.
Ireland will make history in Munich as it will be the first time they have ever raced a senior W8. All of their boat is doubling-up and they have the W2-, the W4- and the W2X. It’s a bit of an “All-Star” crew for Ireland and watching them race should be one of the highlights of the Championships.
Like Ireland, the Netherlands are also combining their two other sweep boats with their W2X. They raced at both the Belgrade and Poznan World Cups taking the gold on both occasions.
Only the stern four of the Italian boat are doubling-up (three of the W4- and one from the W2-). The bow four of the crew are Linda di Filippis (ninth in the W2x at Lucerne), Alice Codato (silver in the BW4- this season), Arianna Noseda (tenth in the LW1x at last year’s Europeans) and Elisa Mondelli (14th in the W1x in 2021). The Italians aren’t renowned for their W8’s; they last won a European Championship medal in 2012. I think this crew will be battling it out with the Germans for the final A-Final spot.
The final crew in the event, and the only ones not doubling-up any of their crew, is Germany. They have raced a W8 at both the second and third World Cups, finishing fifth of five in Lucerne and fourth of five in Poznan (beating India). Only stroke Katja Fuhrmann and cox Larina Hillemann remain from those boats. The rest of the crew are made up of development athletes from the German squad, all of whom raced in various combinations during the World Cup series.
Predictions: Hard to look past Romania who always seem to dominate at the Europeans. But it should be a cracking race between them, the British and the Dutch for the medals. Romania in gold, Great Britain taking the silver with The Netherlands in bronze.
