Cover image: World Rowing / Benedict Tufnell
Reigning Champions: Hugo Boucheron/ Matthieu Androdias (France)
Entries: 30
Olympic qualifying places: 11
The names that have dominated this event are Martin and Valent Sinkovic of Croatia. They were unbeaten between throughout the 2014-2016 seasons, winning gold in Rio, before switching into the M2- and winning Olympic gold in that event as well. After Tokyo they returned to their favoured M2X boat and they looked to have picked up where they left off, with wins at all three World Cups and the Europeans, but the shock came at the 2022 World Championships where they not only lost, but they also didn’t even make the podium – the first time they had failed to win a M2X medal since 2008. This season, they returned to the top of the podium at the first World Cup and then won their fourth European M2X title. But, in Lucerne they again came unstuck, losing to the Dutch. The question in Belgrade is, was Lucerne a blip or are the Croatians vulnerable?
The “hot” crew at the moment is The Netherlands, Melvin Twellaar and Stef Broenink. This duo won silver in Tokyo but split up for the 2022 season with Twellaaar winning silver in the M1X at the World Championships and Broenink racing in the M4X. However, they have been reunited for this season and won bronze at the Europeans before taking gold at the final World Cup in Lucerne. They will head into the World Championships on a high and could well start as marginal favourites.
France are the current Olympic and World Champions, however injury to Matthieu Androdias has forced a change to the championship-winning crew. Androdias’s place is taken by Valentin Onfroy. He raced in the M4- at the Rio Olympics and then went on to race in the M4x at the 2022 World Championships. As a double, Onfroy and partner Hugo Boucheron had their first race in Lucerne but could only manage eighth. It remains to be seen if they have gained sufficient speed since Lucerne to challenge for an A-Final placing.
Italy will also be strong contenders for a podium place. Matteo Sartori and Luca Rambaldi took gold at the Varese World Cup and were runners-up at the Europeans. Sartori won gold in the U23 BM4X last season and went on to race the M1X at the senior World Championships. Rambaldi raced the double in Tokyo with Davide Mumolo making the A-Final. This duo had a disappointing 2022 however, only managing ninth at the World Championships.
China’s Liang Zhang and Zhiyu Liu were World Champions in this event in 2019 and went on to take bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. Zhang took a break after Tokyo and Liu raced in the quad that finished 12th at the World Championships last year. Now reunited, Zhang and Liu have raced once so far this season, winning a bronze at the Varese World Cup.
New Zealand has an exciting new combination that mixes youth with experience, Ben Mason and Robbie Manson. Mason won bronze in the BM4X at the 2022 U23 World Championships and made his senior debut this season. Manson is the current holder of the World Best Time in the M1X which he set back in 2017. He raced the double at the Rio Olympics and is also a World Championship medalist in this boat class. As a double Mason & Manson made their debut at the Lucerne World Cup where they reached the A-Final. It’ll be interesting to see how much speed they’ve gained since Lucerne, and whilst I’m not sure they will challenge for a medal they should be strong contenders for an A-Final placing.
Another nation that will have high hopes of challenging for a medal will be Ireland, Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch. They finished fourth at the Europeans and then took bronze in Lucerne. Doyle raced in this boat class with Ronan Byrne in 2019 winning World Championship silver and then went on to race in Tokyo placing tenth. Lynch raced with Byrne at the 2020 Europeans, winning the bronze medal before unsuccessfully attempting to qualify for Tokyo in the M1X at the FOQR.
Spain’s Rodrigo Conde Romero and Aleix Garcia Pujolar were the surprise silver medalists in 2022, winning their country’s first ever World Championship M2X medal (and Spain’s first heavyweight men’s world championship medal since 1990). They have had a decent season so far this year taking the silver at the first World Cup as well as fifth at the Europeans and again at Lucerne. They also made history when winning the Double Sculls at Henley – becoming the first Spanish crew to win at the regatta.
One of the surprises of the season so far is the USA pairing of Ben Davison and Sorin Koszyk. They took silver on they debut at the Varese World Cup, delivering the USA their first medal in this event since the LA Olympics in 1984! Davison raced in the M1X last season finishing eighth and before that was a member of the M8 that finished fourth in Tokyo. Koszyk raced in the M2X last season with Thomas Phifer winning the B-Final. It remains to be seen if the American’s performance in Varese was an exception or whether they are genuine contenders for the podium in Belgrade.
Great Britain were fourth at the Tokyo Olympics with their double of John Collins and Graeme Thomas. With Thomas out injured, his place in the double has been taken by Aidan Thompson. Thompson, from Twickenham Rowing Club, made his international debut this season and he and Collins won the B-Final at the Europeans and then ended up 12th in Lucerne. Collins is the most experienced member of the British team and raced the double at both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, making the A-Final both times. The aim for the British in Belgrade will be to secure Olympic qualification by finishing in the top 11.
Both Poland and Belgium have exciting young combinations racing in Belgrade. The Poles have Piotr Plominski and Konrad Domanski. Plominski won the U23 BM1X world title this season and at the 2022 senior World Championships placed 11th in the M1X. Domanski is making his senior debut in Belgrade after winning U23 silver in the BM2X. Belgium has Tristan Vandenbussche and Aaron Andries. They were U23 World Champions last year and this season made the A-Final at the European Championships.
Other crews to watch include Greece (Athanasios Palaiopanos and Ioannis Kalandaridis) A-Finalists last season and 11th in Lucerne this year. Moldova, Ivan Corsunov and Chirill Visotchi-Sestacov, whose fifth place at the 2022 World Championships was Moldova’s best ever result at a World Championships. This season the Moldovans have a tenth place at the Europeans and won the B-Final in Lucerne. Home favourites will be Aleksandar Bedik and Aleksandar Filipovic who won bronze at the first World Cup (Serbia’s 1st M2X medal since 2015) they then placed 11th at the Europeans and 16th in Lucerne. Romania produced a strong performance in Lucerne, taking fourth – Florin Arteni and Ciprian Tudosa both raced in Tokyo (Tudosa winning silver in the M2- and Arteni in the M8 that finished 7th). Germany’s crew includes 2022 U23 BM1X World Champion Jonas Glesen. He’s joined by Marc Weber who finished 11th in Tokyo in this boat class. This season they placed ninth at the Europeans and 14th in Lucerne. The final crews to mention are Uruguay, Martin Zocalo and Newton Seawright – fourth at the U23 World Championships earlier this season and Australia, who have a new combination in Belgrade Harley Moore and Cormac Kennedy-Leverett. Moore raced in the pair last season finishing fifth and Kennedy-Leverett was fourth in the U23 BM1X in 2022. This season, Moore raced with Jack Cleary in the double finishing fourth in Varese and ninth in Lucerne. Kennedy-Leverett was in the quad that was sixth in Varese and fourth in Lucerne. Cleary and Kennedy-Leverett have now swapped places.
Predictions: This should be a fascinating contest – can the Sinkovic’s retake their crown or will the Netherlands follow up their win in Lucerne with gold in Belgrade…or the Italians….or the Spanish…or the Kiwis? This event is pretty open with four or five crews capable of taking gold but, if I have to choose, I’m going for the Netherlands to take gold with Croatia in silver and China in bronze.
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