Cover image: World Rowing / Benedict Tufnell
PR1 Men’s Single Sculls
2022 Champion: Ukraine (Roman Polianskyi)
Entries: 23
Olympic qualifying places: 7
Rio and Tokyo Paralympic Champion, Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi, is revered in World Rowing, and his record speaks volumes as to why: he has not missed the podium since his debut in 2015.
The story going into the 2023 World Championships though, will be his ongoing battle for supremacy with Italy’s Giacomo Perini. The two have traded wins throughout the 2023 season, with Perini picking up the European title, Polianskyi in second, only for the Ukrainian to reverse the order a few weeks later at World Cup II, in front of Perini’s home crowd in Varese.
Marcus Klemp of Germany is a staple competitor in this event and will be looking to make an impression on the perennial top two, having collected the bronze medal at Europeans following an A final appearance at last year’s World Championships, where he landed in fifth just behind Australian legend Erik Horrie, who just missed the podium in fourth. Horrie hasn’t raced since the 2022 season, and may be looking to recapture the form that led him to three consecutive world titles in the leadup to Tokyo, where he won a silver medal.
Benjamin Pritchard of Great Britain will also race for the first time in 2023. The 2022 bronze medalist seceded his place to Callum Russel at the European Championships this year, but has reclaimed the seat in the bid for another World Championship medal and Paralympic Qualification.
Israel’s Shmuel Daniel looks to round out the medal competitors. He missed the A-final in 2022, but won the bronze medal at World Cup II this year behind the scrapping Polianksyi and Perini.
Predictions: A battle for the gold between Ukraine and Italy, with an equally intense frenzy for the bronze between Great Britain, Germany, and Australia.
PR2 Men’s Single Sculls
2022 Champion: Netherlands (Cornelis De Koning)
Entries: 6
Several competitors in this class will be doubling up in the Mix2x, and the Netherlands’ Cornelis De Koning is one of them. The World Cup II winner is utterly dominant, having never lost a race in this boat class.
Italy’s Gian Filippo Mirabile was the silver medalist in 2022, and also at World Cup II behind De Koning.
Last year’s bronze medalist, Germany’s Paul Umbach, is not contesting this year, choosing instead to focus on obtaining Olympic qualification in the Mix2x.
The only other returner from the 2022 field is Spain’s Benat Ordiozola Aramburu, who finished at the bottom of the A final on that occasion.
The remaining entries from Argentina, Kazakhstan and Latvia are all World Rowing debutants, and it will be exciting to watch how they break onto the scene.
Predictions: Netherlands for gold, Italy in silver, and then a tussle for the bronze medal among the remaining competitors.
PR2 Mixed Double Sculls
2022 Champions: Ukraine (Bohuslavska and Koinda)
Entries: 13
Olympic qualifying places: 6
After not contesting the event in 2022, Great Britain have blasted their way back onto the scene, leaving a strong impression that they will be the ones to beat in Belgrade. Lauren Rowles, the Tokyo gold medalist, has been joined by Gregg Stevenson, and their march to another gold medal has been confirmed by wins at both the European Championships, and World Cup II in Varese, where they stuck a nine-second margin to the silver medalists, and posted a new World Best Time.
Ukraine have made steady progress throughout the season. A bronze medal at the European Championships behind Great Britain and the Netherland’s pairing of De Koning and Haenen turned into a silver medal a few weeks later at World Cup II. The question will be if they can make enough progress to threaten the British.
Hot at their heels are Poland’s duo of Majka and Gadowski, who pushed the Ukrainians all the way to the line at World Cup II. The 2022 silver medalists will hope to leapfrog their Eastern European rivals come race day in Belgrade.
The Netherlands have had an interesting season. Their silver medal at the European Championships was followed by disappointment in Varese, where they just missed the podium in fourth, having been overrun by Ukraine and Poland. There is no shortage of experience and pedigree in the boat; De Koning is a Tokyo silver medalist and Haenan has multiple international appearances already. Will they be able to shake off the tough weekend and make an impression at the World Championships?
Ireland’s challengers of McGowan and O’Brien may present a chance at a medal too, having only been 0.6 seconds off the Dutch in fourth place in Varese. Katie O’Brien is also the reigning World Champion in the PR2 Women’s Single. She’ll be looking to draw on that winning energy in the quest for medals and qualification in this double.
Prediction: Great Britain for gold, a scrap between Ukraine and Poland for the silver, with the Netherlands looking to capitalize on the detritus of that battle in a bid for the bronze.
PR3 Men’s Pair
2022 Champion: Great Britain (Stanhope and Fuller)
Entries: 2
Following the dominance of Great Britain in last year’s 28-second victory, and the event’s status as a non-Olympic event, the PR3 Men’s Pair has only two entries this year.
2022 silver medalist, Ukraine’s Andrii Syvykh has a new partner in the form of Ivan Kupriichuk and it is likely their experience will prevail against a brand new entry from Germany, made up of Moritz Hagen, who is making his World Rowing debut at the impressive age of 18, and Daniel Mueller, also making his debut.
Prediction: Ukraine to win the duel, owing to their experience.
PR3 Mixed Double Sculls
2022 Champion: France (Alberdi and Cadot)
Entries: 14
Olympic qualifying places: 5
France made their singular 2023 appearance in style, winning the European Championships, two seconds clear of Ukraine’s Kotyk and Samolink in silver. The French will be looking to go back to back at the World Championships, but will not do so without challenge.
Australia emerged at World Cup II, where the French did not compete, and stormed their way to victory, beating the bronze medal Ukrainians by eleven seconds, a much more significant margin than the one the French posted at Europeans.
Last year’s silver medalists Brazil also made their 2023 debut at World Cup II, where they finished again in silver ahead of the aforementioned Ukrainian’s.
Ukraine themselves are not to be used simply as a marker of comparative performance, as the 2022 bronze medalists are ferocious competitors, and have not missed the podium in this boat class the entire Olympiad.
Great Britian’s Caddick and Murray were bronze medalists at European’s, before falling off the podium into fourth at World Cup II, with the emergence of some very strong competition from beyond the continent. Their margin to bronze was close though, and they are not out of the fight for medals by any means.
Prediction: This one will be interesting. Comparing margins across different events is a dangerous game, but my gut tells me that the Australians are the favourites for gold, with the French the likely challengers. Brazil will also be in the hunt for the silver medal, while Ukraine and Great Britain will challenge for the bronze.
PR3 Mix4+
2022 Champions: Great Britain (Allen, Rakaushaite, Fuller, Stanhope, Baynham-Williams)
Entries: 11
Olympic qualifying places: 6
Any conversation about the mixed coxed four is incomplete, in perpetuity, without mention of Great Britain. An unbeaten streak of twelve years leads all the way back to Beijing in 2008, the last time they were defeated. This year’s challengers are led by Erin Kennedy in her triumphant return to the World Championship start line, after a battle with breast cancer and chemotherapy that inspired and touched people well beyond her nation, and beyond her sport. Morgan Fice-Noyes stepped in to replace Ollie Stanhope, and immediately made an impact, the then-19-year-old helping drive the crew to a seven-second victory and a new World Best Time at World Cup II in Varese. They are undoubtedly the favorites for gold in Belgrade, and any result otherwise would be an upset of unbelievable proportions.
The dominance of Great Britain can be distracting, however, to how competitive it is for the minor medals. Germany were world silver medalists in 2022, and once again claimed the silver medal at the European Championships, before opting not to participate in World Cup II, where France, the bronze medalists of 2022, collected the silver medal. Despite being beaten by Germany at Europeans, the French will be hoping their two new members from the 2022 season, Bireau and Hamelin, will help them gain the edge over their neighbors to the east after a full summer of training.
Italy are not to be counted out either, bronze at World Cup II and fourth at Europeans show that they are capable of medal-challenging performances.
There is competition lurking off the continent too. The United States are historically strong in this boat class, winning silver medals in both Rio and Tokyo, before falling to fifth in last years World Championships. However, as they return to the world stage for the first time this season, they do so with an almost entirely new lineup, retaining only coxswain Emelie Eldracher and oarsman Alex Flynn from last year. Could some new talent help propel them back onto the podium?
Australia, who finished just off the podium in fourth in 2022, could also step on, with the addition of a new crew member in the form of Susannah Lutze. Like the United States, they could lean on their legacy of strength in this event and threaten the podium positions.
Prediction: Great Britain to dominate, Germany for silver, and a four way battle for the bronze between Australia, France, the United States, and Italy.
PR1 Women’s Single Sculls
2022 Champion: Norway (Birgit Skarstein)
Entries: 14
Olympic qualifying places: 7
Any stories of dominance in World Rowing must include that of Norway’s Birgit Skarstein, the Tokyo Paralympic Gold medalist who is unbeaten since 2016 and is showing no signs of slowing down. She has already collected the European title this year, before turning around a few weeks later to win in Varese. She is the favourite for gold in Belgrade.
The re-emergence of an old nemesis from the Tokyo Olympiad, is making things more difficult for her. Israel’s Moran Samuel has been chasing Skarstein since the Rio Games, the last time she beat her. Samuel picked up the bronze medal on that occasion, and has been more or less stapled in silver at regattas in the following years, always behind Skarstein. After a post-Olympic down year, where she finished fifth in Racice, she is back on form and came second to Skarstein in both racing opportunities this year. The margins, however, were not large; four seconds at World Cup II, and only two seconds at the European Championships. After a long summer of training, she could be winding up to deliver a stunning upset. Or perhaps it will be business as usual.
The other medalists from 2022 are also returning to the event for 2023. France’s Nathalie Benoit, who took silver in 2022, won the bronze medal at World Cup II and at Europeans, creating a common podium arrangement that may well be repeated at the World Championships.
By the reintroduction of Samuel’s form to the world stage, the bronze medalist from 2022, Ukraine’s Anna Sheremet, has been pushed off the podium, coming fourth at World Cup II, and fifth at Europeans, where she was beaten by Manuela Diening of Germany. Both of these women could theoretically be outside threats to the podium, but it will take a special performance from either of them to upset the status quo.
Prediction: Norway gold, Israel in silver and France in bronze.
PR2 Women’s Single Sculls
2022 Champion: Ireland (Katie O’Brien)
Entries: 2
With the departure of Katie O’Brien from the event, who is choosing to focus on obtaining Olympic qualification in the Mixed Double Sculls, and that of Kathryn Ross of Australia, last years silver medalist, Anna Aisanova of the Ukraine is left as the only returner from last year’s field, where she won a bronze medal.
She already has a silver this season from World Cup II, where she was behind Brazil’s Josiane Dias De Lima, who is unfortunately not competing at the World Championships.
She will duel against World Rowing debutant Nursen Sen of Turkey in Belgrade.
Prediction: A tough call to make with so little previous form to go off of, but conventional wisdom would suggest that the experience of Ukraine will count on the big stage, and help deliver her the gold medal over Turkey.
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