Cover image: World Rowing / Benedict Tufnell
Reigning Champions: Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis (Romania)
Entries: 20
Olympic qualifying places: 11
Romania may well start this event as the hottest favourites in the entire championships. Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis are arguably the number-one crew in World Rowing at the moment and are unbeaten in this boat class since the 2019 World Championships (when they won silver). What’s even more impressive is that they won their world title last year whilst doubling-up in the W8 (in which they also won gold). They have been racing together since they were juniors, making their debuts in 2015 and first raced as a double in 2019, winning silver at both the European and World Championships. Since then, it’s been nothing but gold (six European titles, two World titles and one Olympic title). The biggest question in Belgrade is, can anyone stop them?
The last crew to defeat the Romanians was New Zealand. Brooke Francis (nee Donoghue) partnered by Olivia Loe won gold in 2019 as well as taking gold in 2017 and silver in 2018. They were runners-up to the Romanians in Tokyo. But, this season Francis has a new partner, Lucy Spoors. She raced in the W8 that won the world title in 2019 and took silver in Tokyo. They made a steady start to their doubles campaign, finishing third in the B-Final at the Lucerne World Cup. I fully expect them to be significantly faster in Belgrade and it wouldn’t surprise me if they were challenging for the medals.
Lithuania’s Donata Karaliene and Dovile Rimkute finished runners-up to the Romanians in Lucerne and at the Europeans this season. They both raced in the quad last year that won the B-Final at the World Championships and were fourth in the W2X at the Europeans. Karaliene raced the double at both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics with Milda Valciukaite finishing in bronze in Rio and fourth in Tokyo.
Winners of the Varese World Cup this season was China, Shiyu Lu and Shuangmei Shen. They also picked up bronze in Lucerne. Lu raced in the W4- in Tokyo and then switched to the single for the 2022 World Championships, finishing fourth. Shen raced the double in Tokyo but didn’t progress beyond the reps. She and partner Yingying Xu raced at the 2022 World Championships where they finished ninth. Based on their performances so far this season, it looks like the Chinese have found a very competitive combination and could well become the first Chinese W2X since 2007 to win a World Championship medal.
Ireland took bronze in this boat class last season with their duo of Zoe Hyde and Sanita Puspure. However, for 2023, Puspure has moved into the W4- so Hyde has a new partner, Alison Bergin. 21-year-old Bergin is the reigning U23 BW1X world champion and made her senior debut in 2022 racing the W1X at the World Championships. This partnership hasn’t raced yet so it’s going to be fascinating to see what sort of speed they have. Whilst they probably won’t be challenging for the medals, their focus will be on securing Olympic qualification.
Australia’s Amanda Bateman and Laura Gourley opened their 2023 season with fourth place finishes at both the Varese and Lucerne World Cups. Bateman raced in the double in Tokyo, winning the B-Final with Tara Rigney. Gourley made her senior debut this season after racing on the U23 team last year, finishing eighth in the BW1X. Like the Irish, this looks to be a “work in progress” crew whose main focus will be securing Olympic qualification.
Fourth place at the 2022 World championships were the Austrian sisters, Magdalena and Katharina Lobnig. As mentioned in the W1X preview, Magdalena is also racing in the W1X and it would be a surprise if she raced in both events. The double started their season strongly, winning silver at the first World Cup, but 11th in Lucerne perhaps suggests that something isn’t quite right, so it remains to be seen if the sisters do in fact race this event.
Another crew who had a disappointing Lucerne after early season promise was France. Margaux Bailleul and Emma Lunatti were fourth at the Europeans and won bronze in Varese, but in Lucerne they withdrew after the semi-final and were classified 12th overall. They are an experienced duo; both were members of the W4X that raced at the Tokyo Olympics. Assuming they have fully recovered from whatever the issue was in Lucerne, they should be looking for an A-Final placing in Belgrade.
Bronze medalists at the Olympics were The Netherlands; Lisa Scheenaard and Roos De Jong. In 2022 Scheenaard moved into the W4X (with De Jong staying in the W2X with new partner Laila Youssifou and won World Championship silver). In 2023 the Dutch moved Scheenaard back into the W2X with a new partner, Nika Johanna Vos. Vos raced with Scheenaard in the W4X last year, winning World Championship silver and this season the double had their first race at the Lucerne World Cup where they finished fifth.
The USA has the same line-up that finished fifth in the world last season, Kristina Wagner and Sophia Vitas. Wagner raced in the double in Tokyo (with Gevvie Stone), reaching the A-Final. This season they raced in Varese, finishing as runners-up to the Romanians.
One of the most intriguing entries is that from Italy; Federica Cesarini and Stefania Buttignon. Cesarini was LW2X Olympic champion in Tokyo and has been racing in the LW2X all season (finishing seventh at the Europeans and sixth in Varese). The entry lists also have her racing in the LW2X in Belgrade with Silvia Crosio. Buttignon is also a former lightweight who made the A-Final of the LW1X at last year’s Worlds. This season she has been racing in the open-weight W2x with Clara Guerra and finished eighth at the Europeans and also in Varese. Whether this duo do race remains to be seen as I would be most surprised if Cesarini races both the W2X and LW2X
Poland is also represented by a lightweight double; Wiktoria Kalinowska and Jessika Sobocinska. They finished 13th at the World Championships last year and this season won silver in the BLW2x at the U23 World Championships.
Great Britain’s representatives are Saskia Budgett and Kyra Edwards. They raced together in 2022, finishing eighth – a repetition of that in 2023 would secure GB a place at Paris. They also took fifth at the Europeans last season. This season, they finished ninth at the Europeans and in Lucerne Budgett raced with Lucy Glover, finishing tenth and Edwards raced the single – her 20th place a poor reflection of her abilities. Whilst an A-Final place may be beyond them in Belgrade, they will be looking for a finish towards the top end of the B Final and that all important Olympic qualification.
Germany’s Leonie Menzel and Maren Voelz made the A Final at this year’s Europeans, but so far they’ve just missed out on A-Finals at the World Cups, taking seventh at both Varese and Lucerne. Menzel raced in this boat class in Tokyo finishing fifth in the B-Final.
Other doubles to watch include a very young Greek combination of Evangelia Fragkou and Sofia Dalidou. Fragkou was the U23 BW1X bronze medallist this year and Dalidou won silver in the U19 JW2X. Switzerland’s Sofia Meakin and Salome Ulrich have raced at all three World Cups this season with a best placing of fifth at World Cup 1. Bronze medallists at the first World Cup was the new South African combination of Katherine Williams and Paige Badenhorst (winning South Africa’s first ever W2X medal). They followed that with 14th in Lucerne. The final crew to mention are Norway (Thea Helseth and Jenny Marie Norvik), who were tenth at the 2022 Worlds. This season, they raced to an eighth place in the W4X at the European and as a double placed sixth in Lucerne.
Predictions: I can’t see anyone stopping the Romanians, but silver and bronze should be a great battle. I’m going for Lithuania in silver and New Zealand in bronze.
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