Hot on the heels of World Cup 1 comes the European Championships, this year being held at Szeged, Hungary’s third largest city. It’s the first time this course has hosted a major senior championships. The European Olympic Qualifying Regatta is also being held at the same time (for the singles, light doubles and PR1 singles) which has impacted the entries for the European Championships.
So, here’s our look at the ones to watch in each of the Paralympic-class boats.
Entries: 4
2023 Champion: Great Britain
Every single cliché in the book has been used to describe the British quartet, and rightly so. Unbeaten in well over a decade and winners of three consecutive Paralympic gold medals, the British are not only favourites this weekend but also in line for a record-breaking trip to Paris come August. There is one change from the line-up that swept up at every event they competed at last year. 21-year-old Josh O’Brien is set to make his international debut and he’ll race alongside the unstoppable vanguard of Frankie Allen, Giedre Rakauskaite, Ed Fuller and Cox Erin Kennedy.
The big question this year is all about who will win the minor medals. Last year’s European silver medallists, Germany are not making the trip to Hungary. In their absence, expect France to fulfil the role of the bridesmaids behind the Brits. The French were fifth at least year’s World Championships, some 13 seconds back on their cross-channel neighbours. They’ve rejigged their crew and brought 17-year-old Candyce Chafa into the bow seat, hoping that youth will prove enough of a force to disrupt the experienced British outfit.
The bronze medal will likely head to the Italians. This crew very much found themselves in no-man’s-land throughout the majority of the season, not quite finding their top speed when it mattered most. They were well off the pace at the European Championships and come the World Champs in Belgrade, a dodgy heat and repechage, where they were beaten by the Chinese in the latter by four seconds, saw them consigned to the B Final. Italy went on to dominate this race, winning by 24 seconds and finishing seventh overall, 40 seconds ahead of Spain who are the fourth and final crew lining up for this year’s European Champs in Szeged.
Prediction
The British are nailed-on winners. Anything else will send colossal shockwaves through the rowing world.
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