Image credit: World Rowing
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 on the entries for the Euro Champs.
So here’s my look at the ones to watch in each of the Olympic-class boats.
Entries: 11
2023 Champion: Romania
The highest-finishing crew from WC1 are the British pairing of Rebecca Edwards and Chloe Brew, who finished fourth in Varese. Edwards joined the GB team in 2019 and rowed in the women’s eight at the Tokyo Olympics. She was also part of the eight that finished fourth at the 2023 world championships. Brew won silver in the U23 BW8 in 2016 and went on to race in the eight in Tokyo. She only made one appearance in 2023 due to injury, racing as a second GB pair at the Lucerne World Cup.
To claim gold though, the Brits will have to get past an extremely talented duo from Romania, who finished third at the 2023 world championships in this boat class before jumping in the eight and securing the world title. This is Roxana Anghel and Ioana Vrinceanu’s first race together in 2024 and they will be performing the same neat trick of doubling up across pair and eight, a feat that is fairly common for the Romanian team.
Seventh at the 2023 world championships were Greece, who return in 2024 with the same pairing of Evangelia Anastasiadou and Christina Ioanna Bourmpou. This crew also claimed bronze at the third world cup in 2023 and finished sixth at the 2022 European championships. They were respective U23 world champions in 2022, with Anastasiadou winning the lightweight single title whilst Ioanna Bourmpou claimed the pair category after finishing fifth at the Olympics in the same boat class. After winning their place at the 2024 Olympic Games, they’ll be looking to make good on their obvious potential.
Esther Briz Zamorano and Aina Cid of Spain were eighth overall at the 2023 world championships – securing a seat in Paris – after a strong season which saw them win gold at WC1, bronze at the Europeans and WC2 before placing fifth at WC3. Partnered by Virginia Diaz Rivas, Cid finished sixth in Tokyo and this new combination will be looking to consistently find A-final berths in 2024 ahead of the Olympic Games.
The Netherlands’ senior squad are choosing to duck the Europeans so they have sent a talented former U23 pairing instead, comprised of Vera Sneijders – who finished first and second in the quad at the 2022 and 2023 U23 world championships respectively – and Linn Van Aanholt, who was fourth in the eight in 2022 and second in the pair in 2023. She also won gold in the coxed quad at the 2023 World Rowing coastal championships.
Germany’s crew of Lena Sarassa and Hannah Reif were last at WC1 and finished second in the ‘C’ final at the 2023 world championships. However, their proximity to Chile in Varese – who finished nine places above them in Belgrade – will be of some comfort.
Two of Italy’s quad from WC1 are teaming up to have crack at the pair. Laura Meriano and Kiri English-hawke were sixth in Varese in front of a home crowd but are rotated out for Szeged and will be looking to push on in their own silo.
Prediction
With the Romanians re-entering the fray – and their main competitors from last year’s world championships still not present – it is hard to look past this dynamic duo. The contest for minor medals should be compelling though and likely fought out by GB, Greece, Spain and the young Dutch crew. I think Romania will take gold, followed by GB then Greece in bronze.
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