Image Credit: World Rowing
With the Olympics done and dusted, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the international rowing season is done and dusted. But no, there’s still one more outing; the World Rowing Championships. This isn’t a full programme World Rowing Championships however – it’s just for lightweight and para-rowing events that weren’t included in the Olympic/Paralympic programmes. For the first time since 2016, these are being combined with a full programme age group world championships at both U19 and U23 levels – the so-called “Mega Worlds”.
The 2024 World Rowing Championships are being hosted by St. Catharines, Canada, the venue for the annual Royal Canadian Henley, who are hosting a senior World Rowing event for the first time since the 1999 World Rowing Championships.
The senior worlds offered events in the Lwt1X, Lwt2-, Lwt4X, PR2 1X and PR3 2- for both men and women, however there were no entries for the LW4X and only two entries for the PR3 M2-.
So, without further ado here’s a look at those crews who have entered.
Entries: 5
2023 Champions: Italy (Francesco Bardelli/Stefano Pinsone)
Favourites for the gold medal in this small field will be Austria, Konrad Hultsch and Paul Ruttmann. They won gold at the European championships this season and earlier in the season placed ninth in the LM2X at the opening World Rowing Cup.
Chasing the Austrians will be Moldova, Dmitrii Zincenco and Nichita Naumciuc. They made history in 2023, winning bronze in this event at the World Rowing Championships, Moldova’s first ever championship medal. This season, they finished third at the Europeans, but didn’t get a medal as it was only a three-boat event. This duo also raced together in the LM2- at the 2022 U23 world championships, finishing fifth.
The third entry in this event is from Georgia. It is a mix of youth and experience, with 19-year-old debutant Davit Lashkareishvili joined by 28-year-old Giorgi Kanteladze. Kanteladze was 20th in the LM1X at the 2023 World Rowing Championships and 25th the year before. Georgia has never won a world championship medal, or indeed made a world championship A-Final, so this pair have already made history.
Fourth on the entry list is Paraguay, Alberto Portillo and Matias Ramirez. This duo are making their World Rowing Championships debut, but were members of the mixed eight at the 2023 Pan American Games and in 2022 Ramirez won a silver medal in the LM2x at the Bolivarian Games.
The final entry in this event is from Thailand, Siwakorn Wongpin and Nawamin Dechudomrat. This duo have a decent amount of racing experience, Wongpin finished 18th in the LM2X at the Tokyo Olympics and the two athletes raced together in the LM4X in 2022 that finished third at the second World Rowing Cup and then tenth in the LM2X at the opening World Rowing Cup of the 2023 season.
Prediction
Austria to take the gold with Moldova in silver. Whoever wins the bronze will make history as neither Thailand, Paraguay or Georgia have ever won a world championship medal. If I have to pick one I’ll go for the Georgian’s to take it.
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