Image Credit: World Rowing
The second World Rowing Cup of the year promises so much. Our European contenders, who we have already seen race on one, if not two, occasions this year meet their rivals from across continents as Australia, New Zealand, the USA and a number of other heavy-hitting global players converge on Lucerne in what will be many crews’ final race before the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As always, JRN are previewing every single event in-depth as we take another enormous step forward towards the crowning moment of our sport.
Entries: 17
World Cup II is a critical juncture for crews, coaches and nations alike: how you perform here is one of the best indicators of your Olympic prospects.
The pairs are unique in offering a rare chance for athletes—rather than nations—to establish glorious dominance: Pinsent and Cracknell, Murray and Bond, the Sinković brothers, to name a few.
2024 could well be the year another duo joins these names in the halls of fame, with Tom George and Ollie Wynne-Griffith of Great Britain the clear favourites heading into World Cup II. Impeccable form has meant this paring has never finished a World Rowing event outside of the top three, not to mention their wealth of experience in larger boats through previous Olympic cycles, Henley campaigns, and Boat Race show-downs. Moreover, contrary to what we have expected from the British, George and Wynne-Griffith appear to have developed a terrifyingly brisk start to complement their relentless mid-race pace. When firing on all cylinders, this crew is almost impossible to beat.
A second British pair, crewed by James Robson and William Stewart, will also line up in Lucerne this weekend. This duo made waves by finishing in the A final at the first World Cup, though with increased competition in the second round, they will do well to place in the B final and will no doubt be benchmarking their efforts against those of the ‘second’ crews from the US, Ireland, Australia, and Italy.
The Romanian pair’s conspicuous absence means the closest challenge to the top British pair is likely to come from Switzerland. Roman Roeoesli and Andrin Gulich hope to wrestle their fortunes back to the form they demonstrated at the 2023 world championships, where they stole gold from the British. A technically excellent duo, the Swiss’ racecraft seems to have suffered in recent months, though perhaps a return to home water will brighten their prospects.
Another crew seemingly unable to keep up with the pack, the Spanish contingent of Javier Garcia Ordonez and Jaime Canalejo Pazos once dreamt of World Championship glory, but always seemed to be marginally off the pace, being relegated to the B-final on a semi-regular basis. A new-look start list this weekend could benefit the Spanish, though a medal looks unlikely.
The Italians, on the other hand, could be the ones to throw a spanner in the works: Davide Comini and Giovanni Codato have shown a positive trajectory this year, now regularly seen in the A-final, rather than being relegated to the minor finals as was all-too-often the case in 2023. In the absence of traditionally more robust offerings from Romania, Croatia and The Netherlands, could we see a sensational bronze for Italy?
Making their first appearance of the 2024 season, the United States are shipping over a new-look men’s pair with William Bender and Oliver Bub hoping to take the fight to their European counterparts. Bender, who finished fifth in the pair at the 2023 world championships, brings his experience to the table and is joined by Bub, previously resident in the US eight. Yet to be tested, the Americans may well have a trick up their sleeve, though medal pickings look slim. The US will also have a second pair on display at the event, with Alexander Hedge and Augustine Rodriguez looking to make a name for themselves within the US setup.
Australia are also on their maiden voyage of the year, and will be showing off two pairs. Patrick Holt and Simon Keenan comprise the top boat, with long-time small boat resident Keenan being joined by Holt, who previously represented Australia in the eight. Not dissimilar to so many mentioned in this preview, the Aussies are likely to find themselves fighting for a place in the A-final.
South Africa will be joining the scrap for A-final places: John Smith and Christopher Baxter have enjoyed success on this category’s peripheries of this category, regularly making it to the main final but failing to convert those opportunities to podiums.
The pairs from Ireland, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Germany complete the roster and round out a category that promises exciting racing, particularly in the semi-finals.
Prediction
This is Britain’s race to lose, and bar a monumental upset, George and Wynne-Griffith will extend their World Cup lead and further brighten their Olympic prospects. I’m picking Switzerland for silver and Italy for bronze. Behind the podium sitters, this is a category dense with talent that has a tendency to flirt with the prospect of A-final finishes, meaning we can expect dramatic racing at every stage of the competition.
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