Image credit: World Rowing
The final World Cup in Olympic year is always a bit of a strange affair. It’s often a mix of Olympic-bound crews looking for some final race practice, and nations looking to give experience to their development boats ahead of the next Olympic cycle. This year’s final World Cup is no different. The host for this World Cup is the Lake Malta course in Poznan, one of the most frequently used courses in all of World Rowing.
So, here’s my look at who to watch out for in each event and also perhaps a few names to watch for the LA Olympic cycle.
Entries: 23
The hot favourite in this event will be Tara Rigney of Australia. She was in the double that won the B-Final in Tokyo and in 2022 she became Australia’s representative in the single. So far, she has made the podium each time she’s raced and won bronze at both the 2022 and 2023 world championships. This season she raced at the Lucerne World Rowing Cup, finishing runner-up to Karolien Florijn of the Netherlands. With the Dutchwoman not racing in Poznan, this gives Rigney an ideal opportunity to make the top step of the podium for the first time in her career and the first time for Australia since 2016.
The Aussies have a second sculler competing, Kathryn Rowan. She raced in the quad at the 2023 world championships and again at the Lucerne World Rowing Cup, but for Poznan she’s replaced in the quad by Ria Thompson.
Poznan sees the return to competition of one of the most experienced athletes in the whole regatta, Magdalena Lobnig of Austria. 2024 will be her 16th season on the senior circuit. The Tokyo bronze medallist is headed to Paris for what will be her third Olympics. She’s been one of the most consistent performers, reaching the A-Final at 34 out of 39 events. The 2023 world championships was one of the few occasions she missed out on the A-Final, but ended up winning the B-Final. She also dabbled in coastal rowing in 2023, winning silver in the CW2X with her sister Katharina. Poznan will be her first appearance of the season.
Jovana Arsic of Serbia made history at the European championships this season, winning Serbia’s first ever W1X gold medal. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Serbian team gets on in Poznan. The Serbian Rowing Federation is in disarray – they have been suspended by the Serbian National Olympic Committee and subsequently by World Rowing following financial irregularities. This means that the Serbian Federation can no longer enter World Rowing events. However, this doesn’t mean that Arsic will have to withdraw. World Rowing have announced that all Serbian rowers headed for the Olympics will be managed directly by the Serbian National Olympic Committee. What happens after Paris though is another matter entirely.
One intriguing entry is Anneta Kyridou, who is representing the USA. She made her senior debut for her native Greece whilst still a teenager and became U23 BW2X world champion in 2019. In 2020 she won bronze in the W1X at the European championships and went on to race for Greece at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing tenth. Now a student at Ohio State University, Poznan marks her first international appearance since Tokyo and her first representing the USA.
The USA also has a second sculler competing, Maggie Fellows. She has bronze and silver medals from the 2019 Pan-American Games and made her World Rowing debut in 2022, placing ninth in the single at the second World Rowing Cup and then stepped into the quad for the 2022 world championships. Last season she acted as the reserve for the US women’s team.
Switzerland’s Aurelia-Maxima Janzen is heading to Paris after finishing second at the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta. The 20-year-old is the reigning U23 world champion and also took the senior circuit by storm in winning silver at the 2023 European championships (using her trademark Macon blades). She came back down to earth with a little bump at the world championships; her 11th place was two off automatic qualification. This season she’s also found the competition a little tougher; she finished eighth in Varese and then won the B-Final at the European championships in Hungary before placing tenth at the Lucerne World Rowing Cup.
Also heading to Paris is Azerbaijan’s Diana Dymchenko. She booked her place in Paris after finishing second at the European Olympic Qualifying Regatta. She represented her native Ukraine from 2012 to 2021 with her best result coming at the final World Rowing Cup of the 2021 season where she took gold in the W1X. Since switching to Azerbaijan she has a best result of sixth at the second World Rowing Cup of 2023 and also took silver in the CW1x at the 2023 world coastal championships.
Another sculler who has switched nationalities is Anna Prakaten. She represented Russia from 2014-2021, winning the European championships in 2021 and then winning silver at the Tokyo Olympics. She didn’t race in 2022 and made her debut for Uzbekistan in 2023 although her 15th place wasn’t good enough to secure Olympic qualification. She gained her Olympic spot with victory at the Asia and Oceania Olympic Qualifying Regatta. She also raced in Lucerne, placing third in the B-Final for a ninth place overall.
Germany has two scullers competing, both members of their development squad. Racing as GER1 is Juliane Faralisch. She was a member of the W4- that finished 16th in 2019 and this season has been racing as the second single at both World Rowing Cups, just missing the podium at the first and then placing 11th at the second. GER2 is Lisa Gutfleisch. She was a member of the quad throughout this season, winning bronze at both the opening World Rowing Cup and the European championships. But for Poznan, her place in that boat has been taken by Tabea Schendekehl.
France is another nation with two development boats in the event. Racing as FRA1 is Audrey Feutrie. She was in the quad last season that finished 12th so Poznan will be her first race of the 2024 season. FRA2 is Gaia Chiavini. The 21-year-old makes her senior debut in Poznan having raced on the French U23 team in 2022 and 2023. Last season she also raced at the coastal rowing world championships, representing Monaco, placing ninth in the CW2X.
New Zealand’s Olympic representative, Emma Twigg, isn’t racing in Poznan. In her place the W1X spot is taken by Stella Clayton-Greene. She raced in the quad at the 2022 world championships and then in 2023 was selected to race the pair at the World Rowing Cup but illness forced their withdrawal. A similar thing happened this year – she was selected for the pair in Lucerne with Ella Cossill but the crew withdrew before their repechage.
Prediction
Tara Rigney to take the gold with Arsic in silver and Lobnig in bronze
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