Image Credit: World Rowing
The entries for the U23 men’s double scull are scintillating: a mixture of returning athletes from previous years, some young and exciting newcomers to the category as well as those already breaking into their senior teams. There are 14 crews representing six continents, ready to produce some of the best racing of the week in St Catherine’s.
Ireland
After winning a gold and a bronze in this event with Konan Pazzaia, Brian Colsh returns from working with the senior team to defend his title. He has spent his time across all three sculling boat classes at the senior level in the last two years but his successes at the U23 level have come in the double. This year, he is joined by Adam Murphy, an athlete from University College Cork who is racing on the world stage for the first time in a sculling boat. In 2021 and 2022, he won medals in the U23 coxed and coxless fours respectively before stepping up to the senior championships last year. He returns to the age group team this year in the sculling class, and he will be hoping to top off his collection with a gold medal in what is often the most popular event in the regatta.
Poland
Returning both athletes in their silver medal-winning crew from last summer is Poland with Jakub Wozniak and Konrad Domanski. Last year, they utilised a high stroke rate to out-pace most of their competition, falling only to their Irish opponents. In the meantime, Wozniak was called up to the senior team as they sought qualification to the Paris Olympics in the double. The project ultimately resulted in a tenth place at the European championships and failing to reach the final in Lucerne, but Wozniak was back in the double with Domanski for their home World Rowing Cup in mid-June. Preparing for these championships, the two made the A-Final in a field with a mixture of those preparing for the Olympics in Paris and those on a Los Angeles-focused development mindset. They will hope this preparation will allow them to take the final step up to the top of the podium.
Lithuania
Winning the single sculls at the junior world championships in your international debut is one way to get all eyes in the rowing world turned to you and in 2021 Lithuania’s Povilas Juskevicius did just that. In the intervening years, the oarsman has enrolled at the University of Washington and become a regular within the senior Lithuanian lineup, having raced at both senior and U23 world championships over the last two years, with sixth-placed finishes in both of his age group appearances. This year, he is joined by Benas Paunksnis, a domestically-based sculler who has made appearances in the quad in last year’s championships as well as winning the European University championships. Working together, they will have an aim to win a medal in St Catherine’s but they face a tough field of opposition.
Italy
The year after Juskevicius was the top junior sculler, the honour went to Marco Prati of Italy. The sculler was not such a revelation, having made the A-final 12 months earlier, but remains a rising star in Italian rowing. Last year, he was part of the Italian quad that placed fifth in the U23 world championships and managed to get involved in the battle for the nomination to the Olympic qualifiers in the single scull. An E-Final finish at the Varese World Rowing Cup put an end to this campaign rather quickly, but the level of talent required to get involved in this battle is significant. This season, he joins with Sebastiano Renzi who served as the sculling reserve for the 2023 junior team, making his debut at this level. The variety of experience in this crew is notable, but the Italian selectors have placed their faith in the young star as he makes his first appearance in a major championship.
Germany
Another crew with junior world champions on board is the German double. Jakob Geyer won the junior double in 2022, and Sydney Garbers was in the 2021 champion quad. More recently, Garbers won bronze in this event twelve months ago and will be hoping the strong partner he has enlisted will bring some speed to the lineup. At the national championships, Garbers’ Hannover crew claimed a dominant victory over the more favoured Berlin crew containing Jakob Geyer but the two have combined here in what they hope is the ideal combination as they take on the world. Neither has ever left a World Rowing event without a medal and they will be keen to continue that enviable record this week.
Great Britain
Having not won a medal in this event since 2017, the British selectors have placed some significant power into the double at this year’s championship. Stephen Hughes of Leander Club was among the top scullers outside of Caversham this year, coming off the back of a fourth-placed finish in the quad in his international debut at the U23 world championships last year. He would win the Queen Mother Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta 2024 to finish off his domestic season after making his senior debut in a fourth-placed outcome at the Poznan World Rowing Cup. Joining him in the crew is Matt Long, a fresher at Reading University who had as perfect a season as is possible for a university sculler in the UK, winning the championship single, double and quad at BUCS Regatta as well as placing at the top of the list at the April GB Trials. Together, they have their eyes focused on winning a medal here as they look to be only the second British crew in a decade to complete that feat.
Australia
Having sent a quad last year and picked up a bronze medal, Rowing Australia have nominated a double scull as their only men’s sculling boat for this year’s championship. Nicholas Blackman of the University of Adelaide returns from that boat having established himself domestically as the top age group sculler, winning the U23 single and double at the national championships. He is joined by Dominic Frederico, an athlete from Melbourne’s Mercantile Rowing Club who has also been there or there abouts on the domestic scene, picking up age group medals and being the Victoria state representative sculler but will be wearing the green and gold for the first time. Making the long trip across the Pacific, they will come with high expectations of medaling but with such limited experience on the world stage, it would be a shock if they could defeat some of the more established names.
United States
After displaying the required speed at the national trials, the US offering in this event comes in the form of James and John Patton, two brothers who both rowed at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. James, the older of the two, rows at Harvard and won a world championship silver medal in the junior eight in 2019, while John finished the family collection, winning gold and bronze in the same event in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Breaking with his brother, John enrolled at Yale University, rowing in their first eight in his first year in the program. The pair’s sculling experience is more limited beyond James’ time in the quad at this regatta last year, where the camp-selected boat finished in an underwhelming 11th. As a duo, they will put collegiate rivalries aside as they aim to take on the rest of the world in this competitive category.
Prediction
With both athletes returning, I would guess that the Polish crew will have progressed enough in order to take home the gold this year. For silver, the German crew have enough experience as juniors to take home yet another world rowing medal and my pick is for the prioritised British crew to bring home the bronze.
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