2024 World Rowing Under 23 Championships – Women’s Pair Preview

Image Credit: World Rowing

Of the 20 athletes who raced in this event in Plovdiv, only one will race it again in St Catharine’s. Despite this, we have a strong entry with 11 countries from five continents represented on the start-list. With no out-and-out favourite clearly identifying themselves, all crews will hope they can make it click and end up near the top of the pile in Thursday’s final.

Spain

The only athlete to return to this event after last year’s championships is Emma Alimbau Borras of Spain. She is joined by another US-based Spaniard in the form of the University of Miami’s Naroa Zubimendi. Alimbau Borras will be aiming to finish in the top four having finished in fifth place in each of the three world championships in her career across both junior and U23 levels. Zubimendi also has plenty of experience on this stage as while she did not race last summer, she has raced at both U23 and junior world championships previously, finishing eighth overall in both events. This year, one or both of these records must end and in such a new field, they will be hoping to move up the order.

Germany

Lene Muehrs of Germany is among the most experienced athletes in this event. Twice a medalist at U23s and once as a junior, she made her senior international debut last season at the world championships. Despite this, she has only ever been in the eight and never in a smaller boat. This year, she steps into the least stable boat of all, joined by Anni Koetitz, another decorated athlete on the global stage. Koetitz has the benefit of experience racing in the pair, having won the bronze at the 2019 junior world championships. Neither of the pair have ever won a gold medal on the global stage so will be hoping to break that run here, with a good chance of succeeding if everything goes their way.

France

While many of the crews in this event have come together in the last few months, the French offering have rowed together for most of the season. Racing together to win silver at the Senior National Championships in France, Lea Herscovici and Fleur Vaucoret have raced as the French pair at the European championships and the Poznan World Rowing Cup in preparation for this event. This is Herscovici’s first year as an U23, having raced at the junior world championships for the last three years, earning two medals. She is joined by the experience of Fleur Vaucoret, who has been in the coxless four for France at the last two U23 world championships and previously won gold in the junior pair. This crew has the pedigree to compete with anyone, especially given the benefits that can come from training extensively as a unit.

Netherlands

While they may not have been racing in the pair all season, it is difficult to rival the Dutch pairing of Tabo Stekelenburg and Lotta van Westreenen in knowledge of each other. Not only are they both enrolled at the University of California, but they also both went to school at Barlaeus Gymnasium in Amsterdam. This year, the two of them helped the Golden Bears finish second as a team at the Pac-12 Championships and ninth overall at NCAAs before returning home to prepare for this event. Stekelenburg was part of the last-placed coxless four in Plovdiv last year, which was her first international race since Coupe de la Jeunesse 2019 and so she will be bolstered by the experience of van Westreenen. The younger crewmate raced in the eight at last year’s world championships but found greater success in her junior years in sculling boats, most notably winning the 2021 junior world championships in the double. In the smallest sweep boat, they will be hoping their shared experience on both sides of the Atlantic helps them to a strong finish position. 

Great Britain

Representing Great Britain in this event is Anna Grace and Holly Youd. Rowing for Durham and Newcastle University respectively, they have put their rivalry aside to trial in this pairing before being selected to wear the national stripes. Of the two, Anna Grace is the only one with experience at this level having raced in the GB eight at this event last year as well as in the quad at the U23 European championships previously. Youd, by contrast, will be earning her first GB vest this year but the Henley finalist has plenty of experience racing at a high level domestically. Based on trials results, this may not be the highest priority crew coming out of Caversham, but with the depth that British Rowing is regularly able to display, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this crew getting involved at the business end of proceedings.

Lithuania

The Lithuanian rowing programme is centred largely on sculling, with all four of the small nation’s Olympic medals having come in the discipline. Despite this, they won gold in this event last year. They return this year with an all-changed lineup of Ula Jonusaite and Ugne Rudaityte. Previously these two have only raced internationally in sculling boats, with Jonusaite racing in the quad and Rudaityte the single at this event last year but being based in the sweep-only NCAA system, they have been selected to defend the title in this category. With strong performances on this side of the Atlantic, they will hope to carry their success north of the border.

Brazil

While better known for their legendary footballing section, CR Flamengo were originally founded as a rowing club. From their Rio de Jannero boathouse comes the Brazilian crew of Lara Postiglioni and Mariana Macedo, who are entered into this event. Both have experience racing in Europe, with Postiglioni having raced in the pair at the 2022 junior world championships in Varese and Macedo raced in the Czech Republic as part of an U23 coxless four at the 2021 world championships. This year, the championships are on the same side of the Atlantic and they will be wanting to put on a good performance in Macedo’s final year of eligibility. 

Chile

Another South American crew worth keeping an eye on is the Chilean combination of Felpia Rosas Villalobos and Antonia Pichott. Rosas Villalobos is young enough to have raced in the junior events next week but instead will combine with Pichott, still a teenager herself but already one of the stars of the sport in Chile. After winning a silver medal in the coxless four at these championships last year in Plovdiv, she stepped up to the senior team, racing in the same category at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta and subsequently at the Lucerne World Rowing Cup. Back in her own age category, she will be looking to add to her medal collection with a new teammate in the only female crew that the country has entered in St Catharine’s this weekend.

Prediction

A difficult event to predict at the best of times, the pair is made doubly more difficult with the athletes having such little common history in these events. With what can only be considered a mildly educated guess, I’m going to pick the California-educated Netherlands pair for gold ahead of the French crew. For bronze, don’t be surprised to see the Chilean duo in the mix, but with such an open field, each and every crew will back themselves to pick up some hardware. 

About The Author

Fraser Innes

Fraser joined the JRN team in September 2022 and regularly writes about domestic and international rowing with particular specialisation on US Collegiate Rowing having launched JRN’s coverage and being a staple on the End of the Island’s series on the topic. He has been involved with the sport since 2016 at George Heriot’s School and the Universities of Glasgow and Wisconsin.

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