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For over 50 years, the Heineken Roeivierkamp has hosted international racing, and this year will be no different, as many of the Paris Olympic gold medalists line up to compete in the men’s elite eight. There are eight entries this year, primarily Dutch, but Thames and Oxford have also entered the regatta.
The Dutch eight that won last year will not compete this time, but the runners-up from A.A.S.R. Skøll will return with a similar crew. This includes some of the new Talent Team members who recently raced against Cambridge in the fixtures and Lennart van Lierop, who won gold in the quad in Paris and silver medals in the eight at the World and European Rowing Championships.
The A.S.R. Nereus has brought its athletes back from the Bosbaan to form their true first eight, and the crew looks very strong. While several won last year’s event as part of the Dutch eight, others are coming off strong performances at trials and a promotion to the Talent Team. The oldest in the boat, Mick Makker, has won the Heineken six times and most recently competed with Gert-Jan van Doorn in the Paris eight, which won silver. They will be stroked by Finn Florijn, who won gold in Paris racing the quad.
While Thames normally focuses on the top club event at Henley Royal Regatta, they have entered five intermediate athletes in this elite eight. They have called in athletes like James Rudkin, who comes from the incredibly successful GB eight that won gold in Paris. They will be well prepared for any conditions after training on the Tideway, and we look forward to seeing how the different levels in this boat can generate speed on the Amstel.
The combination boat of Nereus/Aegir/Njord/Laga/Willem III/Thêta/Triton is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with, featuring even bigger names such as Simon van Dorp, Melvin Twellaar, and Rik Rienks, alongside other members of the Dutch national team. This “scratch eight” will undoubtedly set some very fast times.
Oxford’s Blue Boat will also race in the elite event after another harsh winter with flooding and a high stream on the Wallingford stretch. The weekend will be a valuable experience for them, and while Oxford won’t be peaking for this event, they will certainly be contending for the win. They have not only brought back rowers from last year’s Blue Boat, such as Saxon Stacy, but have also added gold medal-winning New Zealander Tom Mackintosh, supplementing yet another Olympian to their lineup.
Prediction
This weekend will feel like déjà vu for many of the Paris athletes who have now broken apart and come together in different combinations, but on Saturday, they will all line up for some very powerful racing. While many eights look strong, I expect Nereus to lead the race. With the added pressure of this being their home event and their natural chemistry, this boat will likely be the fastest this weekend.
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