2021 World Rowing Cup I – Women’s Preview

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After a hiatus in 2020 (for obvious reasons), the Rowing World Cup circuit kicks off again with the 1st World Cup from April 30th – 2nd May. For the first time, the World Cup visits Zagreb in Croatia and Jarun Lake. First used for the 1988 World University Games, the course played host to the 2000 World Championships (non-Olympic events) and last hosted a major international regatta in 2016 with the European University Championships.

It is a little disappointing, although perhaps not surprising, that the entries for the 1st World Cup are a little limited. Six of the events have six entries or fewer, meaning straight finals, and for the first time at a World Cup, there will be no men’s or women’s 8’s. It also looks like several nations are using the World Cup to give international experience to young athletes, with no fewer than 41 athletes making their senior international debuts (including five of the eight entries in the LW1X) – that’s 17.5% of the total – another record for a World Cup.

World Rowing has decided to use this World Cup to test Time Trials instead of side-by-side heats, presenting a different challenge to all the crews.

So, as always, I’ll cast my eye over the entries and try and give a form guide for each of the events…

W1X

Seven entries

This is the lowest number of entries for a World Cup since Henley in 1995 (when the World Cups were just for the single sculls). None of the A-Finalists from Varese are racing, but the favourite must surely be Magdalena Lobnig of Austria. She was one of the favourites for the European Championships before illness forced her withdrawal just before the regatta started. She is the class of the field and was runner-up at the 2020 European Championships and finished 6th at the Rio Olympics.

Lovisa Claesson of Sweden qualified the boat for Tokyo via the European Qualification Regatta. She was 10th at the 2019 European Championships and 15th in the World that year.

Another sculler who is heading to the Olympics is Jovanna Arsic of Serbia. She finished 3rd at the European Qualification Regatta, and her best result at a World Cup level was 5th place at the 1st World Cup of 2019.

This event also sees a couple of lightweight scullers moving up to open-weight, Iulia Narivoncic of Moldova and Nina Kostanjsek of Slovenia.

Also racing are Switzerland’s Salome Ulrich (6th in the W4X at the 2020 Europeans) and Bruna Milanovic of Croatia (14th in the W4- at the 2019 World Championships).

Predictions: This should be a comfortable win for Lobnig, but behind her, it could be quite a fight for the silver and bronze. I think it’ll be between Arsic and Claesson for the lesser medals.

W2X

Four entries

The fewest entries for this event since the Princeton World Cup in 2001. The clear favourites here are Lithuania, Milda Valciukaite and Donata Karaliene. They were runners-up at the European Championships and were the 2018 World Champions and Rio bronze medallists.

Leading the chase of the Lithuanians will be the Czechs. Lenka Antosova and Kristyna Fleissnerova were 4th in Varese and B-Finalists at the World Championship in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

France will be the likely other medallists; they have reunited Helene Lefebvre and Elodie Ravera-Scaramozzino. This duo were European bronze medallists in 2020 and finished 6th at the 2019 World Championships. Lefebvre raced the double with Margaux Bailleul at the 2021 Europeans, finishing 6th. Ravera-Scaramozzino was in the quad in Varese that came 8th. For the World Cup, these two have swapped places, with Bailleul returning to the quad.

The final crew in the event are Hungary. Kitti Horvath was 9th in the U23 BW2X in 2018, and her partner, Eszter Kremer, finished 21st in the double at the 2019 World Championships.

Predictions: Lithuania in gold with France in silver and the Czech Republic bronze (although I think it’ll be close between them).

W2-

Four entries

Only once have there been fewer entries (three at the 1st World Cup of 2017).

This should be a good contest between two of the A-Finalists from this year’s Europeans, Spain and Croatia.
Spain will probably start as favourites. Aina Cid and Virginia Diaz Rivas were bronze medallists in Varese. They were A-Finalists at the 2019 World Championships, and Cid (partnered by Anna Boada Piero) were World bronze medallist in 2018 and an A-Finalist in Rio.

Croatia has twins Ivana and Josipa Jurkovic. The 21-year-olds finished 5th at the Europeans and were in the W4- that finished 14th in 2019. As juniors, they won gold in the JW4- in 2017.

Anna Santruckova and Pavlina Flamikova represent the Czech Republic. They finished 8th at the Europeans. The final crew racing is France, Adele Brosse and Emma Cornelis. They raced the European Championships in the W4- where they came 10th.

Predictions: Spain in gold with Croatia in silver and Czech Republic in bronze.

W4-

Three entries

All three entries, France, Poland and Italy, raced at the European Championships earlier this month.

Poland (Maria Wierzbowska, Olga Michalikeiwicz, Monika Chabel and Joanna Dittmann) are the favourites on paper and are the only crew of the three to have already qualified for Tokyo courtesy of a 4th place finish at the 2019 World Championships. For the last few years, they have been rowing together, winning World Championship silver in 2017 and European bronze in 2019. However, at the European’s this month, they could only manage 3rd in the B-Final (9th overall).

6th overall in Varese were Italy (Aisha Rocek, Kiri Tontodonati, Alessandra Patelli and Chiara Ondoli). They were European silver medallists in 2020. Rocek and Tontodonati raced in the W2- at the 2019 World Championships, placing 6th and securing qualification for Tokyo. The Italians have yet to race a W2- this season (their 2020 pairing of Carmela Pappalardo and Laura Meriano finished 6th at the 2020 Europeans). So it remains to be seen if Rocek and Tontodonati remain in the W4-. Both Patelli and Ondoli also raced at the 2019 World Championships, with Patelli placing 12th in the W4- and Ondoli 8th in the W4X.

The third entry is from France. They have Adele Brosse and Emma Cornelis doubling up in the W2- and are joined by Maya Cornut and Lou-Anna Caniard. They finished 10th in Varese and are a young crew, all of whom were racing in either the U23 or junior team in 2019.

Predictions: Italy should take the gold, with Poland in silver and France bronze (assuming bronze medals are awarded in a three-boat event….they were in Varese, but that was counter to the FISA rules of racing!)

W4X

Four entries

Unlike their male counterparts, the German women did race at the Europeans and came away with a bronze medal (the only finalists from Varese racing in Zagreb). They are unchanged from Varese with Daniela Schultze, Carlotta Nwajide, Frieda Haemmerling and Franziska Kampmann. This quartet were European silver medallists in 2020 and qualified the boat for Tokyo with a 4th place finish in 2019 (with Michaela Staelberg instead of Carlotta Nwajide).

Poland had a slightly disappointing result in Varese. They were forced to the rep after losing their heat to Germany. They looked in command at halfway in the rep but had a poor 3rd 500 where they were overtaken by both Italy and Norway and ended up in 3rd by 7 seconds. They had a better race in the B-final and never looked threatened. They will be hoping for more consistent performance in Zagreb to challenge the Germans for gold.

France finished 8th at the Europeans, but they have made two changes to that crew for Zagreb. Margeux Bailleul moves into the quad from the W2X, and Marie Jacquet replaces Camille Juillet. They join Violaine Aernoudts and Emma Lunatti. They should be in a good battle for the bronze medal with the 4th and final entry in the event; Switzerland.

The Swiss finished one place and 3 seconds behind the French in Varese. Three of the crew, Ella von Der Schulenburg, Lisa Loetscher and Pascale Walker, raced in the quad at the 2020 Europeans, where they made the A-Final (where the French won the B-Final). These two crews have been closely matched for the last couple of seasons, and it’ll be interesting to see which one comes out on top as they both prepare for the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta.

Predictions: I think the Polish will put their performance in Varese behind them and pip the Germans for the gold, with the Swiss just getting the better of the French for bronze.

LW2X

Five entries

Belarus qualified their boat for Tokyo after finishing 6th in 2019. However, they have a slightly different line-up for Zagreb. Rio Olympian, Alena Furman (who raced with Anastasiia Ianina in 2019 and 2020), is joined by Tatsiana Hancharova, who is making her international debut. Furman raced in the LM1X in Varese, winning gold.

Switzerland’s Patricia Merz and Frederique Rol are a well-established duo, having been racing together since 2018. They finished 7th at the 2020 Europeans and 11th at the 2019 World Championships. Their best results have been bronze at both the 2018 and 2019 Europeans and 4th place at the 2018 World Championships. They will have been disappointed not to have qualified for Tokyo in 2019 but will be among the favourites in a very competitive field at the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta. A win in Zagreb will be an excellent way to open their season and set them up nicely for Lucerne.

France has qualified for Tokyo, following a 5th place in 2019 by their crew of Laura Tarantola and Claire Bove. Bove picked up a bronze in the LW1X at the Europeans a couple of weeks ago, but Zagreb will be their first race of the season in the double. At the 2019 European Championships, they won silver, and in 2018 Tarantola was World Champion in the LW1X.

The Czech Republic has a young pairing of 18-year-old Veronika Cinkova (making her international debut) and 2019 U23 international Kristyna Neuhortova (10th in the LW1X Varese).

The final crew in the event are another pair of debutants, Merve Uslu and Elis Ozbay of Turkey. Uslu raced in the U23 BLW1X in 2018, finishing 16th.

Predictions: This is shaping up to be a good contest between Switzerland and France, with the new double from Belarus being a bit of an unknown quantity. I think the Swiss will nip the gold ahead of France and Belarus.

LW1X

Eight entries

As mentioned at the start, five athletes are making their senior international debuts in this event.
Lara Tiefenthaler of Austria is the first of these debutants. She won a bronze in the BLW1X at the 2019 U23 World Championships.

Luise Rasmussen of Germany is another debutant with a U23 medal. She took bronze in the BLW2X in 2019.

Tosca Kettler from the Netherlands raced for Delft University at the European University Championships in 2019, taking gold in the LW4X.

The fourth of the debutants is Dora Dragicevic of Croatia. She makes her first international appearance since racing at the Junior World Championships in 2014.

The final debutant is Moldova’s Ecaterina Fedorenco.

Among the more experienced scullers, it should be a good contest between Sofia Meakin of Switzerland (9th in Varese and a European silver medallist in 2020) and Katrin Thoma (Germany 1), who was 8th at the Europeans. Also in the mix will be Switzerland’s 2nd sculler, Eline Rol. She reigned U23 BLW2X World Champion and raced in the open-weight W4X at the 2019 Europeans.

Predictions: This could be close between SUI1, SUI2 and GER1. I’m going for Germany in gold with the 2 Swiss scullers fighting it out for the silver and bronze.

So that’s it. It is great to see racing, and some exciting combinations are racing in Zagreb, but it does feel like a bit of a sideshow before the real action starts in Lucerne next month.

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