Great Britain’s next generation of athletes gets their first opportunity to show the fruits of their winter efforts this weekend in Boston. The long distance trial is an exercise in efficiency and fitness, and the top athletes will have to have both of those in spades if they’re to capture the attention of the GB coaching staff. With the opportunities for Olympic representation closed, their minds will be on who will be replacing the inevitable tide of retiring Olympians for the run into LA 2028. The U23 World Championships in Canada later this year are also an important stepping stone to senior representation, and are the first Championship to take place outside Europe since 2019 in Florida, making the prospect of a berth there all the more exciting. There will be Final Trials in April to come before any decisions are made, but an invitation to that race must be earned, and it all starts this weekend. The U23 field this weekend is relatively young, so there’s plenty of opportunity for someone to put their bow out in front, and make a name for themselves.
Stephen Hughes, Leander
Stephen is coming off an impressive 2023 season. A young man notorious for pushing the pace on UT2 ergs has seen that extra intensity pay off, churning out impressive testing scores. His highlight of 2023 has to be his GB debut in the U23 men’s quad, where the young crew placed fourth behind significantly more experienced opposition. Stephen is one of multiple athletes in that crew with remaining U23 eligibility, and I’d expect him to be near the top of the standings as he starts his run into the 2024 edition of the Championships in St Catherines
Byron Richards, Leander
This young 18-year-old has been on everyone’s radar since he was challenging the Leander senior men on the erg in his first year as a junior at the club, when he was just 16. Following a huge win in the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley last year, he has put extra attention into his already mature level of fitness, and the rumour is he was within mere seconds of the senior 5k cut-off. Following a B-Final appearance at the Junior World Championships in Paris last year in the single, he’s committed to making his skill in that boat class match his considerable engine, and it’ll be interesting to see how he matches up against considerably older talent. This weekend will be his first opportunity to try and put it all together.
Nathaniel Gauden, Leander
Nat is another athlete transitioning out of U19 into U23. The silver medallist in the junior quadruple sculls at the Junior World Championships last year was also a member of Leander’s winning Fawley Challenge Cup crew. With plenty of success in crew boats at the junior level, it will be interesting to see him make a name for himself in the smaller boat, and see how he compares in the older category.
Alfred Orpin, Oxford
At just 21, Freddy Orpin earned himself a seat in Oxford’s Blue Boat in 2023, suffering a heartbreaking loss that was arguably a coxswains race, after the daring move by Cambridge to cut the first bend. Nevertheless, the tenacity of that crew, of which Freddy was a key member, showed as they refused to give away any more margin through almost the entirely of the course. Back for another year at Oxford, preliminarily selected for the Blue Boat, and fresh off a win against Thames in the fixture last weekend, Freddy is putting away the sweep blade and jumping in the single, and will be looking to put that Boat Race-necessary fitness to good use over the 5k course.
While these gentleman come into this weekend with experience and winning records, there are others who could come in and upset the order. Look for the cohort from Reading University Boat Club’s supreme sculling program to throw their names into the conversation, as well as the young talent emerging from London University Boat Club.
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