The single is the ultimate boat class for athletes trying to make a name for themselves. There is no hiding, no one else to attribute blame or success to. The result is determined exclusively by what the man between the gunwales is capable of on the day, and at the Head of the Charles, you need to be capable of an awful lot. It’s not just a test of athleticism and technique, it’s a test of chaos management, of steering and line choice, of focus among an endless barrage of distraction, and that list of demands is sometimes overloading for traditional favourites, who are used to a single lane, consistent conditions, and no one sitting four feet in front of your bow washing you down and taking a questionably long time to yield. Producing an upset at this regatta can change the career trajectory of an athlete.
Ben Davison
Ben Davison knows this better than anyone. He stormed onto the scene when he secured his first of two victories in this event in 2017 while he was still an undergraduate at the University of Washington. Following that performance, he became a staple of the US National team, where he competed in the Men’s Eight at the Tokyo Olympics, picking up his second victory in the Champ Single later that year of 2021. Since then, he has firmly committed to sculling, competing in the single in 2022, and the double in 2023. He will start at bow number six.
Sorin Koszyk
Hot on his heels will be Sorin Koszyk. The 2020 Cornell grad partnered Ben in the double this year, and the two of them picked up a silver medal at World Cup II in Varese. Sorin will surely be looking to get the better of his partner on the Charles.
Chris Carlson
Leading the charge at bow number one, Chris Carlson has been a regular member of the US men’s eight since the Tokyo Olympics, and won the Champ 8+ with US Rowing in 2022. Despite his background in sweep, Chris is a very talented sculler, and picked up third and second places in this event in 2021 and 2022 respectively. With a clear track ahead of him, will 2023 be the year he finally collects the coveted gold medal?
Clark Dean
Clark Dean meanwhile, carved his name in stone as a sculler, when he won back-to-back gold medals at Junior Worlds in 2017 and 2018, before making his Olympic debut in the Men’s Four at just 19 years old. After a hiatus of international rowing to focus on completing his studies at Harvard, he returned to the US National Team this year, rowing two seat of the Men’s Eight at the World Championships. Having trained at Harvard for four years, the Charles is his home course, and he will be using this experience to work his way through the field.
Eliot Putnam
Eliot Putnam, is also a regular in this event at Head of the Charles, and has picked up a handful of podium places over the last few years. He was USA’s representative in the single this year at the World Championships.
Tom Mackintosh
Not one, but two Tokyo Olympic Champions will also be challenging the field. Tom Mackintosh of New Zealand was bow of the fantastic Kiwi eight that upset the field when they won gold in Tokyo. After a run in the pair in 2022, he switched to the single for 2023, his first ever season in sculling. The rumours surrounding this young man’s supposedly limitless supply of talent all turned out to be true after he picked up the bronze medal at the World Championships after only four months in the single. He will make his Head of the Charles debut, and start at bow two.
Paul O’Donovan
Paul O’Donovan, Olympic Champion in the lightweight double, and five time World Champion, needs little more introduction. The charismatic talisman of the sport of rowing will start fourth, and will be hoping to put his trademark sprinting skills to good use. It’s a long race, but anyone who has raced HOCR knows; you can make up a lot of time past Eliot bridge.
Predictions:
Part of what makes Charles so special is that the multitude of external factors make it notoriously difficult to predict, and upsets and surprises happen every year. With all that in mind, I’m going to call Mackintosh for the win, Davison for second, and Carlson for third, but I will also acknowledge O’Donovan has more than enough talent to upset the field.
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