Holders: S Redgrave & S Dear
Entries: 16 (to be reduced to 12 by qualifying races)
The overwhelming favourites in this event (and indeed of any event at the regatta) will be the Waiariki Rowing Club pair of Grace Prendergast and Kerri Williams. They are the reigning Olympic and World Champions and have won this event both times they entered (in 2017 and 2019). As a W2- they have never finished off the podium at a World Rowing event stretching back to 2014.
Their main challenge may well come from their teammates, Kirstyn Goodger and Jackie Gowler (Kerri Williams’ sister). Gowler was a member of the Women’s Eight that won silver at the Tokyo Olympics and was world champion in 2019. Goodger raced in the W1X at the Poznan World Cup finishing 14th and was in the W4X at the 2019 World Championships; she’s no stranger to the W2- having raced in this boat class at the final World Cup of 2019.
Rowing Australia is represented by Jean Mitchell and Eleanor Price. Mitchell, from Melbourne University, and Price, from Sydney University, were the bow pair in the Women’s Eight at the Poznan World Cup that won bronze. That raced marked the international debuts for the two 22-year-olds.
At the other end of the experience spectrum is the California Rowing Club pair of Meghan Musnicki and Jessica Morrison. Musnicki is a two-time Olympic gold medallist from London and Rio and also has five World Championship titles to her name. She also raced at the Tokyo Olympics in the Women’s Eight finishing fourth. Aussie Morrison is also an Olympic champion having won gold in the W4- in Tokyo. The Mercantile Rowing Club athlete also won two world Championship silver medals in the W8 and W2- in 2018.
The Danish women’s rowing squad have made an excellent start to the 2022 season, winning their first ever Women’s Eight medal at the Poznan World Cup. Their pair, Sofie Vikkesloe & Nikoline Laidlaw, were both members of that medal-winning Women’s Eight and as a Women’s Pair-, were ninth in Belgrade and followed that up with another ninth place in Poznan.
Another pre-qualified boat is from Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Nereus, Floor Van Ameijde and Iris Kock. Kock was a member of the Netherlands U23 BW8 that won gold in 2019 and silver in 2021. Van Ameijde was a member of the Nereus crew that won the Varsity in April. This pair will be racing at the Holland Beker this weekend.
There’s also Dutch involvement in the University of California, Berkely crew. This is a Franco-Dutch combination of Lucine Ahyi and Fien Van Westreenan. Lucine raced for France at the Youth Olympic Games and then the U23 World Championship in 2021 finishing fifth in the BW8. Van Westreenan raced in the U23 BW2x at the 2021 World Championships winning the gold medal. They both rowed in the Cal Varsity Eight that finished fourth at the NCAA’s.
The leading British crew are the Leander Club entry of Annie Campbell-Orde and Sophia Heath. They were winners at Henley Women’s Regatta. Heath was a member of the GB U23 BW8 that finished fourth in 2018 and she and Campbell-Orde rowed in the British Women’s Eight that won the Windermere Cup this season.
Baan Rowing Club from Ireland are represented by Katie Shirlow and Rebecca Logan. Logan has just finished her Freshman year at Ohio State University and raced in their Varsity Coxed Four that finished fifth at the PAC-12 Championships. Katie Shirlow rowed for Ireland at the European U23 Championships in 2019.
The final pre-qualified crew are Molesey Boat Club, Amber Harwood & Hannah Medcalf. They are both students at the University of Texas and rowed in the Longhorns second varsity crew that finished fourth at the NCAA’s.
Of the crews required to qualify there are a couple of US Collegiate crews. The Yale University duo of Katie King-Smith and Lucy Edmunds will probably be favourites to take one of the three qualifying spots available. King-Smith is a Henley winner, having won the Wargrave with Leander last season. Edmunds was a member of the Gb U23 BW8 that won silver in 2019.
The University of Washington boat has Kiwi Shakira Mirfin and American Madi Frampton. They both rowed in the Varsity Coxed Fours that won silver at the PAC-12 Championships.
Predictions: I can’t see anyone getting close to Prendergast and Williams, in fact (depending on the draw) this will probably be an all-Waiariki final.
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