Who said you can’t have a blockbuster Henley Royal Regatta in an Olympic year? With the Paris Games just over a month away, this year’s Henley offers us a scintillating preview of drama and glory to come with a record-breaking entry and compelling narratives everywhere you look. We even have a very promising contingent of France-bound folk, who will be wanting to test their speed on the Thames ahead of a rendezvous in a number of weeks’ time. With the entry list now live, let’s sketch out some of the stories yet to be written…
Headlines
2024 will see 771 entries into the Regatta with 554 domestic and 217 overseas (a huge new international record, which breaks the 200 barrier for the very first time). A total of 27 nations are registered – another Regatta record – and the list includes record numbers from Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and the USA, alongside a first-ever feature from Algeria. Beyond that, we also see US crews ranked #1, #2 and #3 domestically featuring in the Fawley Challenge Cup and Prince Philip Challenge Trophy alongside IRA national title holders – the University of Washington – pitching up to tilt at the Grand. Only three events (the Grand, the Stewards’ and The Queen Mother) don’t necessitate qualifying races. Despite a relative lack of Olympic-standard opposition, this is already a vintage Regatta – credit to the Stewards for popularising Henley Royal Regatta as the place-to-be.
Open Events
Isn’t the Grand Challenge Cup looking, well, grand? A bumper docket, featuring boats from Canada, GB and the USA, greets us in the Regatta’s premier open event. It looks like Leander and Brookes – the two fastest boats domestically – will hash it out with the Canadian U23s (Rowing Canada), a US development crew flying the flag of Princeton Training Center and Craftsbury Green Racing Project and the collegiate national champions from the University of Washington.
The Remenham Challenge Cup is in rude health, receiving 13 entries, nearly the double the number from 2023. Amongst them are Dutch, American, Canadian and German development crews and a variety of UK contenders, including the perennially-present Brookes and Leander.
The Stewards’ will be a straight shoot-out between Leander and, you guessed it, Brookes whilst the Town Challenge Cup entices 17 crews into its arms (again outflanking its open counterpart). Team España of Spain is the national Spanish four who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Olympics and they’ll be up against a real medley of talent, including Washington’s Husky brigade, development crews from Canada and what appears to be a lightweight contingent from Boston University.
The Queen Mother Challenge Cup roars into life with six entrants, up from four in 2023. Amongst them are the Dutch U23s, the US quad that narrowly missed out on the Olympics plus an Estonian boat who beat them to it (Sõudekeskus Kalev and Pärnu Sõudeklubi). Spain have also entered here in a crew that is very likely to be their national quad alongside a German combination (Ruder-Klub Normannia Braunschweig e.V. and Sportclub Magdeburg e.V. Abteilung Rudern) featuring lightweights and development athletes. This promises to be very interesting.
Rolling with the increased entry number, The Princess Grace Challenge Cup shows no signs of bucking that trend with three more boats (17) than in 2023. Chief amongst them will be Lausanne-Sports Aviron, Switzerland and Shawnigan Lake School, Canada, which we believe features former world champion Jeannine Gmelin. Throw in a strong domestic component in Leander, Molesey, Reading and Twickenham plus Ruderclub Baden and See-Club Luzern of Switzerland, two Dutch boats flying the flags of Skadi and Nereus and the Advanced Rowing Initiative of the Northeast and Craftsbury Green Racing Project of the U.S.A. and you have something pretty tasty cooking.
Onto the small boats – which is remarkable considering how long I’ve already been writing – and both the pairs events (The Silver Goblets & Nickalls’ Challenge Cup and Hambleden Pairs Challenge Cup) will only feature ten boats each in the Regatta proper. That means we lose 50% of the open folk at qualifying but there are brilliant match-ups everywhere you look. Expect Malte Großmann and Marc Kammann of Ruder-Club Favorite Hammonia Hamburg and Der Hamburger und Germania Ruder Club from the German men’s four to be fast – and on the path to redemption after Kammann was removed from the eight following WC2. Niki Van Sprang and Guillaume Krommenhoek race for Hollandia Roeiclub of the Netherlands after narrowly missing out on Olympic qualification in what could be Niki’s competitive bow. Alongside them, I’m excited to see Jackson Kench and Rohan Lavery of Rowing Australia take to the Henley waters.
For the women, Emma Cornelis and Josephine Cornut of Team France lead the charge, having missed out on Olympic qualification in Lucerne a few weeks ago, and their sternest challenge could well emerge from either Eliza Gaffney and Samantha Morton of Rowing Australia or the German duo of Lena Sarassa and Hannah Reif, who wear the colours of Frankfurter Rudergesellschaft Germania 1869 e.V. and Crefelder Ruderclub 1883 e.V.
DEEP BREATHS EVERYONE and then we move into the sculling. Again, a massive 21 entries for the The Double Sculls Challenge Cup means we’ll only see ten of these boats at the Regatta proper sadly. This looks like a developmental scrap between Dutch, German and Australian crews although don’t write off the talents of Jamie Gare and Cedol Dafydd in Leander Club colours.
The Stonor Challenge Trophy again raises the bar with 19 entries, four up on 2023, as we welcome another group of compelling double-acts. The Reichhardt sisters – representing Akademischer Ruderclub Würzburg of Germany – feature here as the German lightweight women’s double but will be pushed hard by the interesting duo of Alizée Brien – a former pro cyclist turned Pan Am Games-winner for Canada – and Elisa Bolinger, who was a silver medalist at the 2022 U23 world championships and raced in Canada’s women’s quad.
The Diamond Challenge Sculls sees the great Oliver Zeidler return to try and claim his fourth title but he faces four other Paris-bound scullers, including Jacob Plihal, who just qualified for the Olympics via the FOQR. Filip-Matej Pfeifer of Slovenia is a lightweight, whose most recent result on the world stage was ninth overall in the LM1x, whilst Hamish Harding of the Australian National University Boat Club raced at raced at World Rowing Cup I in a double. Scullers from Zimbabwe, Algeria (for the first time ever, thanks to Sid Ali Boudina), Bermuda, Denmark, Italy (Martino Goretti, a former lightweight world champion), and Sweden (Eskil Borgh, who placed 11th overall at the European championships in a double and 22nd in the single at the 2023 world championships) complete a stunning roster that would not be out of place at an official World Rowing event. Good luck to the Stewards whittling this down to 24 athletes.
The Princess Royal Challenge Cup is one of the few categories to feature less athletes than in 2023 but Sophia Luwis of Whitemarsh Boat Club immediately catches the eye as last year’s world bronze medalist in the lightweight women’s single. She was defeated in last year’s semi-final so will be back in 2024 to take home the top prize. It’s also great to see Cicely Madden – who raced in Tokyo to a tenth-placed finish in the women’s quad – competing for Cambridge Boat Club of the USA. Pia Otto doubles up at both HWR and HRR whilst perhaps Kathryn Rowan of Rowing Australia, who raced the single at the third World Rowing Cup to a 15th-placed finish, will be a good shout.
Intermediate Events
Not to be overshadowed by a plump Grand, The Ladies Challenge Plate features eight boats from three countries, including two from the USA (California Rowing Club) and Princeton University’s first Varsity crew. A very strong imitation of Cambridge University men’s Blue Boat also features. 22 crews in the Visitors’ Challenge Cup, which features holders from Oxford Brookes alongside boats from the IRA Varsity eight bronze medal-winning University of California, Berkeley and Eastern Sprint-winning Brown University. Crews featuring athletes from Serbia, Israel, Norway, Mexico, Germany, Netherlands and Scotland fill out an event that always produces magical racing. Again, The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup promises not to just be the Leander spectacle (although I said that last year and they still won) and the theme of broad international representation carries on here, with boats from across the world pitching up on the green and luscious Henley banks. I am told that the Algemene Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereniging Skøll boat in particular are moving extremely well.
Club Events
Keen not to write the next great American novel, I will bring haste and concision to my writing as best I can, despite the fact that this is probably the best Henley roster ever. The Thames Challenge Cup features punchy line-ups from holders Thames and ever-present Putney rivals London Rowing Club but my eyes are also drawn to Avon Rowing Club of New Zealand, who won the men’s premier eight at the national championships a few months ago. ‘De Hoop’, beaten finalists in 2023, return for vengeance alongside two German boats, two Swiss boats, a crew from Shanghai and Riverside Boat Club of the USA. 54 entries for club eights, snipped to 32 for the main parade, is a remarkable characterisation of the health of global club rowing.
The Wargrave Challenge Cup is a similarly punchy story, with eight more entries than in 2023. Belvoir Ruderclub Zürich have sent boats in both club eight events as have Riverside Boat Club whilst Sydney Rowing Club, famed for their club-killing ability in the UK, send a crew to disrupt the established order that the likes of Thames and Leander have laid down.
The Wyfold Challenge Cup is a rocket once again, with a monster 59 boats competing for 32 slots. Switzerland are well represented again, with two boats from Grasshopper Club, Zürich (who won this event in 2016) and Seeclub Zürich, who will surely know each other well. Mercantile Rowing Club of Australia will race at Marlow, giving us an early sighter of their potential in this category. Even as I scan, I catch sight of more names, notable Spanish and Canadian representation via Barcelona Club de Rem and Calgary Rowing Club respectively. Will the club titles be staying in Putney for another year or can someone put the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons?
The Britannia Challenge Cup was an all-British affair in the main last year but is threatening to be genuinely pretty interesting in 2024 (meaning no disrespect to a brilliant Thames, who have won this event two years on the trot). Wairau Rowing Club, New Zealand are a crew that need to be acknowledged, having travelled halfway around the world – if it’s the same athletes that won bronze in the premier quad category at their nationals, they could be a strong outfit.
Student Events
Usually amongst my favourite trophies, I confess that I am a little disappointed in these cohorts in 2024. To be clear, on any other year, I’d be singing their praises. But in a vintage when all of the other wines matured to near-perfection, I can’t help but feel this set of grapes have soured slightly on last year’s crop. The Temple Challenge Cup is down eight entries on last year’s whopping 80 boats and probably doesn’t have the same calibre at the top-end. Oxford Brookes will certainly fancy their chances to secure a third successive title unless one of a batch of Dutch crews (including two from Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Nereus, two from Delftsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Laga and one each from Groninger Studenten Roeivereniging Aegir and Koninklijke Studenten Roeivereeniging Njord) can find the sort of speed that the field was lacking at the Holland Beker. Harvard’s IRA-winning Varsity eight is here to play and their speed at Marlow will be interesting to watch.
The Island Challenge Cup was always going to struggle to match the heady heights of yesteryear and so it seems, with a slightly weaker import list. No A-finalists from the NCAAs but plenty of crews budding to prove themselves on the Henley straights, including the University of Iowa, Boston University, Southern Methodist University, Trinity College, Hartford, Virginia and two from the University of Rhode Island. Oxford Brookes may well have a clear run once again, although expect silver and bronze medalists from BUCS Regatta in Durham University and University of London to have more than a small amount to say about that. Cambridge University also feature in a replica model of their triumphant Blue Boat.
The Prince Albert Challenge Cup is way down on 2023, with half the number of entries. Focus must first go on holders Oxford Brookes, whose results at Marlow Regatta this weekend should be indicative of their ability to win a second consecutive trophy. Edinburgh and the University of London have piled their best folk into these boats and we also see entries from Harvard University (silver medalists at the IRA National Championships), Cornell University and La Salle. Thoughts and prayers to the one crew that misses out at qualifiers.
Junior Events
Seems like the Americans have woken up. We’ve got gold, silver and bronze from the USRowing Youth National Championships in both the Prince Philip Challenge Trophy and the Fawley Challenge Cup. The former sees RowAmerica Rye – newly-minted national champions in the women’s youth eight – arrive on the start-line at Henley for the first time alongside Newport Aquatic Centre. Marin Rowing Association, who won bronze at Nathan Benderson Park, are also back, albeit on the women’s side in 2024. This trophy also features the Australian national champions from St Catherine’s and beaten 2022 finalists from Winter Park Crew, who race here for the third year in a row. The cohort of domestic talent includes national champions Hinksey Sculling School alongside last year’s semi-finalists Headington School.
Meanwhile, the Fawley will see the best of the British face off against crews including 2023 semi-finalists Los Gatos plus Whitemarsh and Texas Rowing Centre. Can Windsor reclaim the title they last won in 2022 – after securing the national crown in May – or will one of the peloton step forward in claim of the yellow jersey?
Not wishing to be left behind, the Princess Elizabeth features Hamilton Boys School of New Zealand – Maadi Cup winners – alongside Southport School, who were silver medalists at the Australian Rowing Championships in March. Chuck in a handful of US boats – including Princeton National Rowing Association, who were fifth at the nationals – and the obvious contenders from the UK – including a pretty impressive unit from St Paul’s School and holders from St Edward’s – and you have yourself a right ol’ rumble.
The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup is perhaps the least inspiring in terms of entry diversity but it features what is likely to be one of the stand-out crews of the Regatta in Wycliffe College Boat Club. Undefeated national champions, we could be on the verge of witnessing Henley history when these girls take to the water. Can anyone stand up to them? Los Gatos were second at the USRowing Youth Nationals whilst E.L Crossley were Canadian national champions and won the Head of the Charles back in October by 16 seconds (over crews including Tideway Scullers School). Shawnigan Lake School – who also feature here – were third in Canada.
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