We have reached the summit. As a rowing community, there are few weeks in the calendar that we collectively look forward to more than Henley Royal Regatta. The unique match-racing style format, the frivolity and festival unfolding on the banks alongside a pomp and circumstance that transports the punter back through the pages of time itself. All of this is secondary though to the curvature of competition that angles upwards as the week unfolds. From heats on the Tuesday to finals on the Sunday, all roads lead to the red box. JRN will be with you every step of the way to provide the most comprehensive coverage of the Regatta available anywhere in the world – and we start with our exclusive set of event previews. Roll on the racing.
Entries: 40 (to be reduced to 24 by Qualifying races)
Hot favourite this year will be the defending champion, Ollie Zeidler (racing as Frankfurter Rudergesellschaft Germania 1869 e.V., Germany). He already has three Pineapple Cups to his credit, and he looks like he wants to build a full dinner set, so may well have eyes on matching, if not beating, the record of six Diamonds victories set by the legends that are Stuart Mackenzie and Mahe Drysdale. For Zeidler, racing at Henley isn’t just a chance to swell his trophy cabinet; he’s known as someone who doesn’t relish tricky conditions, and that’s something the Henley stretch can provide in spades so the experience of racing multiple times down the bumpy Henley course stands him in good stead for the multi-lane 2K courses. As well as being the incumbent Henley champion, Zeidler is the reigning world champion but he has not had it all his own way this season. After wins at the opening World Rowing Cup and the European championships, he was beaten in Lucerne by Simon Van Dorp of the Netherlands. The big German will be looking for a confidence-boosting campaign at Henley as he heads off to the Paris Olympics next month.
Zeidler isn’t the only Paris-bound sculler competing at Henley. One of the main challengers for Zeidler to overcome will be Jacob Plihal of Craftsbury Green Racing Project, USA. The Northeastern University graduate qualified the single for Paris with a second place at the final Olympic qualifying regatta in Lucerne. He also raced as the US M1X during the World Rowing Cup series last year and in 2022 was in the Texas Rowing Center and Vesper Boat Club quad that lost in the final of the Queen Mother.
Plihal is one of four Americans in the entry list. Amongst the others is Tom Graves (Long Beach Junior Crew, USA). The 42-year-old is something of a Henley stalwart – he’s raced at the regatta nine times, reaching the final of the Double Sculls with his brother John in 2008. He also made the semi-finals of the Diamonds in 2018, losing to Mahe Drysdale. Another of the American contingent is Bernard Aparicio (Penn Athletic Rowing Association). The former lightweight raced for the USA in the LM4X at the 2023 world championships where they finished third (but didn’t win a bronze as there were only three boats in the event). The final US competitor is Alex Twist (Riverside Boat Club). He’s another former lightweight international and won a world championship bronze medal in the LM8 back in 2015. He went on to race in the LM2- at the 2017 and 2019 world championships, placing sixth and seventh respectively.
Another Paris-bound sculler is the Slovenian, Filip-Matej Pfeifer (Veslaški Klub Ljubljanica, Slovenia). He secured qualification in a slightly circuitous way after Serbia relinquished its single spot in favour of the double, meaning their place went to Slovenia. Pfeifer has been racing internationally since 2021 and his best result to date is an A-Final appearance at the opening World Rowing Cup of the 2022 season. He’s had some solid performances so far this year with an eighth place in Lucerne and ninth in Poznan.
Szymon Posnik (Akademicki Zwiazek Sportowy Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego Warszawa, Poland) was a member of the Polish M4X that won silver at the 2019 world championships and went on to finish fourth at the Tokyo Olympics. After Tokyo he moved into the double with Krzysztof Kasparek, finishing eighth at the 2022 world championships. His last international race was at the final World Rowing Cup of the 2023 season in the M2- with Adam Pozniak but the pair were forced to withdraw on medical grounds. He’s clearly an exceptional sculler and should be looking to make the semi-finals at the very least (which means the commentators will get plenty of practice pronouncing his club name!)
Also heading to Paris next month is Bermudian Dara Alizadeh (Bermuda Rowing Club). He’s a familiar name to British audiences having raced for Cambridge in the Boat Race. He also competed in the Diamonds in both 2021 (losing to Seb Devereux in the semi-finals) and 2023 (losing to Will Young in the first round). Internationally he secured his place at his second Olympic Games with a fourth place at the Americas Olympic Qualifying Regatta. In Tokyo he finished 18th and this season he raced at the second and third World Rowing Cups, placing 20th in Lucerne and 11th in Poznan (his best ever result at a World Rowing Cup).
The Netherlands are also well represented in the entries with four scullers. Lucas Keijzer and Jelle Bakker (both racing as Hollandia Roeiclub) were teammates at the U23 world championships last year, winning a silver medal in the BM4X. They both made their senior debuts in the M2X at the European championships where they finished 12th. They both raced in singles at the Holland Beker, with Keijzer taking the title 1.8 seconds ahead of Bakker. The third Dutch entry is the lightweight Brian Poll (Utrechtsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Triton). He raced in the LM2X at the opening World Rowing Cup of the season, placing tenth. He also raced at the Holland Beker, taking the LM1X title. The final Dutch entry is Lars Kreiter (Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Nereus). His international pedigree is an appearance in the NED4 M4- at the opening World Rowing Cup of 2022. He also made an appearance at the Holland Beker this year, placing fifth in the Nereus quad.
Australia also comes to the Diamonds mob-handed with three entries. The pick of these is Hamish Harding (Australian National University Boat Club). Another former lightweight, he was ninth in the LM1X at the 2022 World Rowing Championships and this season moved up to the M2X where he and partner Harrison Glackin finished tenth at the opening World Rowing Cup. Harding also raced at Marlow Regatta on Saturday, finishing sixth in the A-final for championship single sculls. The second of the Aussie contingent isn’t really an Aussie at all; Cam Buchan, rowing coach at Monkton Combe School, is entered for Henley as Surfer’s Paradise Rowing Club. Cam is a well-known figure on the British rowing circuit and has numerous Henley appearances to his credit. Last year, he reached the Friday in the Diamonds before losing to Canadian international Trevor Jones. He’s had some decent results domestically so far this season, winning at the Metropolitan Regatta and also winning the championship single title at Marlow. The third Australian entry is another Surfers Paradise sculler, Jackson Free. He finished eighth at the Australian National Championships in March and has national representative honours from the World University Games in 2018. Free and Buchan are also entered in the Double Sculls Challenge Cup.
Making his Henley debut is Sid Ali Boudina (Algeria Rowing), which, as far as I can tell, is the first ever Algerian entry at Henley. Boudina is a very experienced international and has been racing on the senior international circuit since 2011. He raced at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics (Rio in the M1X and Tokyo in the LM2X). He’s also headed to Paris to race in the M1X (courtesy of a third place at the African Olympic Qualifying Regatta). His best-ever result came at the 2022 World Rowing Championships where he won the B-Final.
Daniel Gutierrez (Team España, Spain) is another lightweight turned heavyweight. He missed out on qualifying for Paris at the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta. As a lightweight, he raced at the 2022 European championships, placing ninth in the LM1X, then, at the 2022 world championships, he was in the LM4X that finished fourth.
Making his second appearance in the Diamonds is Martino Goretti (Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Canottieri Moto Guzzi,Italy). He reached the Friday of the 2019 Regatta, losing to Harry Leask of Leander. Internationally, Goretti is one of the most experienced, and decorated athletes in the field. He raced in the LM4- at both the London and Rio Olympics and has a host of European and world championship medals, including gold in the LM1X from the 2019 world championships.
Another seasoned international is Eskil Borgh (Stockholms Rodd Forening, Sweden). He becomes the first Swede to compete in the Diamonds since the great Lassi Karonen back in 2010. His best result came at the 2022 European championships where he placed 12th. Last season he also competed at the World Coastal Rowing Championships, winning silver in the CM2X. This season, he placed 21st in the M1X at the opening World Rowing Cup and was 11th in the M2X at the Europeans.
Scandinavia is also represented by two Danish scullers, Askel Poulsen (Kobenhavns Roklub) and James Dodd (Aarhus Roklub). Poulsen represented Denmark at the 2019 U23 world championships and Dodd is a former GB lightweight triallist from his time at Durham University. Poulsen won at the Ratzeburger Regatta earlier this season.
Yi Lyu (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China) becomes China’s first entry in the Diamonds since 2009. He was a member of the eight that finished ninth at the 2023 world championships.
Ali Hassan (Arab Contractors Rowing Club, Egypt) made the draw for the Diamonds in 2022 but had to withdraw before racing started. Hopefully he’ll have no such problems this year.
Another Paris-bound sculler is British Army officer, Stephen Cox (Rowing Association of Zimbabwe). He secured Olympic qualification with a fourth place at the African Olympic Qualifying Regatta. He raced at the 2023 Regatta, winning his first race. This season, he competed at the Poznan World Rowing Cup, placing 15th.
Germany has a second athlete in the entry list via David Junge (Ruder-Club Favorite Hammonia Hamburg). He raced in the quad at the second and third World Rowing Cups of the 2022 season. He finished runner-up to Poulsen of Denmark at the Ratzeburg Regatta this season.
The final international athlete in the entry list is Ryan Spelman (St. Michael’s Rowing Club, Ireland). He was an U23 silver medallist back in 2021 and this season raced at the Metropolitan Regatta, finishing second to Cam Buchan.
Amongst the domestic entries, one of the most experienced is Tom Wilkinson (Greenbank Falmouth Rowing Club). He lost to Danish international Bastian Secher in 2022 but in 2021 made it all the way to the semi-final before losing to British Olympian Graeme Thomas. This season, he placed fourth at the Metropolitan Regatta and dead-heated for first place at Wallingford.
Daniel Jones (Leander Club) won the LM1X title for England at the Home International Regatta in 2022 and went on to win his first senior international vest at the 2023 European championships, finishing 15th in the LM2X (which was the last time GB raced in the LM2X event).
There are a couple of talented young scullers in the event, for whom qualification would be a major achievement, in Max Fullman (Wycliffe College) and Ben Mead (Cambridge 99 Rowing Club). They finished third and fourth respectively at the National Schools’ Regatta this season. Fullman, still only 16, was selected to race for Great Britain at the Munich International Regatta. Even if he doesn’t qualify this year, both he, and Mead, will be ones to watch for the future.
Other scullers to mention include Ben Parsonage (Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club), winner of the LM1X at the European Universities Championships last year. Another lightweight in the entry list is Lucas Salmon of Nottingham University, second in the intermediate LM1X at BUCS. Also watch for former Shiplake and Oxford Brookes oarsman, Rocco Pritchard (Fulham Reach Rowing Club).
Prediction
It’s hard to see anyone getting close to Zeidler, but it should be a good contest to see who gets to face him in the final. Depending on the draw I would pick Jacob Plihal to make the Sunday.
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