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.
Total Entries: 30 (To be reduced to 16 by Qualifying Races)
Leander Club
In the 15 times this trophy has been competed for at the Regatta, Leander Club have won on ten occasions. This level of domination is unparalleled in any other event and reflects the control that the pink palace possess on the development sculling group in this country. This year’s offering came together for the first time at Marlow Regatta and won the race by a length. With previous Henley medalists and age-group internationals on board, this crew lives up to the history of its predecessors.
Reading University
Since making the decision to focus exclusively on sculling a decade or so ago, Reading University have come to dominate the university sculling ranks, especially on the men’s side. This season, star Matt Long won the April trials in the single and followed that up by winning all three championship sculling golds at BUCS Regatta, possibly the greatest achievement possible for a sculler representing their institution. This year, they have performed about as well as they could, picking up two second places at the Metropolitan Regatta despite missing their young superstar. Since he rejoined the boat, they were able to challenge the force of Leander, potentially foreshadowing a close race between the booms next weekend.
Queen’s University Belfast
If Reading are the kings of university rowing in the UK, Queen’s University, Belfast are the next in line to the throne. Challenging the Reading dominance at all stages, they have crossed the Irish sea only twice this season: for BUCS Head and then Regatta. At the head, they were back in fifth place but returned with a vengeance at Holme Pierrepont, picking up the silver medal in both the championship quad and the double, while also putting up strong performances in the intermediate classes. A Rowing Ireland Performance centre, they would not have entered this event if they didn’t think they had a chance to make a very deep run next week.
Lea Rowing Club and London Rowing Club
The benefits of this sculling event being an intermediate category is that it allows composite entries to enter the event. This offering contains two of London Rowing Club’s Wyfold-winning crew from 12 months ago, who join up with Isaac Workman and stroke Louis Powell of Lea Rowing Club. This crew has been racing together all summer and picked up the win on Saturday at the Metropolitan Regatta before finishing fifth at Marlow Regatta. With experience of winning on the course coupled with a strong history together, this crew could be racing deep into next week.
The Tideway Scullers’ School and Delftsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Proteus-Eretes, Netherlands
A slightly unusual composite emerges from this combination of three clubs across two countries. This crew, made up of elements from the Tideway Scullers School, Thames RC alongside Niek van der Grift from DSR Proteus-Eretes in the Netherlands, raced at Marlow Regatta, finishing third in the event. This combination has brought a group of talented scullers together for a month as they seek to go on a run at Henley Royal Regatta. The crew contains scholarship athletes from the US, former Henley winners as well as van der Grift, who placed tenth in the premier event at the Holland Beker.
Algemene Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereniging Skøll, Netherlands
The most recent international crew to win this event was from AASR Skøll of the Netherlands and they would be the most likely of this year’s overseas contingent to make some noise. Winners on both days of the Holland Beker, this crew got the better of the nominated Dutch development crew and earned a spot to race in the final World Rowing Cup in Poznan, where they placed seventh. The members of this crew, all armed with impressive times on the RP3, have their eyes set firmly on the Los Angeles Olympics, but in the meantime, they will settle for an emulation of their 2018 forefathers.
Akademischer Ruderclub Würzburg and Rudergesellschaft Speyer 1883 e.V., Germany
This crew, likely to be selected as the lightweight quad at the world championships this summer in Canada, contains athletes from a number of German clubs including Akademischer Ruderclub Würzburg and Rudergesellschaft Speyer 1883 e.V.. This outfit, who have won silver medals at previous championships represent a strong history of sculling at a high level. Their form this year remains a mystery as no lightweight quad event has run at a World Rowing Cup, but they may face some difficulties contending with the famous Henley headwind.
Rudergesellschaft “Hansa” Hamburg and Rudervereinigung Kappeln im Turn- und Sportverein Kappeln von 1876 e.V., Germany
Another German crew, this offering from Rudergesellschaft Hansa and Rudervereinigung Kappeln is made up entirely of first year U23 athletes. Do not underestimate this crew however, as it contains great skill in its ranks. Two members of the gold medalist quad at last year’s junior world championships are on-board and are joined by some of the top scullers from the junior domestic scene last season. Two of this boat also finished fifth at the Ratzeburger Ruderregatta in June. This crew is not one to be trifled with and will back themselves to shock even the best of the British entourage.
Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association, U.S.A.
If a male athlete in the United States wants to develop their sculling with hopes of making an Olympic Team, Penn AC is the place he or she is likely to turn. This program, led by Bill Manning, hosts a number of the national team and has many representatives in the US Rowing Development crews contesting the open events at this Regatta. This crew, provisionally made up of Cooper Hurley, Michael Herman, Zach Petronic and Webster Thompson, won the Head of the Schuylkill, the secondary Head race in the United States, held on their home water. This crew, reunited after aiming for selection and invitation to Olympic training camp in smaller boats, will be looking to fly the flag for the red, white and blue on the fabled stretch this week.
Bagsværd Roklub, Denmark
We have seen an emerging trend of Danish crews trying their arm in the intermediate quad category at Henley Royal Regatta and this outfit from Bagsværd Roklub stands as the latest offering from the Nordics. This crew placed second at the Danish national championships back in September and finished seventh at the Ratzeburger Ruderregatta in early June. Stroke Niclas Schmidt raced at the U23 world championships in 2017 in the lightweight men’s quad whilst Malthe Puro was a competitor at both the 2016 and 2017 editions of the same event.
Ormsund Roklub and Christiania Roklub, Norway
With Oskar Gjerland in the bow seat – who won the ‘B’ final in the single at Holland Beker – this crew could be an interesting combination. They were second at the Bled International Regatta 2024 and stroke Andreas Sørskaar has competed at three U23 world championships.
Utrechtsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Triton
A boat club that always tend to fare well at Henley Royal Regatta, including a Henley Royal Regatta semi-final appearance in the Temple Challenge Cup in 2021, this Triton boat raced on both the Saturday and Sunday of the Ghent International Regatta in May, finishing fourth and third respectively. The Dutch don’t tend to come over unless they’re pretty confident they’ll be quick.
Wiener Ruder Club Donaubund, Austria
Although they have been asked to qualify, this Austrian entry looks pretty strong with a range of international representatives. Wiener Ruder Club Donabund contains some of the top rowers in and around the Austrian system including both Thomas Lehner and Jörg Auerbach, who raced in the men’s eight at World Rowing Cup I, the European championships and the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta. They’re joined by Armin Auerbach, who raced alongside this duo in the Austrian men’s quad at the 2021 European championships.
Prediction
Our CEO Tom Morgan calls this event the Leander Challenge Cup for good reason, and there is nothing to suggest that there will be anyone taking their crown away from them. Depending on which crews are selected by the stewards, they could meet earlier in the competition, but I would expect the crew from either Reading University or Algemene Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereniging Skøll, Netherlands to make only the final in this event.
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