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: 13 (To be reduced to 10 by Qualifying Races)
Germany is the only nation who have entered their senior eight, racing as Ruderklub am Wannsee, Berlin, Germany. This boat includes eight of the nine athletes who raced at the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta ending up in the worst possible place – third. The only change is the introduction of Sophia Krause in the two-seat, replacing Sophie Leupold. She was in the quad that finished 12th in 2022. This crew placed fourth at both the European Championships and the Varese World Rowing Cup (although the Euros was only a four-boat race). German women’s sweep rowing has always been the poor relation to their sculling programme (the German women’s eight last won a world championship medal in 2006 and you have to go back to 1992 for the eight to have last won an Olympic medal). Their crew is a mix of youth and experience. Lena Osterkamp and Melanie Goeldner finished 11th in the four last year and Nora Peuser and Tabea Kuhnert were in the crew that finished fourth at the European championships last year. The youth element of the crew comes from former junior world medalist Annabelle Bachmann and U23 international Judith Guhse.
The Netherlands have come to Henley with their development crew (Hollandia Roeiclub) that raced at the Poznan World Rowing Cup and finished third of the three entries. The bow four all raced in the quad at the European championships, finishing eighth. Three of the stern four also raced at the Europeans with Maartje Damen and Linn Van Aanholt winning bronze in the four and Vera Sneijders finishing seventh in the pair. This crew raced at the Holland Beker last week and will have been a bit surprised to have been beaten by two Oxford Brookes crews.
The crew that won at the Holland Beker was Oxford Brookes, and they come to Henley with the same line-up. They’ve had an outstanding season; as well as winning the Beker, they also won at Ghent and last weekend won the Ron Needs Challenge Cup for championship eights at Henley Women’s Regatta, retaining their title from 2022. Their crew includes senior internationals Claire Feerick of Ireland and Martha Birtles of Great Britain. They also have a couple of Canadian U23 internationals, McKenna Simpson and Brenna Randall. The crew also includes GB U23 internationals Grace Richards and Arianna Forde. Five of the crew step-up from the Island Challenge Cup-winning crew at Henley Royal Regatta last year. Brookes will be confident that they are the strongest British entry and that they can take down all the overseas entries.
The USA has two boats in this event and the pick of the two looks to be Princeton Training Center, U.S.A. and Advanced Rowing Initiative of the Northeast, U.S.A. This crew includes four U23 world champions in Sophia Hahn, Hannah Heideveld, Camille Vandermeer and Megan Lee. Also in the boat are U23 internationals Hannah Paynter, Holly Drapp and Kaitlin Kynast. Sitting in the three-seat is Isabela Darvin, who won gold in the pair at the Pan-American Games. This is a very powerful-looking development boat for the US and will have high expectations of going a long way at the Regatta.
The second American boat is The Ivy Club, USA. These are all current or former Princeton University rowers with four Brits,two Germans, a Dutchwoman and an American. Alice Patton, Flo Donald, Katherine George (GB) and Anne De Croo de Jongh (NED) all rowed in the Princeton 1V and Klare Thiele and Mariachiara Giudichi (GER) raced in the 3V.
Canada have come to Henley with their U23 BW8 (Rowing Canada). This crew includes three of the bronze medal U23 BW8 from last year in Parker Illingworth, Janette Peachey and Ellie Sousa. Stroking the boat is University of Tennessee varsity oarswoman Alex Pidgeon. In the bows of the boat are three junior internationals stepping up to the U23’s in the shape of Madeleine Lauriault, Cait Whittard and Ellexi Fulton. Lauriault turns 20 on the Friday of the regatta and will be hoping for a win as a welcome birthday present. The final member of the crew only took up rowing a couple of years ago; Emily Munroe is a former top level sprint kayaker and has switched from facing forwards on the water to facing backwards.
Another strong British entry is Leander Club and Imperial College, London. This crew finished runners-up to Brookes at Henley Women’s Regatta and half the crew (Abigail Topp, Lauren Casey, Ella Bramwell and Philippa Emery) are doubling-up in the Town Challenge Cup.
Prediction
Germany will be confident that their line-up of senior internationals will have enough power and experience to become the second German women’s eight to win the title (after Dortmund in 2007). Brookes have had an incredible season though, and have already defeated one national squad crew and won’t be fazed by the Germans. The US Princeton Training Center crew will also be very strong. My heart would love to see Brookes take it, but I think the Germans via Ruderklub am Wannsee, Berlin will just be a little too strong.
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