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: 37 (To be reduced to 22 by Qualifying Races)
Sydney Rowing Club, Australia
Sydney Rowing Club has a reputation for upsetting the status quo at Henley Royal Regatta, particularly in club events. This year, their women’s crew are back for another tilt at glory after competing in this event in 2022. Pre-qualified for the event, this team’s long journey underscores their confidence and speed. All nine athletes demonstrated their ability at the 2024 Australian Rowing Championships, earning nine golds, five silvers, and five bronze medals. As they aim to become just the third club to inscribe their name on the Wargrave trophy, Sydney RC is poised to be a strong contender and certainly a crew to watch.
Thames Rowing Club
Thames Rowing Club is undeniably a formidable force in women’s sweep rowing, domestically and internationally. Currently holding the title of Wargrave winner, the Putney-based juggernaut are currently chasing their second successive retention of the trophy. This season, their dominance in the women’s eight is evident, with a remarkable five crews finishing in the top-21 at the Women’s Head of the River. Aiming for a hat-trick, Thames will be determined to secure another victory on finals day. This year, they have entered four crews, two of which have pre-qualified. However, with strong international competition, Thames will likely face their most challenging path to victory yet.
Avon Rowing Club, New Zealand
Hailing from New Zealand, Avon Rowing Club stands out as a formidable contender in the Wargrave Challenge Cup. Avon has showcased dominance in women’s rowing, securing numerous titles across national championships. At the 2024 New Zealand Rowing Championships, Avon Rowing Club triumphed in the senior eight and women’s senior coxless four events. Avon’s crew also won the women’s premier eight at the South Island Club Championships and their women’s premier coxless four crew secured another gold. This will be a well-drilled unit with experience delivering top results under high pressure.
Leander Club
Leander, the locals, have reached the finals alongside Thames in every Wargrave event since its inception in 2021. Serving as the training ground for many current and future GB squad athletes, this category stipulates that athletes cannot have represented their country at the U23 or senior level. Therefore, this crew will likely feature the future stars of GB rowing. Leander are eager to reclaim the Wargrave trophy and even the score with Thames Rowing Club, aiming for a 2:2 win record. With numerous international crews showcasing emerging talent, Leander will likely strive to test their athletes’ speed against these potential future international competitors whilst proving the strength of the GB rowing pipeline.
Deutscher Ruder-Club von 1884 e.V. Hannover, Germany
Hannover’s crew features an array of ex-junior talent and seasoned expertise. Lily Waske and Lene Holkenbrink lead the lineup with impressive finishes at the junior world championships and the U19 German championships, respectively. Their strength is bolstered by Marlene Njofang and Pauline Seehafer, who excelled at the Open Baltic Cup, and Miya Becker, a standout in the junior women’s double. Guiding this young and dynamic crew down the course is Jana Hülsmeir, a Henley veteran with quarter-final appearances in the Britannia Challenge Cup and Thames Challenge Cup.
Molesey Boat Club
Like many clubs, Molesey has taken advantage of the ‘Olympic Year’ by diversifying their entries into more championship categories, as many national teams are opting to skip Henley Royal to prepare for Paris. Molesey’s have entered boat is entered a crew into the Remenham and their pre-qualified Wargrave entry is likely to include their HWR club coxless four, who performed relatively well in the club category. However, it remains to be seen if they will be strong enough to make it to the weekend. Only time will tell.
Ruderverein Münster, Germany
The second German crew to pre-qualify for the Wargrave Challenge Cup, Ruderverein Münster are a powerhouse of European rowing. With an impressive haul of 30 world championship medals, Münster is another club with a reputation for specialising in the development of U23 and U19 talent. This crew is almost entirely composed of athletes who have represented Germany in various sweep boat categories at the junior world championships. Among them, Krüger, Kötitz, Grauer, and Mehner notably secured a silver medal in the women’s eight, underscoring the depth of experience in this boat class.
London Rowing Club
London Rowing Club has pre-qualified one of their three entries for the Wargrave Challenge Cup. Their crews will feature a mixture of their championship four and the recent victors of the club coxless four at Henley Women’s Regatta. Recently, LRC missed out on the club eight Copas Cup title to Thames Rowing Club, demonstrated impressive speed and outpacing many pre-qualified crews. Should they advance through the qualifying time trial, they are well-positioned to progress through at least a round. LRC’s women’s programme has steadily grown in strength, participating in the Wargrave Challenge Cup every year since its inception. This year, they will be determined to improve on past results and take on the international competition to reach the weekend finals.
Belvoir Ruderclub Zürich, Switzerland
With a fleet of crews present at this year’s Regatta, Belvoir Ruderclub Zürich of Switzerland have come well-stocked to try and conduct deep runs into a variety of trophies at Henley Royal Regatta. This women’s eight have been instrumental in the club’s rise to the summit of Swiss rowing, rubber-stamped by their wins in the elite women’s pair, four, quad, lightweight pair and eight at the 2024 Swiss championships. Led by Hugo Pfister, who has occupied the head coach position since 2021, this crew were winners at numerous events including the 2023 international Sarnen regatta, 2023 Greifensee regatta, both the Cham and Lauerz 2024 regattas and the 2023 Swiss championships. Stroked by Elena Von Mueller – a former Blondie athlete in 2022 and 2023 – this could be a crew to watch.
Riverside Boat Club, U.S.A.
Completing the international line-up are Riverside, who, like some of their other overseas counterparts, have brought over a range of different boats. This women’s crew finished fifth in the club eight category at the Head of the Charles and also won at the Canadian Henley masters. With more Boat Race pedigree on-board in the form of Nicole Wojtania, who raced in Blondie in 2023, this crew is stacked full of international talent. They are stroked by U23 international Katherine Maietta, who raced at the 2021 U23 world championships in the double and served as team captain at the University of Pennsylvania in the 22/23 season. Alongside her will be Kathleen Love in six, who stroked the USA women’s lightweight quad that raced to a fourth-placed finish at the U23 world championships in 2022.
Prediction
This looks like a contest between Thames and the very best that the rest of the world has to offer. I’d be surprised if anyone gets close to Thames domestically – they’ve been untouchable all season, finishing nine seconds ahead of their closest domestic competitor at the Metropolitan Regatta. If the likes of Avon, Riverside or Belvoir are as fast on the water as they look on paper, we could be in for a very interesting set of closing races. I still back Thames to retain their title though.
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