Ahead of Henley Royal Regatta in just a few weeks, crews are headed to the famous course to race in the three-day event that is Henley Women’s Regatta. While the 1500m stretch does serve as good practice for the 2112m of side-by-side racing later on in the month, HWR is an incredibly prestigious event in and of itself which draws crews from across the world. As expected, the Redgrave Challenge Vase is a very popular event, with entries from some of the top UK rowing programs, as well as a few USA crews, guaranteeing an exciting set of races.
Leicester RC
The first crew to set off in the time trial, it looks as though this is the same pair of Molly Varley and Sophie Connolly that came second in the women’s championship pairs event on the Sunday of the Metropolitan Regatta. With recent success at their back, this crew will be going into the time trial with confidence.
Leander Club/University of London BC
Abigail Topp and Phoebe Snowden are no strangers to rowing together, having both been part of the women’s eight that took silver at the 2022 World U23 Championships. At the February GB trials earlier this year, they teamed up again to finish as the second-fastest U23 pair. More recently, Snowden raced at Wedau Regatta in the U23 4-, which was the fastest U23 boat in that category of the day. Having continuously proven their calibre on the national and international stage, these two will no doubt be one of the strongest pairings going into the competition.
Thames RC
If we are to assume that this is the same Thames crew that placed first in the women’s championship pairs event on the Sunday of the Met Regatta, they could be in for a good performance at HWR. As a club, Thames has had lots of recent success, taking gold in the women’s club eights on Saturday and Sunday of the Met Regatta, as well as in the champ eights on Sunday, all of which showcases the strength of their squad when it comes to regatta racing.
Oxford University Women’s BC
Made up of Laurel Kaye and Claire Aitken, the bow and two-seat of the Oxford Women’s Blue Boat respectively, this pair are accustomed to rowing together, especially as both were part of the 2022 Osiris crew. Although they have significant experience in rowing prior to Oxford, it is hard to determine how much intense training they will have participated in since The Boat Race. Regardless, their experience racing with each other will come into play, and they will make for some rapid competition.
Imperial College BC/University of London BC
Comprised of two rowers who competed in the pair at April GB trials, Lizzie Witt placed first in the C-final, while Emily Lindberg came second in the B-final. Both saw considerable success at BUCS Regatta, where Lindberg achieved gold in the women’s championship 4-, and Witt took the win in the championship 2-. While both have individually demonstrated their skill in sweep, it will be interesting to see how they perform together, although I do expect them to be one of the top crews in the event.
University of Aberdeen
The standout name in this pair is Maisie Aspinall, who has just come off the back of a noteworthy junior career; last year, she won a gold medal in the GB U19 women’s 4- at the Munich International Junior Regatta. As such, she will no doubt make for a strong crew-mate, and it will be exciting to see how her pair performs at HWR.
USA crews
This year, three crews from the USA have entered into the Redgrave Challenge Vase, two from Georgetown University and one from Harvard (Radcliffe Crew). While it is hard to predict how they will perform against UK crews, international teams are usually expected to make a splash.
Prediction
An undeniably strong set of athletes has entered into the Redgrave Challenge Vase this year, making it difficult to predict who will be the eventual victors. However, I would expect to see the Leander/UL composite, the Imperial/UL composite, and potentially one of the USA crews fighting it out at the top.
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