World Rowing Championships 2022 – Doubles Preview

Photo Credit: World Rowing / Benedict Tufnell

Men’s Double Scull

2019 Champion: Zhiyu Liu & Liang Zhang (China)

Entries: 24

This has the makings of one of the most intriguing battles of the entire championships, pitting the Rio Olympic champions against the Tokyo Olympic champions. Martin and Valent Sinkovic of Croatia are the greatest men’s double of all time, the only duo to go under 6 minutes and are, so far, unbeaten in the double. 2022 saw them return to their favoured m2x boat, having spent the Tokyo Olympiad in the pair. This season they have wins in all three World Cups and the European Championships. However, they have had to work hard for these victories, certainly harder than they had to during the Rio Olympiad. But perhaps that’s not too surprising, given they’ve spent the last five years rowing the pair.

Up against the Croatians are the reigning Olympic champions from France, Hugo Boucheron and Matthieu Androdias. They have been a bit hit and miss as a duo; when they are on song, they are capable of beating anyone in the world, but they also occasionally bomb, finishing 9th at the 2019 world Championships, for example. This season they’ve yet to race together, instead competing in singles. It remains to be seen which version of the French M2X turns up in Racice….the 2019 B-finalists or the Olympic champions…if the latter, then we could be in for something very special.

But, it’s not just the French that the Croatians have to contend with. Australia’s David Bartholt and Caleb Antil were runners-up to the Croatians in Lucerne, and Antil (partnered by Jack Cleary) dead-heated with the Netherlands for bronze in Poznan (Australia’s first medal in this event since 2015).

One of the standout crews of this season in Spain is Aleix Garcia Pujolar and Rodrigo Conde Romero. They finished in silver at the European Championships and also won bronze at both the 1st and 3rd World Cups. Conde Romero is a former Lightweight international and won the BLM2X World Championships in 2018 and made the A-Final at the 2019 senior Worlds. 22-year-old Pujolar made his debut in 2021 and narrowly missed qualification for Tokyo. This season has seen the Spanish emerge as true contenders for the medals (something a heavyweight male Spanish athlete hasn’t achieved since 1995).

A combination I’m excited to see race is the new Irish duo of Philip Doyle and Konan Pazzaia. Doyle won silver at the 2019 world Championships (with partner Ronan Byrne). They were amongst the favourites to medal in Tokyo but had a disappointing Regatta ending up 10th. Racice will be Doyle’s first race of 2022, and he’s joined by a new partner, Konan Pazzaia. Pazzaia is another outstanding Irish U23 team stepping up to the senior ranks. The race marks his senior debut, but earlier this season, he won bronze in the BM2X at the U23 World Championships. It may be too much to expect the Irish to get amongst the medals this year, but they will be a combination to watch (assuming they remain as a double) over the next year or so.

China is the reigning champion in this event but has an entirely new and very young combination racing in Racice, Baishun Liu and Zhiwei Ou. 20-year- old Liu raced with Dang Liu at the 2nd and 3rd World Cups, finishing 12th on both occasions. Ou is just 18 years old and finished 4th at the U19 World Championships this season.

Lithuania is represented by the experienced Armandas Kelmelis and Dovydas Neremevicius. They took bronze at the European Championships this season and also made the A-Final at both the 1st and 3rd World Cups. Both athletes raced at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, and Neremevicius was a member of the M4X that won world gold in 2017. They have an outside chance of a medal, but I think they are more likely to be towards the back of the A-Final.

Amongst the other crews to watch are the Italians, Luca Rambaldi and Davide Mumolo (Rambaldi was in the Italian M4X at the Tokyo Olympics and Mumolo finished 6th at the Europeans with Simone Venier). Also, look out for the Greeks, Ioannis Kalandaridis and Athanasios Palaiopanos (6th at the Europeans), and the Norwegians, with Olympians Kristoffer Brun and Jan Helvig.

Just as an aside, it’s also interesting to see which nations haven’t entered a boat; New Zealand has medalled in 5 of the last 8 World Championships but doesn’t have an entry, Great Britain was 4th in both 2018 and 2019 but didn’t appear to have a combination fast enough to compete this year 9after they moved their double from earlier in the season to the quad) and the Netherlands, who won bronze in Poznan, has also chosen not to continue with their crew.

Anyway, on to my picks….hard to see anyone beating the Croatians, although I think the French and Australians will give them a good race. Difficult to know what sort of form the French will be in, but if they scull to their potential, they should take silver with Australia just pipping the Spanish for the bronze.

Women’s Double Scull

2019 Champion: Brooke Donoghue & Olivia Loe (New Zealand)

Entries: 19

This event has one of the most outstanding crews in World Rowing this season, Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis of Romania. They were runners-up to the Kiwis in 2019, but since then have been unbeaten, winning back-to-back-to-back European titles in 2020, 2021 and 2022. They also won gold at the Tokyo Olympics and also gold at the Lucerne World Cup (oh, and they doubled up in the W8 at the Europeans this year and won gold there as well). It’s not just that this duo are unbeaten; no one has gotten within a length of them this season. With the Kiwis not racing, it’s coming down to who will win silver and bronze behind the Romanians.

But if the Romanians are clear favourites for the gold, the battle for the lesser medals is going to be incredibly intense. In the Netherlands, Roos de Jong and Laila Youssifou have emerged as the biggest challengers to the Romanians. They won gold at the 1st and 2nd world Cups and were runners-up to Romania at the European Championships (albeit over 7 seconds adrift). De Jong won bronze in this boat class at the Tokyo Olympics, and Youssifou was in the Olympic W4X that finished 6th.

Ireland were runners-up to the Netherlands in Poznan and looked in a good position at the Europeans before injury forced their withdrawal. The crew is Sanita Puspure and Zoe Hyde. 40-year-old Puspure is a legend in Irish sport and won the W1X World title in 2018 and 2019. Illness ruined her chances at the Tokyo Olympics, and despite talk of retirement, she’s returned in 2022 to take on a new challenge in the double. Her partner, Zoe Hyde, made her international debut this season. If they can both stay healthy, they will be serious contenders to challenge for the bronze medal.

Another boat that mixes youth with experience is Lithuania, Donata Karaliene and Dovile Rimkute. Karaliene has been racing internationally since 2008 and was World Champion in this boat class in 2013 and 2018. She also raced at the London, Rio and Tokyo Olympics winning a bronze medal in 2016. This season she has a new partner, 20-year-old Dovile Rimkute. Together they won bronze in Lucerne and finished 4th in Munich. Rimkute also made the A-Final of the BW1X at the U23 World Championships.

Italy hasn’t won a world championship medal in this event since 2002 and hasn’t made the A-Final since 2005. Their crew for this year, Kiri Tontodonati and Stefania Gobbi, stand a good chance of at least breaking their A-Final drought and have an outside chance of taking a medal as well. They both raced at the Tokyo Olympics, with Tontodonati finishing 12th in the W2- and Gobbi 4th in the W4X. They’ve had a strong season so far this year with a silver medal in Lucerne and bronze at the Europeans. An A-Final place should be their minimum target.

Another major player from the W1X field is also racing in the double in Racice. Magdalena Lobnig races with her older sister, Katharina. This is the first time the sister, who are training partners, have actually raced together in the same boat since 2012. Magdalena has been a fixture of the W1X for the last decade, and she was an Olympic bronze medallist last year. Injury has hampered her season so far in 2022, forcing her withdrawal from both Henley and the Belgrade World Cup. She did race at the Europeans but missed out on the podium. This combination is unlikely to make the A-Final, given the strength of the competition, but it is still great to see them racing together.

Great Britain’s Kyra Edwards and Saskia Budgett, partners on and off the water, produced a good performance in Munich, finishing 5th in their debut race as GB’s W2X. Earlier in the season, Edwards had raced in the W4X, winning a silver medal in Lucerne. They are still a developing crew, so expectations will not be tremendously high for this new combination, but if they could secure an A-Final finish, it would be a major boost heading into the all-important Olympic qualification year in 2023.

The USA also has a new combination of experienced athletes racing in Racice, Kristina Wagner and Sophia Vitas. Wagner raced in this boat class at the Tokyo Olympics with Gevvie Stone, making the A-Final. Vitas rowed in the W8 in 2017 and the W4X at the 2019 World Championships. This year Vitas partnered with Kara Kohler at the Poznan World Cup, winning a bronze medal. Wagner also raced in Poznan, but in the W4- and ended up 4th.

Other crews to watch are France, Violaine Aernoudts and Margaux Bailleul (both members of the 9th place W4X in Tokyo and winners of the B-Final in Lucerne). Germany’s Frauke Hundeling and Pia Greiten (5th in Lucerne) and an exciting young Greek duo of Evangalia Fragkou (U23 BW2- World Champion) and 19-year-old Styliani Natsioula (winner of the JW1X at the U19 World Championships this year).

My picks: it would be a major surprise if the Romanians don’t take the title behind them though it’s all to play for….I reckon the Dutch will sneak the silver, and Ireland taking the bronze.

Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls

2019 Champions: Fintan McCarthy & Paul O’Donovan (Ireland)

Entries: 29

Another huge field, and the reigning champions are back to defend their title. McCarthy and O’Donovan followed their 2019 World Championship win with gold at the Tokyo Olympics, and this season picked up where they left off with a victory at the European Championships.

The main challengers to the Irish, as they have been for the last few years, are Italy. Pietro Ruta and Stefano Oppo were silver medallists in 2019 and bronze medallists at the Tokyo games. They do have a World Cup gold (and silver) medal to their name this season. Italy raced two doubles in Lucerne, with Ruta taking gold with Gabriel Soares and Oppa the silver with Niels Torre. They’ve raced the Irish once this season, finishing behind them to take silver at the Europeans. Basically, when the Irish aren’t around, the Italians are the leaders of the pack.

These two boats will most likely be clear of the rest of the field battling it out for the gold and silver, but behind them, it’ll be an interesting contest for the bronze, with no clear favourite for the final podium place.

France used to dominate this event in the 2nd half of the last decade with their crew of Jeremie Azou and Stany Delayre (and later Pierre Houin). However, since their retirement, the French have been struggling to a combination to get anywhere near the level of their predecessors. However, this year there are early signs that they may, at last, be finding a combination that can compete for medals. Hugo Berrey and Ferdinand Ludwig are both fairly new to the international circuit, having made their debuts in 2018 and 2019. They were both members of the LM4X that won bronze at the 2019 European Championships. Ludwig won U23 silver in 2021, and then he and Beurey formed their double at the start of this season. They won silver at the Poznan World Cup (France’s first LM2x medal since 2017) and then placed 4th in Lucerne.

Another nation looking to rekindle its former glory is Norway. They were World Champions back in 2013 and also took the European title in 2018. Like France, they have been searching for a combination that can get back amongst the medals. Their crew for this year is Lars Benske and Ask Jarl Toem. They made a great start to the season, winning gold at the Poznan World Cup and following that up with bronze in Lucerne. They had a disappointing European Championships when illness forced their withdrawal after the repechage.

Switzerland is another nation in strong contention for a medal. They have a young crew of 22-year-old Jan Schaeuble and 21-year-old Raphael Ahumada Ireland. They kicked off their season with a win in Poznan and then took bronze at the Europeans. Schaeubel was a U23 bronze medallist in 2019, and Ahumada Ireland raced the U23s last year.

Poland has the same line-up that finished 8th at the Tokyo Olympics, Jerzy Kowaslki and Artur Mikolajczewski. They are a very experienced pairing and first raced together at the 2009 U23 World Championships. Mikolajczewski raced at the Rio Olympics with Milosz Jankowski (reaching the A-Final) before teaming back up with Kowaslki for the 2019 season, finishing 6th at the World Championships. This season they’ve had 4th place in Belgrade and 6th in Lucerne.

Silver medallists in Belgrade were Spain, Manel Balastegui and Caetano Horta Pombo. That medal was Spain’s first in this boat class since 2001. This duo were U23 World Champions in 2018 and made the A-Final at the 2019 Worlds to qualify for Tokyo, where they finished 7th. As well as taking silver this season, the Spanish have 7th place from Lucerne and 8th at the Europeans. An A-Final finish in Racice would be a great way to finish the season for the Spanish.

Portugal finished 13th at the Tokyo Olympics, the veteran Pedro Fraga racing with Afonso Duarte Costa. After Fraga retired, Duarte Costa formed a new partnership with his twin brother Dinis. Their first race was a relatively disappointing 11th at the Lucerne World Cup, but they improved significantly at the Europeans to finish 4th. They could make the A-Final which would be a major achievement, but I think it’s more likely they will be battling towards the upper end of the B-Final.

The USA hasn’t won a medal in this event since 1990, and given the strength of the competition in Racice, their 2022 crew of Zachary Heese and Jasper Liu are unlikely to change that, but they have shown some solid speed this season with a 5th place in Poznan. They both made their senior international debuts at the 2019 World Championships, finishing 7th in the LM4X.

Germany were bronze medallists in this event in 2019, and their crew of Jason Osborne and Jonathan Rommelmann went on to take silver in Tokyo. However, for 2022 Germany is in a rebuilding phase and has selected two young scullers to fill the seats. Paul Leerkamp and Arno Gaus are both only 20 years old. Their first race together of the season was at the Poznan World Cup, where they just missed a podium place. Leerkamp raced in the U23 team in 2021 winning gold in the BLM4X.

4th in Tokyo was the Czech Republic, and they have the same line-up competing in 2022, Miroslav Vrastil and Jiri Simanek. Vrastil, who turns 40 next month, has raced at the last 3 Olympic Games, and he and Simanek formed their partnership in 2017, winning silver in their first World Cup together. Their 4th place in Tokyo was their best result since that silver medal. They made a strong start to the 2022 season, winning a bronze medal in Belgrade and then taking 5th at the Europeans.

Peter Galambos of Hungary is more well-known as a single sculler; he raced in that event from 2016-2021. However, for 2022 he has teamed up with Bence Tamas to race in the LM2X. They finished a disappointing 14th in Lucerne but improved to 9th at the Europeans.

The final crew to highlight is Ukraine; Igor Khmara and Stanislav Kovalov have been racing together for a decade. They missed on qualification for Rio but succeeded for Tokyo, where they finished 9th. They’ve made a solid start to 2022 with A-Final finishes at the 1st and 2nd World Cups and the European Championships.

My picks: gold and silver are relatively easy to call, Ireland ahead of Italy. But the scrap for bronze is going to be a real bun-fight…. I’m going to plump for Norway.

Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls

2019 Champions: Zoe McBride & Jackie Kiddle (New Zealand)

Entries: 24

Clear favourites heading into Racice are the Great Britain duo of Imogen Walsh and Emily Craig. They missed out on a medal in Tokyo by just 1/100th of a second and were bronze medallists in 2019. This season, due to her medical studies, grant spent most of the season racing in the single. She made the final at Henley and dominated the field in Lucerne, setting a new World’s Best Time. Craig had an equally impressive start to 2022, racing the double with Maddie Arlett, taking gold at both the 1st and 3rd World Cups. But it was when Grant and Craig came together at the Europeans that they really showed their form, winning gold by a huge 6-second margin.

France will be the main challenger to Great Britain. Claire Bove and Laura Tarantola were runners-up to the British in Lucerne and Munich and are the reigning Olympic silver medallists. Tarantola won the LW1X world title in 2018, and she and Bove were European silver medallists in 2019. Bove won bronze in the LW1X at the 2021 Europeans.

New Zealand will be looking to spoil GB’s party and defend their world title. But, with the retirement of Zoe McBride, Jackie Kiddle has a new partner, Rachael Kennedy. Kiddle is also entered in the LW1X, which suggests there may be some doubt over Kennedy’s participation. If they do the race as a double, the form guide would suggest they may struggle to make an impression; their one performance so far this season was in Lucerne, where they took 9th. But Kiddle is an outstanding athlete, and it’s always dangerous to write off a Kiwi boat.

One of the most exciting combinations to watch is Greece, Dimitra Kontou and Evangelia Anastasiadou. Kontou is still only 16 but raced at the U23 World Championships finishing 5th in the BW1X. Her partner, Anastasiadou, is herself only 20 and also raced at the U23 World Championships, winning the BLW1X gold. As a double, they’ve made one appearance so far this season, finishing 5th in Belgrade. They are unlikely to be challenging for the medals in Racice but will definitely be names to watch in the future.

Australia won this title back in 2007, but that was the last time they made the podium. This season they have a good chance of being in the mix for the medals. They have selected two international debutants, Anneke Reardon and Lucy Coleman. Both made their debuts for Australia at the Poznan World Cup and made an immediate impression, winning the silver medal (Australia’s first World Cup medal in this event since 2014).

Italy is the reigning Olympic champions and has the same line-up racing this season, Valentina Rodini and Federica Cesarini. They first raced together at the 2016 U23 World Championships, winning the bronze medal and then placed 7th at the 2018 Worlds. They also won medals at both the 2020 and 2021 Europeans before going on to take the title in Tokyo. This season they took bronze at the Lucerne World Cup and then also at the Europeans.

5th at the Tokyo Olympics were the USA; they also have the same line-up racing in 2022, Molly Reckford and Michelle Sechser. Reckford made her international debut in 2019 with 4th place in the LW4X at the World Championships. Sechser has been racing internationally since 2012 and won bronze at the 2017 World Championships. This season they’ve made one appearance, winning the gold medal at the Poznan World Cup.

The final two crews to mention are Ireland and Switzerland. Ireland is represented by Aiofe Casey and Margaret Cremen. They were 8th at the Tokyo Olympics and this season won bronze at the Poznan World Cup (Ireland’s first medal in this boat class since 2006), and they went on to finish 4th at the Europeans. Switzerland has Frederique Rol and Patricia Merz. They have been racing together since their U23 days in 2012. They took bronze at the 2018 Europeans and 4th at the Worlds. They qualified for the Olympics via the FOQR and ended up winning the B-Final. This season they have 6th place from Poznan and were 5th at the Europeans.

My picks: Great Britain for the win, and a comfortable one at that. I’m going for the USA to pip the French in the battle for silver and bronze.

PR2 Mixed Double Sculls

2019 Champions: Lauren Rowles & Laurence Whiteley (Great Britain)

Entries: 10

Ukraine will probably start as marginal favourites in Racice. Their line-up of Svitlana Bohuslavska and Iaroslav Koiuda was 4th in 2019 and 4th again in Tokyo. This season they won on the Sunday of the Gavirate Regatta and then took the European title in Munich.

The Netherlands were silver medallists at the Paralympics, but they only have Cornelis de Koning returning from that boat. He was world champion (with Annika Van Der Meer) in 2017, 2018 and 2019. This season he’s formed a new partnership with Chantal Haenen, who made her international debut this season, winning the bronze medal at the Poznan World Cup.

France was runners-up to Ukraine at the European Championships this season; their crew of Perle Bouge and Stephane Tardieu have been racing together for over a decade; they won silver in London and took bronze in Rio. This season, as well as silver in Munich, they have a silver medal from the Poznan World Cup.

Brazil has a new combination this season with the highly experienced Josiane Dias de Lima joined by international debutant Leandro Sagaz Dos Santos. Dias Di Lima was World Champion back in 2007 and a bronze medallist in Beijing. She’s also competed at the London, Rio and Tokyo Paralympics, taking 8th last year.

Ireland is another nation with a new line-up for 2022, Steven McGowan and Katie O’Brien. O’Brien is the more experienced of the two, and she competed in the PR2 W1X at the 2019 World Championships, winning a bronze medal. This season O’Brien took gold in the PR2 W1X at the Poznan World Cup and also raced in the PR2 Mix2X, with McGowan finishing 4th. The duo also finished 4th at the European Championships in Munich.

My picks: are Ukraine in gold ahead of the Netherlands in silver and the French in bronze.

PR3 Mixed Double Sculls

2019 Champions: Valentina Zhagot & Evgenii Borisov (Russia)

Entries: 9

This event will be included in the Paralympics for the first time in Paris, so interest in it will increase significantly in the next 18 months, and a lot of nations are trying to establish their best and fastest combinations.

Austria looks to have the most established pairing; Johanna Beyer and David Erkinger were world silver medallists in 2018 and 2019. They raced at the Gavirate Regatta, placing 3rd on both days.

Winners in Gavirate were the USA, Todd Vogt and Pea Outlaw. They are a new combination for this season; Outlaw won bronze at the 2019 World Championships 9 with Joshua Boissoneau), and Vogt placed 6th in the PR3 M2-.

Great Britain has a pair of debutants racing in Racice, Annie Caddick from Molesey Boat Club and Dan Powell from Nottingham Boat Club. Powell is a former Paralympic Judoka and only recently turned to rowing. They made their debuts at Gavirate, finishing in silver medal position on both days.

A number of nations are switching athletes from the PR3 Mix4+ (or doubling up). Ukraine’s Dariia Kotyk and Stanislav Samoliuk were both members of para 4+ in the last few seasons; they won silver at the 2020 Europeans, bronze in 2021 and were 9th in Tokyo.

Israel’s Shay-Lee Mizrachi and Achiy Klein also raced in para 4+ at last year’s Europeans, where they finished 5th. Klein was a member of the four that raced in Tokyo, finishing 6th.

Another nation switching across from the para mixed 4+ is Brazil. Diana Barcelos de Oliveira and Valdeni da Silva Junior were in the four that finished 10th in Tokyo. Barcelos de Oliviera was world champion in this boat class (partnered by Jairo Natanael Klug Frohlich) in 2017 and 2018.

France is represented by Laurent Cadot and Elur Alberdi. Cadot is also a member of the PR3 Mix4+ and is doubling up in that event. He rowed n the French M8 at the 2015 World Championships and, as a para-rower, won gold in the PR3 M2- at the Poznan World Cup this season and also silver in the mixed four at the Europeans. Alberdi made her international debut this season and raced in the PR3 W2- in Poznan, finishing 2nd in a 2-boat final.

Italy also has one of their rowers doubling up in the mixed 4+. 19-year-old Luca Conti made his debut this season, finishing 4th in the PR3 M2- in Poznan and then as a member for the mixed 4+ finished 4th at the Europeans. His partner n Racice is Maryam Afgei. She was 6th in this event in 2019 and doubled up in the PR3 W2- finishing 2nd in a 2-boat final.

The final crew in the event is Nigeria. Both Gbemisola Ijigbamigbe and Promise Simeon make their international debuts this season.

My picks: I reckon the USA will win with Great Britain in silver and Ukraine in bronze.

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