Photo Credit: World Rowing / Benedict Tufnell
Men’s Eight
2019 Champions: Germany (Johannes Weissenfeld, Laurits Follert, Christopher Reinhardt, Torben Johannesen, Jakob Schneider, Malte Jakschik, Richard Schmidt, Hannes Ocik, Martin Sauer)
Entries: 11
The Men’s Eight at the World Championships has long been a two-horse contest between Great Britain and Germany. You have to go all the way back to 2007 for the last time a country other than these two stood on the top step of the podium. 2022 looks likely to carry on that tradition.
Great Britain will come into Racice as the strong favourites to take their first World Championship title since 2015. Their line-up is Rory Gibbs, Morgan Bolding, Dave Bewicke-Copley, Sholto Carnegie, Charlie Elwes, Tom Digby, James Rudkin, Tom Ford and Harry Brightmore. Three of the crew were in the bronze medal Olympic crew (Rudkin, Ford and Elwes) and Gibbs and Carniegie were in the M4- that finished fourth. This season the British have been the dominant crew. At the first World Cup in Belgrade, they won a three-boat final against the Netherlands and China, but it wasn’t just the fact they won which was impressive so much as the manner of their victory. They crossed the line ten seconds ahead of the Dutch, recording the largest ever margin of victory for a M8 at the World Cup. They followed this up with a win at Henley and then a four-second win in Lucerne with the Australians in silver. They continued their unbeaten run at the Europeans, recording a clear water victory over the Netherlands. As with the other GB boats, the British have adopted a long and powerful stroke, often striking three to four strokes per minute lower than their opposition.
If the British have been having a smooth run into the World Championships, the same can’t be said for their archnemesis Germany. Faced with a raft of retirements after Tokyo, chief coach Uwe Bender has faced an uphill battle to build a new Deutschland-Achter. His efforts haven’t been helped by the fact that two of his top rowers, Olaf Roggensack and Luarits Follert, are unavailable to race in Racice due to commitments with their employer, the German Federal Police. This means that his crew for Racice only has one member of the silver medal winning crew from Tokyo, Torben Johannesen. He’s joined by the core of the 2021 bronze medal U23 BM8, Jaspar Angl, Mark Hinrichs, Julian Garth, Benedict Eggeling and Mattes Schroeder along with fellow 2021 U23 team-mate Tom Tewes and Wolf-Niclas Schroeder – who rowed in the M2- at the 2019 World Championships finishing seventh. Despite being a very young crew (their average age is just 22), they have shown some potential; they won in Poznan and were third in Lucerne. The European Championships were more disappointing when they missed the podium and finished fourth. The Germans face an uphill battle to even make the podium in Racice, and this could well be the first time since 2003 that a German M8 has failed to win a World Championship medal.
The main challenge to the British will most likely come from The Netherlands. They have three athletes who raced at the Tokyo Olympics; Nikki van Sprang and Guillaume Krommenhoek (seventh in the M2-) and Abe Wiersma (gold in the M4X). The Dutch have been playing around with their line-up this season. Van Sprang raced with Lennart van Lierop in the M2- at the first and second World Cups, Wiersma and Jacob van De Kerkhof raced in the M4x and Michiel Mantel and Mick Makker the M4-. The final member of the crew, Guus Mollee raced the M2x earlier in the season. As mentioned above, the Dutch were soundly beaten by the British in Belgrade and then were runners-up to them again at the European Championships. The Dutch will have taken heart from that loss in Munich – they caught a boat-stopping crab in the first 150m which saw them drop nearly two lengths on the rest of the field, but they clawed their way back and on the line were just a length down on the British and almost a full second up on Italy and Germany.
The other main threats to the British chances of gold will come from outside Europe. Australia were runners-up to the Germans in Poznan and then the British in Lucerne. They also raced in The Grand at Henley, defeating the Chinese in the semi-final before losing to the British in the final. Their crew is Rohan and Nicholas Lavery, Henry Youl, Ben Canham, Angus Widdicombe, Sam Hardy, William O’Shannessey, Jackson Kench and Kendal Brodie. Nick Lavery and Angus Widdicombe were both members of the M8 that finished sixth in Tokyo and Sam Hardy raced in the M2- at the Olympics last year as well. They are a relatively young and inexperienced crew, with Rohan Lavery, Youl, Canham, O’Shannessey and Kench all making their senior international debuts at the start of this season. For such an inexperienced crew they have a very strong chance of making the podium and whilst I don’t see them beating the British this year, they could be strong contenders by the time the Olympics come around.
The USA hasn’t raced as an eight during the World Cup series, although they did race at Henley (as California RC and Penn Athletic), losing to the British by ¾ length. They did race a M4- of Michael Knippen, Andrew Gaard, Chris Carlson and Pieter Quinton at the Poznan World Cup, picking up a bronze medal. Alongside these four, the crew includes two Olympians, Alex Karwoski (fourth in the M8 in Rio) and Liam Corrigan (fourth in the M8 in Tokyo). The final members of the crew are Michael Clougher (13th in the M4- in 2018) and Nick Rusher (silver medallist in the BM8 at the 2021 U23 World Championships). The Americans love the men’s eight and this is their priority boat at these Championships. Despite being a relatively inexperienced crew, and one with little or no racing under their belts this season, they could well be amongst the challengers for the minor medals.
Canada is another nation that worships the men’s eight and they have had considerable success, winning the World title in 2002, 2003 and 2007. But in recent years the Canadian men’s team has lost its way somewhat. They’ve not made the podium since 2011 and at the last two World Championships they failed to make the A-Final (and between 2013 and 2017 they didn’t even enter a crew). This season they raced at both the Poznan and Lucerne World Cups but managed only sixth on both occasions. Their crew includes triple Olympian Will Crothers (who won silver in the M8 at the London Olympics) along with Tokyo Olympians Luke Gadsdon and Jakub Buczek (eighth in the M4-). Of the rest of the crew, only Joshua King has any senior international experience before this season, as a member of the ninth place LM4X back in 2016. The rest of the crew, Curtis Ames, Ryan Clegg, Terek Been, & Peter Lancashire, all made their senior international debuts this season. I’ve a feeling Canada’s struggles in this event may continue and they will do well to make the A-Final.
Italy were bronze medallists at the European Championships but have made two changes to that crew with Alfonso Scalzone and Guiseppe Abagnale coming into the crew having raced the pair in Munich. The core of the Italian boat is made up of three of their bronze medal-winning Olympic M4- (Matteo Castaldo, Matteo Lodo and Guiseppe Vicino). Abagnale also raced at the Olympics, partnering Marco di Constanzo in the M2-. The remaining members of the crew are Emanuele Gaetani Liseo and Leonardo Pietra Caprina along with cox Enrico D’Aniello. As well as a third place at the Europeans the Italians took fifth at the Lucerne World Cup.
Romania finished fifth in Munich, and they have set themselves a challenge of doubling-up in the M4- with their Olympic silver medal winning crew of Mihaita Tiganescu, Mugurel Semciuc, Stefan Berariu and Florin Lehaci, and also their European champion M2- Marius Cozmiuc and Sergiu Bejan. Doubling-up is quite common for the Romanian team, but it could damage their chances for medals in all their events.
Also racing in Racice are Ukraine, China and the Czech Republic.
My picks: Great Britain for the gold ahead of the Netherlands in silver and the USA in bronze
Women’s Eight
2019 Champions: New Zealand (Ellen Greenslade, Emma Dyke, Lucy Spoors, Kelsey Bevan, Grace Prendergast, Kerri Williams, Beth Ross, Jackie Gowler, Caleb Shepherd)
Entries: 6
A straight final for the first time since 2002. Defending champions New Zealand aren’t entered (and the Kiwi press are reporting they are unlikely to field a crew at all during the rest of the Paris Olympiad).
Marginal favourites heading into Racice will likely be Australia. They raced at both the Poznan and Lucerne World Cups; a slightly lacklustre performance in Poznan was rectified in Lucerne where they ran out winners ahead of Canada. They are a relatively inexperienced crew, with five of the crew making their senior debuts this season (Eleanor Price, Jean Mitchell, Paige Barr, Jacqueline Swick and Ella Bramwell). The stern three of the crew are where the experience lies; stroke woman Emma Fessey won bronze in the W8 in 2018 and the seven and six seats, Giorgia Patten and Georgina Rowe, were in the W8 that finished fifth in Tokyo. Despite this relative inexperience they showed good form in Lucerne and will certainly be challenging for the win.
The USA has dominated this event for the last 11 Championships, winning gold no fewer than nine times. But in the last few years their dominance has begun to wane. They missed the podium in Tokyo (the first time that’s happened since Sydney 2000) and at the World Championships they were fourth in 2017 and “only” bronze medallists in 2019. Their crew for 2022 includes Claire Collins and Maddy Wannamaker who are also doubling-up in the W2-. They were members of the W4- that raced in Tokyo. They are joined in the W8 by fellow Olympians Charlotte Buck, Jessica Thoennes, and Regina Salmons, all of whom raced in the W8 in Tokyo. The rest of the crew are Alina Hagstrom (U23 world Champion in 2018) Molly Bruggeman (sixth in the W4- at the 2019 Worlds) and Kelsey Reelick (who made her senior debut this season racing in the W4- at the Poznan World Cup).
Canada are the reigning Olympic Champions in this event, and they have three of that crew racing in Racice; Kasia Gruchella-Wesierski, Avalon Westeneys and Sydney Payne. They are joined by two fellow Tokyo Olympians, Jessica Sevick and Gabrielle Smith, who raced the W2X to a sixth place in Japan. The rest of the crew are Morgan Rosts, Kirsten Edwards, and Alexis Cronk, all of whom made their senior debuts this season. The W8 raced at the Lucerne World Cup where they finished runners-up to the Australians. For my money they will be in with a shout for the medals,
Romania are the reigning European Champions, but they have also chosen to double-up in both the W4- and the W2-, something they do fairly frequently, and with the W8 being a straight final it’s perhaps not such a big risk. Magdalena Rusu, Iuliana Buhus, Madalina Beres, and Amalia Beres are racing the W4- and Ioana Vrinceneau and Denisa Tilvescu in the W2-. The only two members of the crew not racing two events are Adriana Ailincai and Maria Tivodariu. These two both rowed at the Tokyo Olympics; Tivodariu in the W8 and Ailincai in the W2-. The Romanians also raced the W8 at the Lucerne World Cup where they finished third behind Australia and Canada. The Romanians tend to do better at the Europeans than the Worlds and this may be the case again this year; they will be in the mix, but I think will come up short and just miss the podium.
The Netherlands have also gone down the doubling-up route, but for them all eight of their boat are racing in two events. Marloes Oldenburg, Benthe Boonstra, Hermine Drenth and Tinka Offeriens race the W4-, Ymkje Clevering and Veronique Meester the W2- and Roos de Jong and Laila Youssifou the W2X (it is fairly uncommon for athletes to race both sweep and sculling at a World Championships). As an eight this crew has had a reasonable season – they started with a win at the Poznan World Cup and then took bronze at the Europeans. I think they will be in a battle with the Romanians to be the best European crew, but like the Romanians I don’t see them making the podium.
The final crew in the event is China. Their crew is Hairong Zhang, Yuxia Zhou, Xiya Dong, Mengyao Dai, Peixin Zhang, Fengjiao Sun, Xinyu Lin, Yixin Yang and Liping Shang, China has raced the W8 twice this season; they put out two matched crews in Belgrade, finishing second and third in a three-boat event, and then were fourth in Lucerne. They are probably the weakest of the six boats entered and I have them at the tail end of the field.
My picks: It should be a really tight contest. I’m going for Australia to take gold with Canada in silver and the USA just behind in bronze.
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