Image Credit: World Rowing
For the first time this century, a global rowing championship is coming to St Catharine’s, Canada. Host of the annual Royal Canadian Henley Regatta as well as a number of national championships each year, the course is well experienced in hosting high level domestic racing but will be set to host the biggest event aside from the Olympic Games. One of the blue riband events, the women’s eights will provide seven top quality crews the opportunity to crown themselves as the fastest in the world at their age group as well as some exciting racing for us all to enjoy.
United States
Dominant in this event, the United States have won 11 of the 17 running’s of this event including the last three. Taking up the mantle this time is a crew with representatives from seven different collegiate programs. Despite this diversity, the crew is somewhat lacking in experience at this level – only Dahlia Levine returns from the winning crew last year and this marks the international debut for four rowers and the cox. The sources of experience in the crew come from Katherine Kelly’s three Team USA vests so far as well as from Natalie Hoefer (2023 U23 coxed four) and Joely Cherniss (2023 junior eight). Do not, however, mistake the lack of experience for a lack of speed; last year’s winning eight was the international debut for five of its rowers and coach Sarah Trowbridge has a proven record on the international stage.
Great Britain
Under the leadership of Head Olympic Pathways Coach Pete Sheppard, British Rowing have pivoted to a strong embrace of the American collegiate system to develop their athletes and return to the national governing body over the summer. This crew, coached by ‘Shep’ himself, is the product of that system. It contains six rowers who have been in the United States across five universities. With an Ivy Leaguer in the bow seat, a west coast duo in two and three seats behind a pair from the University of Texas, the crew does retain a notably British grounding. Rhianna Sumpter of Oxford Brookes is the only one in the crew with previous experience at this level, having been in the crew last year which finished fourth in this event. Domestically, the old Wycliffian added to her already extensive resume by winning the Remenham Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta while clubmate Olivia Hill is also in the crew, just off the back of winning the Island Challenge Cup. This crew has the pedigree to match anyone else in the event as they seek to take the gold back to Britain for the first time since 2009.
Romania
Despite their historic success across the board in rowing, the Romanians have historically struggled in this event. They have never won a medal and 2006 was the last time they even finished in the top half of the entry. As a result, the federation has tended to use the eight as more of a development boat. This year, spurred by their women’s eight claiming their first gold in two decades at the Olympics, the crew selected has the talent and experience to truly compete at this level. The bow four is full of returners from last year’s crew who headed home after the repechage, but the stern four is loaded with talent. Delia Mirabela Gradinaciuc and Georgiana Blanariu both medalled at last year’s junior world championship, but the stars of the show are Emanuela Ioana Ciotau and Patricia Cires, two athletes in their final year of eligibility who won gold in the quad twelve months ago. Their experience does not stop at the U23 level, having competed in the quad at a senior level, qualifying for and racing at the Paris Olympics, where they finished seventh overall. This is their first time racing internationally in a sweep boat, but they have the talent to help elevate this crew to the best finish the Romanians have ever had.
Germany
The German rowing team are going through a much-discussed transition period without the sustained success at the top of the team that one would expect. The beneficiaries of that are their development pathways who have an easier route to gain experience at the highest level. To that end, the federation opted to send their silver medal-winning U23 eight to the senior world championships, earning them precious experience. Five of that crew return and they perhaps have received upgrades to their lineup. Joining them is Eva Weitzel, a silver medalist at the 2021 junior world championships and standout on the domestic scene; Harriet Wappler-Niemeyer, a member of the national senior squad who raced in the double at the U23 world championships last year and the stroke seat Luise Bachmann, stroke of the Stanford first eight who was a finalist for the national athlete of the year. With these reinforcements, the crew is positioned to re-attack the American crew they lost to by just over a length last time around, targeting the middle of the rostrum this year.
Canada
After winning the bronze medal 12 months ago, there will be a great deal of optimism in the Canadian camp as they prepare for a rare world championship on home water, the first in the lifetimes of these athletes. The crew returns three rowers from last year including Jenette Peachey for whom this will be the third campaign in the U23 eight. Alongside them are a strong group of reinforcements: most of whom have experience at the junior world championships (including Peachey’s doubles partner from 2021) plus debutante Alexandra Pidgeon, a member of the first eight at the University of Tennessee who were the talk of the nation throughout this season’s NCAA campaign. With a home crowd behind them, they will be hoping to take a medal away from this event, but a strong field of prioritised crews may prove too stern a test.
Italy
For the third year in a row, there is an Italian entry in the women’s eight at the U23 world championships. This is a notable change from historical precedent, having only entered it twice in the previous 14 championships, but the Azzurri are looking to build in this area. Success has been harder to come by, placing fifth and sixth in seven-boat fields but there is hope that this crew can be the one to change that. Drawing from significant success at junior levels, this crew is built around three members of their junior four that won gold at their world championships last year which marked a successful defence for Lucrezia Monaci and Giorgia Sciattella who had won the event previously. They join a more established but less successful unit in the U23 team, who they will look to bring along on their winning culture. The entries in this event are of a very high standard so winning a third gold in a row for Manaci and Sciattella seems unlikely but a first medal in this event remains on the table.
Australia
The final crew entered is from Australia and is made up of its US-based rowers. Off the back of a training camp in Princeton, New Jersey this crew was named with representatives from five different universities as well as one domestically-based athlete, Sarah Marriott. Marriott raced at the first World Rowing Cup this summer in Varese, Italy as part of the ‘Australia A’ contingent and will join Stanford for next season. Beyond Marriott, the only international experience in the boat comes from Katherine Easton and Zara Collisson who both won gold in the coxed four last year and both won All-American honours this season with the Michigan Wolverines. This marking the first entry in the event for the green and gold since 2018, there is little form on the international stage to judge them off, but the crew will be aiming to make as good a showing of themselves as they can.
Prediction
While the competition looks as strong as it ever has, I just can’t bring myself to suggest anyone but the three-time defending champion USA crew for gold. Elsewhere, this German crew look the most likely to challenge the Americans and should certainly get a lot closer than they did twelve months ago. The British crew also looks very quick and should be a good shout for the bronze medal.
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