2025 European Rowing Championships – Men’s Quad Preview

Image Credit: World Rowing

Entries: 13

2024 Champions: Nicolo’ Carucci, Andrea Panizza, Luca Chiumento, Giacomo Gentili (Italy)

The Netherlands have been the crew to beat in the last couple of years, but they have a completely different line-up for 2025. Anchoring the crew are two Olympic medallists: Gert-Jan van Doorn from the silver medal men’s eight, and Simon Van Dorp, who won men’s single bronze. They are joined by 2023 U23 silver medallist Lucas Keijzer and Mats van Sabben, who made his international debut at the final World Rowing Cup last season. Despite not containing any of the Olympic gold medal-winning unit from Paris, this has the makings of yet another Dutch wonder-boat.

Italy have been the crew that chased the Dutch the hardest last season and actually beat them at last year’s European Rowing Championships. Unlike the Dutch, they have kept faith with most of their 2024 crew for 2025. Luca Rambaldi, Andrea Panizza and Giacomo Gentili were all boat members who won silver in Paris and were also in the quad that placed fifth in Tokyo. The fourth member of the crew is Matteo Sartori. He raced in the double in Paris with Nicolo Carucci but bowed out at the repechage stage. Sartori sculled with Rambaldi to fourth at the 2023 World Rowing Championships and also placed fourth at last year’s European Rowing Championships.

Great Britain has placed fourth at the last three European Rowing Championships and their crew for 2025 contains half of the boat that finished fourth at this event last year and fourth at the Olympic Games in Callum Dixon and Matt Heywood. Rory Harris and Cedol Dafydd join them. Harris debuted at the final World Rowing Cup of 2021, winning bronze in the double with Victor Kleshnev. He made his second international appearance at World Rowing Cup 3 last season, finishing eighth in the double with Tobias Schroder. Dafydd has one World Rowing Cup appearance to his credit, just missing out on a medal at the third World Rowing Cup last year in the double with Stephen Hughes. Although that was Dafydd’s only World Rowing Cup appearance, he had a very successful 2024, winning at Henley Royal Regatta and the Holland Beker.

Poland has a strong tradition in this boat class. They were European champions in 2023, silver medallists in 2022 and bronze medallists in 2024. Their crew for 2025 is a mix of youth and experience. The experienced half are Dominik Czaja and Piotr Plominski. Czaja won bronze in the quad in Paris and has been sculling in this boat since 2017. During that time, he’s won World Rowing Championship gold in 2022 and placed fourth in Tokyo. Plomnski won the 2022 and 2023 U23 World Rowing Championships in the single and finished fourth at the third World Rowing Cup last season. The youngsters in the crew are Jakub Wozniak and Konrad Domanski. They raced together at the U23 European and World Rowing Championships, winning gold in the double at both.

Ireland has never entered a men’s quad at the European Rowing Championships, so whatever happens this year will be a first. Their crew for Plovdiv are not there just to make up the numbers; the stern pair of the boat is Philip Doyle and Ronan Byrne. This duo won silver in the double at the 2019 World Rowing Championships and Doyle placed third in the double in Paris. They are joined by Andrew Sheehan and Adam Murphy, both of the 2022 U23 bronze medal-winning coxless four crew. Murphy also won U23 bronze in the double last year and Sheehan made the A-final in the single. This should be a really exciting combination to watch.

Another boat with Olympic experience is Spain. They have the fifth-placed men’s double from Paris in Aleix Garcia i Pujolar and Rodrigo Conde Romero. This duo won silver at the 2024 European Rowing Championships and World and European silver in 2022. They are joined by Jordi Jofre i Senciales and Gonzalo Garcia Ferrero. They both sculled in the quad at the opening World Rowing Cup last season and Senciales finished 19^th in the single at the 2022 World Rowing Championships.

Prediction

This could be a terrific battle. My head says Italy, my heart says the Netherlands. I’m going with my heart for gold and my head for silver, with GB snapping up the final podium place.