Image Credit: World Rowing
The crowning event of the Holland Beker, the singles entries are stacked with international athletes. From Belgium to Indonesia—and, of course, the Netherlands—this event has 25 entries and will be a hard-fought battle even to make the A-final.
Mark Couwenhoven, the 28-year-old from the United States, does not have much international experience in the single. A powerful athlete, after competing in the very competitive double sculls event at the U23 World Rowing Championships, he will want to measure himself against the best the world has to offer.
Melvin Twellaar, who made his name beating Oli Zeidler in Munich, has since shown some dominant performances in the single. However, he has struggled this year with injury. Whether this will still affect his performance remains to be seen, but I wouldn’t expect him to be in peak condition.
Simon van Dorp, the giant and home favourite, will have his eyes on the trophy. It is a tremendous honour for any Dutchman to win, and he will appreciate the opportunity this year, as the Dutch squad usually is so focused on a strict programme. Having come out of the quad after the European Rowing Championships, he’s had several weeks to find his rhythm in the single. We can definitely expect some quick times.
Aaron Andries from Belgium has performed strongly over the last few years. He finished third in the single at last year’s U23 World Rowing Championships and, this year, finished in the B-final at the European Rowing Championships in the double. He is a young athlete with clear potential to race at a higher level.
Prediction
I have to say, I think Simon van Dorp will lead this race. After performing so strongly at the Dutch National Championships and now completing a solid training block, he should be in peak condition to race against the best the world has to offer.
