Image Credit: World Rowing
The historical Holland Beker regatta will occur on Saturday, 28th and Sunday, 29th June 2025 at the Bosbaan regatta Course in Amsterdam. This race is an international multilane rowing regatta over 2000 meters on a six-lane course.
This year, there are eight teams registered for this race, which include Orca, Skøll 1, Skøll 2, NED, Argo/Gyas, Phocas, Nereus, Australia/Njord.
In 2024, Nereus came first, winning comfortably with a time of 6:44.68 and had the fastest splits throughout (consistent sub-1:44 per 500m). Orca/Phocas/Euros placed second with a time of 6:47.48, +2.80s behind Nereus. They were slightly slower but had a strong sprint in the final 500m.
Nereus are the reigning champions and historically one of the best teams in the Netherlands. Moreover, the environment at Nereus is elite; therefore, there is a high probability of strong continuity and success.
Orca now races as a standalone boat, while in 2024, it was part of a combined Orca/Phocas/Euros boat that placed second. With the split, their strength could be diluted unless their team has all-around strong rowers.
Regarding Skøll 1 & Skøll 2, they did not compete in 2024; however, Skøll is a strong club in the Netherlands. Thus, there is uncertainty regarding their performance this year, but they could be dark horses due to their success in other races throughout the year.
This year, the Netherlands (NED) national team is racing, which could be very fast and a strong contender to watch due to its intense training practices.
Australia/Njord involves an international team component which adds excitement and curiosity to how strong this team will perform. Njord has a good training base, but combining with Australia could bring in great athleticism. This is a new combination team, so it is difficult to predict, but they could have strong success.
In 2024, Gyas finished fifth with a time of 6:55.44, which was far from Nereus. Argo was not registered in 2024. They are likely to add some strength to the race but are unlikely to win, especially against top-performing Dutch clubs alongside international components.
Prediction
The most likely outcome of the 2025 Holland Beker is Nereus in first place as defending champions with elite rowers, a strong reputation and history throughout all races so far. However, the NED team could challenge for gold as they are a national crew with a rich pedigree. Moreover, Australia/Njord may be a wildcard with international talent.
