Image Credit: TresKasen
The Hollandia rowing competitions will occur on the 18th, 19th and 20th of April 2025 on the iconic Bosbaan. Youth rowers, university rowing clubs and national team athletes compete for the prestigious Hollandia honours and, for some, the Dutch national title. There will be head-to-head races across a 2000-metre distance in a six-lane course.
Development teams are for rowers who are no longer beginners but not yet racing at the elite or national level. This is often for rowers within student/university rowing clubs and develops a rower from beginner to elite. The teams competing in the women’s advanced coxless four are Theta, Nereus 1, Nereus 2, Nereus 3, Orca 1, Orca 2, Njord and Okeanos. In 2024, teams that are not racing in 2025 placed high. However, Orca 1 earned third place with a time of 8:47,56, which was 17,90 seconds slower than first place. Orca could challenge for a higher place this year as they have experience on the Bosbaan, and if they have a slightly stronger middle 1000m or sprint finish, they could be strong contenders. However, Nereus is known for its excellence and high performance across many races. Nereus has three teams racing and is most likely the strongest contender as they are fielding three boats; they are drawing from a larger pool of developed rowers with more internal competition. It will be interesting to see if Nereus has depth across all boats or whether one boat is stronger.
This year, Orca stands out as a consistent team. Having placed well before in this race, they are reliable and cohesive. However, Nereus’ prestigious nature and three boats indicate they have strength in their squad. A wildcard to watch would be Theta, as they have a solid development program that could make a great impression this year. Njord and Okeanos may face more difficult challenges against teams like Nereus and Orca unless some improvements have been made to their development teams.
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