As the leaves begin to fall and the days grow shorter, the Dutch rowing community prepares for the Tromp Boat Races. With nearly 800 entries, consisting of juniors, students and masters, Hilversum will be the setting for the first long-distance race of the season.
Men’s Open Single Sculls
Willem Stoop
Last year’s runner-up, Willem Stoop, is back this year to improve on his result. Last year, he suffered a long injury after the Tromp, which meant he didn’t get to show much in the skiff for the rest of the season. However, he did manage to add some shine to his season with good performances in the quadruple scull, in which he became Dutch National Champion, and rowed a strong race at Henley Royal Regatta. If he has been able to start this season injury-free, I expect him to be a strong contender for the win this weekend.
Cornelus Palsma
Another contender for the win is Cornelus Palsma. This Dutch-Frenchman has achieved numerous notable results in long-distance races in recent years, including victory at the Tromp in the lightweight and heavyweight U23 single sculls events in 2023 and victory at the Hel in the lightweight single sculls event in 2022. Despite being a lightweight, he is again competing in the heavyweight field this year, but that should not be a problem for him, as he was able to hold his own against the heavyweight scullers at last year’s Dutch National Championships.
Oeds Blom
A member of Cornelus’ club who has also proven himself to be a strong sculler is Oeds Blom. Although he regularly achieves good results in the single scull and has competed twice at the U23 World Rowing Championships, he also periodically achieves less impressive results. Last year, for example, he only managed a ninth place in the U23 field at the Tromp. This inconsistency makes it difficult to predict how he will perform this weekend. If he has a good day, a solid result can be expected.
Prediction
I expect Cornelus Palsma to emerge as the winner, followed by Willem Stoop. These men have already posted good times in singles in the past, and I expect nothing less from them this weekend.
Men’s U23 Single Sculls
Joost van de Sluis
Out of all the single scullers competing in 2025, Joost van der Sluis clocked the fastest time last year. Last season, Joost completed a successful season as a lightweight, topped off with a fourth place in the lightweight single at the U23 World Rowing Championships last summer. This year, he wants to make the step to heavyweight rowing, and if you look at the results of the Tromp of the past two years, that should not be a problem. Last year, he finished second in the heavyweight field, and fourth the year before. This year, it will take someone almost perfect to deprive him of the win.
James Graham
Another rower who has achieved good results at the Tromp over the past two years is James Graham. With a sixth place in the U23 single in 2023 and a fifth place last year, James has already demonstrated his ability to row fast in Hilversum. I expect nothing less from him this year, making him one of my favourites for the win.
Cuup Kuilboer
A notable entry in the U23 field is that of Cuup Kuilboer. This youngster from Alkmaarsche is only seventeen years old and could still compete in the junior field at Tromp twice more, but has chosen to seek a challenge in a higher age category. He has already won the boys’ Junior 18 field at the Tromp for the past two years, and he was unbeatable for the remainder of the season as well. It will be interesting to see how he performs this weekend among boys who are all older than him.
Prediction
In my opinion, Joost van der Sluis is the big favourite. He has posted fast times in the single last year and continued to do so until late in the summer. Now that the guys who finished ahead of him in recent years are no longer allowed to compete, he will be motivated to show the rest of the field early in the season that he is also the fastest among the heavyweights.
It is more difficult to predict who will finish behind him. I expect James Graham to do well, but we won’t know exactly who will make up the top five until after the race.
