This weekend, the 40th edition of the Tromp Boat Races will take place in Hilversum. With hundreds of boats and over a thousand rowers participating, it is widely regarded as the largest event for junior, student, master, and senior rowers. The event itself is a run as a head race covering a distance of 5.2 kilometres. In the women’s single scull field, there are many rowers with wildly varying levels of experience.
Trijntje van der Pijl
In the women’s single sculls, Trijntje van der Pijl from Orca is one to watch. She previously shone at the Varsity, where she brought victory to Utrecht for Orca. With her experience and a stack of sweep and scull wins, she will line up at the start with some confidence. Still, it is worth noting that most of her stronger performances have been in larger boats.
Hannah Otterloo
The athlete with the highest number of wins starting in Hilversum this weekend is Hannah Otterloo from Njord. Although her points suggest she’s the logical favourite to win, it’s important to note that she will not be racing in the lightweight category, as we’ve seen from her before, but in the open category. The question is how well she will keep up with the field.
Iris Neijzen
Iris Neijzen from Skøll doesn’t often compete in the single scull, which makes her appearance in Hilversum particularly interesting. In recent seasons, she has mainly shown her strength in larger boats. The Tromp Boat Races now offer her the opportunity to show what she can do solo.
Prediction
Predicting a race between 44 single sculls remains a difficult task. I’ve mentioned only the top-performing athletes above, but previous results, especially in larger boats, don’t tell the whole story. The Tromp is a long race, where many things can go wrong. Still, I have high expectations for Trijntje van der Pijl. I’m also very curious to see how Hannah Otterloo will perform now that she’s racing in the open category.
