Image Credit: World Rowing
Entries: 23
All eyes in this event will be on Croatia. The legendary Sinkovic brothers have returned to the pair for this regatta, having raced in the coxless four at the European Rowing Championships (winning silver, Croatia’s first ever championship medal in that boat class). They are the reigning Olympic champions in this event, and even though they have been focusing on the four so far this season, they will probably start as overwhelming favourites.
The other half of the European silver medal-winning Croatian coxless four, the Loncaric brothers, are also racing the pair in Varese. They were the Croatian pair during the Paris Olympiad, winning European U23 bronze in 2022 and taking 11th at the senior World Rowing Championships in 2023, but in 2024, the Sinkovics decided to switch boats from the double, and the Loncarics took their place in the Olympic double, ending up 12th. Rumour is that this switch back to the pairs for both sets of Crotian brothers is a temporary move and the focus is still on the four for this season (and if the rumours are true, this will involve an appearance in The Stewards’ Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta).
Leading the charge against the Croatians will most likely be Nunzio di Colondrea and Giovanni Codato of Italy. They were silver medallists at the European Rowing Championships (and also picked up a bronze in the eight). Codato raced the pair in Paris with Davide Comini, finishing 12th, and Colandrea is a former U23 world champion and was in the coxless four that placed 13th at the 2022 World Rowing Championships.
Italy also has a second pair racing, Alessandro Timpanaro and Edoardo Caramaschi. They were both in the coxless four that made the A-final at the 2023 U23 World Rowing Championships and made their senior debuts in the Italian second eight at the opening 2024 World Rowing Cup.
The Netherlands also come to Varese with two boats, both of which look capable of challenging for the medals. Racing as NED1 is Leonard Van Lierop and Finn Florjn. They were both quad members that won the 2023 World Rowing Championships and then took gold in Paris. They raced in sweep boats at the European Rowing Championships, with Van Lierop taking silver in the eight and Florijn fourth in the four. Van Lierop has more experience with sweep, having been in the eight that won silver at the 2022 World Rowing Championships. For Florijn, this season marks his first in a sweep boat since winning bronze in the U23 men’s eight back in 2019. It will be interesting to see if these two talented scullers remain in a sweep boat throughout the Olympiad or if this is just a temporary switch to keep things fresh.
Racing as NED2 is Olav Molenaar and Jan Van Der Bij. They raced in the men’s eight throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons, winning world and Olympic silver medals. This season, they raced in the eight in Plovdiv, picking up another silver medal. It is going to be fun seeing which of these two talented pairs is faster.
Australia continues the trend of racing two pairs in Varese. Both are relatively young and inexperienced crews. Racing as AUS1 are Mitch Salisbury and Nicholas Smith. They are both making their senior debuts this season, having raced at the U23 World Rowing Championships in 2023, winning a silver medal in the coxless four. AUS2 is Hamish Wynn-Pope and Charles Batrouney. They are both from Melbourne University Boat Club and made their senior debuts last season, placing sixth in the coxless four at the opening World Rowing Cup.
Another crew with Paris Olympic experience is Switzerland. Jonah Plock raced in the quad that finished sixth, and Patrick Brunner was in the coxless four that placed ninth. Plock is no stranger to racing in the pair, having competed in that boat class throughout the 2022 season, finishing 13th at the European and World Rowing Championships. Brunner raced in the quad in 2022 before moving to the four in 2023, winning gold at the opening World Rowing Cup and making the A-final at the European Rowing Championships. This duo raced in Plovdiv, reaching the A-final.
Great Britain didn’t race in the pair at the Europeans, but do bring a crew to Varese. Toby Lassen and Felix Rawlinson are both making their senior debuts, and both hail from Oxford, Lassen from Brookes, and Rawlinson from Oxford University. They raced together at the 2023 U23 World Rowing Championships, winning gold in the eight. Lassen retained that title in 2024.
New Zealand bring a pair that is a mix of youth and experience. Oliver Welch is one half of the reigning U23 World Rowing Championships pair and makes his senior debut in Varese. The experienced Ben Taylor joins him. Taylor raced in the pair during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, finishing ninth at the 2023 World Rowing Championships and fourth at the third World Rowing Cup of 2024.
The USA has also entered a pair that combines youth and experience. Josh Diggons, from Drexel University, was U23 world champion in the coxed four last season and makes his first senior appearance in Varese. Joining him is Augustine Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a Cal Bears grad, made his senior debut in 2022, racing in the coxless four that finished tenth at the World Rowing Championships. He then raced in the pair with Alex Hedge, finishing 11th at the second World Rowing Cup of 2024.
Other crews to watch are the two boats from Denmark, Magnus Valbirk and Askel Poulsen as DEN 1 and Christian Soendergaard and Kaare Mortensen as DEN2. All but Poulsen were in the four that won the B-final in Plovdiv, and Poulsen won the C-final in the single. Also watch the two German pairs, with Kasper Virnekaes and Simon Schubert as GER1 and Mark Hinrichs and Tom Tewes as GER2. Virnekaes and Schubert were Germany’s pair at the Europeans, where they finished tenth, and Hinrichs and Tewes raced together in the eight that finished seventh in 2022.
Prediction
It is hard to pick anyone other than the Sinkovics in gold, but behind them, I think it could be a Dutch 2-3 with Van Lierop and Florijn heading Molenaar and van der Bij.
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