Image Credit: World Rowing
Entries: 6
The first World Rowing Cup of the LA quadrennial kicks off in Varese on 13 June. This regatta will be our first look at powerhouse nations, such as the USA, Australia, and China, and we get to see every rower from these crews (plus the Italians) race in smaller boats as well. Since the eight event has a low-stakes preliminary race rather than heats, we may see some strategic energy-saving race plans initially…but get ready for fireworks in the final!
Great Britain masterfully paced the European Rowing Championships final to win their first title since 2016. They will race in Varese with the same combination, including Paris Olympic bronze medallists Heidi Long and Lauren Irwin, who teamed up with Daisy Bellamy and Martha Birtles to win a bronze in the women’s four at the European Rowing Championships. Megan Slabbert and Eleanor Brinkhoff picked up an additional bronze medal in the women’s pair at that event. Amelia Standing, Juliette Perry, and coxswain Jack Tottem are the newer faces in the boat, but there are still eight international starts between them.
The Italian eight will have been thrilled with their bronze medal at the European Rowing Championships, only five seconds off Great Britain. Elisa Mondelli, Silvia Terrazzi, Giorgia Pelacchi, Alice Codato, and coxswain Emanuele Capponi were residents in the first-ever Italian women’s eight to compete at the Olympic Games, and finished in sixth place in Paris. Emerging stars in the women’s pair, Laura Meriano and Codato, who won a silver medal at the European Rowing Championships after being below World Best Time pace for the first half, lead the crew in the stroke pair. Two-time Olympians Kiri English-Hawke and Stefania Gobbi round out the team. In 2024, four of this crew beat the Olympic lineup British eight for gold, but Italy had the advantage of not doubling up at the time. The playing field is level this year and will be a great test of Italian progression.
Australia are returning their stroke/coxswain pair (Paige Barr, Hayley Verbunt) and engine room rowers Georgina Rowe and Jacqueline Swick from the fourth-place Paris Olympic eight. Rowe is a two-time Olympian who also raced to fifth place in the eight in Tokyo. They are joined by three U23 world medallists in sweep boats – Georgie Gleeson, Eliza Gaffney, and Emmie Federico. Ella Bramwell brings two World Rowing Cup podiums in the eight event, and Jaime Ford makes her debut racing for Australia. Five of this crew won bronze at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in the eight – a podium finish should be in reach for them in Varese.
The United States finished fifth at the Paris Olympic Games, and only two of that crew are returning – Charlotte Buck and coxswain Cristina Castagna. However, they are joined by several other Paris Olympians, including the fourth-place pair of Jess Thoennes and Azja Czajkowski, stroke seat of the fifth-place four Kate Knifton, and Teal Cohen, who placed ninth in the quad. Camille Vandermeer won the pair event at US Rowing Winter Speed Orders with Knifton and the 2022 U23 world title in the eight. Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson won two medals at the 2021 U23 World Rowing Championships, with gold in the eight and silver in the four. The final member of the crew is Etta Carpender, who makes her international debut and was a key member of the dominant University of Texas national champion programme.
Germany placed fifth at the European Rowing Championships, seven seconds behind Italy. A lineup change brings the pair of Olivia Clotten and Lene Muehrs into the eight, after an eighth-place finish in Plovdiv. Both athletes won medals in the eight at the 2022 and 2023 U23 World Rowing Championships, with Clotten claiming an additional medal in 2024. This change looks to strengthen the boat slightly, and they will be hoping to stay closer to the speed of the top boats, especially since no members of this crew are doubling up in other events.
The crew from China has seven international debutants; this crew appears to be mainly developmental, as their more decorated athletes are racing in the smaller boats. Yuxiu Zhou is the crew’s most experienced athlete, with four World Rowing Cup starts and sixth place in the eight at the 2022 World Rowing Championships. Qian Wei won an U19 world title in 2014 in the four, but has not raced internationally since. China has surprised the world before with an incredible eights performance (bronze in Tokyo after no podium performances for the preceding cycle), but I think this new combination will be battling with Germany at the back of the pack.
Prediction
Great Britain to take another gold, USA back on the podium with a silver, and Australia shaking off Italy to take the bronze.
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