Image Credit: World Rowing
Entries: 16
World Rowing Cup I Winner: China
For the second and final World Rowing Cup, the circus rolls into Lucerne for a showdown on the iconic Lake of the Gods. 16 crews will represent their countries, with Great Britain, Germany, and New Zealand all sending two boats to compete. The entry list has grown from 11 to 16, and teams look to get a final set of six-lane racing under their belts before heading to Henley Royal Regatta or back home for a gigantic block of training ahead of the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai.
China kicked off the new Olympiad in fine form, beating the Netherlands to the gold medal a couple of weeks ago in Varese. Ling Zhang is a three-time Olympian who also raced to sixth place in the quad in Rio, and Yunxia Chen placed fourth among a strong field in the single at a World Rowing Cup in 2022. After a disappointing Olympic Games for the Chinese, their women’s sculling team seems to have reignited, and the hopes of winning a world title will undoubtedly be burning bright. The Netherlands are choosing not to send boats to this regatta, but we will see a flotilla of them in action at Henley Royal Regatta next week.
That leaves the door open for New Zealand to step up and mount a charge against the Chinese. They were the next best performers at the first World Rowing Cup, finishing five seconds back on the winners. Their top crew of Kathryn Glen and Stella Clayton-Greene remain unchanged, as does the second boat of Ella Cossill and Sophie Egnot-Johnson who raced to a win in the B-final. Speaking of unchanged combinations, we arrive at the United States. Katheryn Flynn and Grace Joyce were fourth on Lake Varese, and in the absence of the Dutch, it’s a fantastic opportunity to step up on the medal podium, particularly as Joyce brings a tremendous amount of experience from last summer’s Olympic Games.
Much like the Americans, Switzerland are also riding with the same combination but just one crew on this occasion, unlike the first World Rowing Cup. Salome Ulrich and Fabienne Schweizer will be looking to build on their fifth-place finish, but there is a six-second gap to make up if they are to leapfrog the crew from the US. Schweizer finished fourth in the quad in Paris and the 2023 World Rowing Championships and recently placed eighth in the single at the European Rowing Championships. This double is a new project, and the two of them hope to take a positive step forward on their home course.
The final crew in the A-final of World Rowing Cup Varese was Great Britain. Unlike many of their competitors, GB are mixing up their combinations and entering two boats. This time round, Vwaire Obukohwo will be paired with Cam Nyland who makes her debut at a World Rowing Cup. Racing in GBR 1 will be Olympic Champion Lola Anderson and 2025 European champion Sarah McKay. The two of them have come out of the bow pair of that crew and created a formidable partnership that could conquer all this weekend.
Prediction
I’m feeling unashamedly biased and patriotic. Lola Anderson and Sarah McKay to win on the Rotsee with China and the Kiwis also on the podium.
