Image Credit: World Rowing
Entries: 6
World Rowing Cup I Winner: Great Britain
In this condensed racing season, the first phase is already almost over. After the European Rowing Championships and the Varese World Rowing Cup, the world rowing caravan makes its annual stop on the banks of the Rotsee in Lucerne, Switzerland.
This year, the early dominance came from Great Britain, which left both Plovidv and Varese with clear victories. In their stead, the United States has the best form this season. Finishing second in Varese, the US crew doubled up across two fours. This weekend, the setup remains the same, but a few new faces have joined the crew: specifically, Holly Drapp and Kaitlyn Kynast, who made their senior debut together in the pair, finishing 12th overall. The crew retains three Paris Olympians and should be one to watch this weekend.
After finishing third in Varese, the Australian crew has undergone significant changes, with only Ella Bramwell and Georgie Gleeson rowing in both crews. In their place, a strong development crew has emerged with senior debuts given to Sophie Houston and Zara Collission. This crew may not be as quick as what we saw in Varese, as they have been selected with an eye to Los Angeles, but it remains a strong crew to compete this weekend.
Another crew making significant changes is Romania, who add four of their Olympic gold medal-winning eight to an already strong lineup that finished fourth in Plovdiv. This group moves across from a coxless four that won silver, as they seek to bolster their charge for glory in Lucerne. This leaves the crew with five champions in Paris, plus two spares. This crew has more pedigree than any other in the world in this post-Olympic cycle and will want to show that on the Lake of the gods.
Between the European Rowing Championships and the World Rowing Cup in Varese, Germany made a couple of changes to their eight. Olivia Clotten and Lene Muhrs moved across from the pair, with the first-year seniors adding to the boat, dramatically reducing their distance to the victory across the two races. As this lineup seeks to build, they may be up for a strong performance this weekend.
For Poland and China, this is the season’s second round, with the selectors opting to remain unchanged. The Chinese crew contained many debutants in Varese and were well off the back. For the Polish, they were another crew with many debutants (and a few returning after some time away), so their distant sixth place in Plovdiv may not have been a surprise. Both crews will aim to build their speed throughout the cycle, and a strong first step will be a good indicator.
Prediction
The field has opened up with the British not racing in the boat class. The Romanian reinforcements make them my pick for gold, with the United States not far behind.
