Image Credit: AllMarkOne
The time has come for the top U23 athletes to make the trip to Boston for the first opportunity to make a positive impression on the selectors for the GB squad. Many athletes who were selected to compete in sculling events last year return to battle it out down the 5k course again. With strong recruitment drives from US universities, many top talents often travel overseas for university, as evidenced by only three of the 14 sweep athletes selected for the U23 World Rowing Championships last summer being based in the UK. These athletes are exempt from this first assessment, so this is likely to be a much more significant milestone for those aspiring to make the sculling squad. Regardless, all will be looking to put down their best performance as they begin their quest for a GB vest this summer.
Megan Knight, Reading University BC
After winning the C-final in the double at the U23 World Rowing Championships last summer, Meg Knight returns this year and hopes to make the team once again. Domestically, Knight had a lot of success last season with a win in the Bourne Cup at Henley Women’s Regatta, two wins at BUCS Regatta and a win in the quad at the Metropolitan Regatta. Knight has started this season strongly with a win in the U23 event at Vesta Scullers Head and will be looking to carry this impressive start into trials.
Zara Povey, Reading University BC
Fellow Reading University BC sculler, Zara Povey, shares a lot of last season’s domestic success with Knight. Povey was selected to race in the single at the FISU World University Rowing Championships, where she placed fifth. At Vesta Scullers Head, Povey placed second in the U23 event. With less than two seconds between the two Reading scullers, a difference that could easily be due to a better Tideway line, these athletes could be very close again, and it’s challenging to predict who will come out on top.
Shannon Whelehan, Reading University BC
The final Reading University sculler, Shannon Whelehan, races in the U23 category this weekend. Whelehan won the W. Peer Cup at Henley Women’s Regatta last year and, like her clubmates, has been victorious at both BUCS Regatta and the Metropolitan Regatta. Whelehan was selected for the England team for the Home International Regatta, where she won three gold medals. This year, she will look to follow in the footsteps of many England Rowing Team athletes to race for Great Britain.
Ella Fullman, Bath University BC
Another athlete who raced for England at the Home International Regatta is Ella Fullman. Racing with Whelehan, Fullman also won three gold medals. Later in the summer, she raced in the Bath University quad that won at the European University Rowing Championships in Poland. At BUCS Regatta, Fullman placed fourth in the women’s championship singles, beating many athletes who have competed at the U23 World Rowing Championships in the process. Fullman featured on the U19 GB squad but now looks to make the step up to U23 and, after a strong season last year, is in a good position to do so.
Rebekah Court, Bath University BC
Another Bath University athlete, Rebekah Court, will also don the blue and yellow of her home club this weekend. Court raced with Fullman at Final Trials last year, as well as at the European University Rowing Championships. Court was selected for the GB squad for the FISU World University Rowing Championships in the double, which placed fourth. More international racing came from racing in the GB development quad at the Schleswig-Holstein Netz Cup. With this experience, Court will be looking for selection again this season.
Louise Brooks, University of Leeds BC/Leeds RC
Louise Brooks of Leeds University BC/Leeds RC has also benefited from the GB Performance Development Academies. Brooks learnt to row in 2023, and at BUCS regatta that season, placed fourth in the beginner single. This season, she made the move to the intermediate category and finished third in the B-final. She seemed to find more speed as the season progressed. After a win in the Chairman’s Trophy at Henley Women’s Regatta, Brooks represented England in the U23 single and senior quad at Home International Regatta and placed fourth in the club single at the British Rowing Club Championships. Being relatively new to rowing, she certainly will be one to watch in the future.
Penny Irvine, Edinburgh University BC
Last season, Penny Irvine won the C-final of the women’s pairs at Final Trials, ranking her as the second fastest U23. Despite this, she wasn’t selected for the U23 World Rowing Championships. Irvine has previous international racing experience, having raced in the A-final of the women’s pair at the U19 World Rowing Championships in 2024. Having performed well at Final Trials last year, she will be keen to make the team this season. Her strong result in the pair wasn’t an anomaly, as the duo also won the championship pairs category at BUCS Regatta.
Notable Mentions
Many other athletes who have previously been selected for the GB squad for Coupe de la Jeunesse in the past couple of years are looking to make the move to the U23 squad. Of these athletes, I think Millie Hurrell and Gwennie Hunter of Oxford Brookes University BC, who were in the gold medal-winning intermediate eight at BUCS Regatta and Ellie Sillar, who won the reserve boat race in the Cambridge University BC Blondie crew, have the best shot.
Prediction
As is often the case with sculling events, I would look to Reading University Boat Club to fill out the business end of the leaderboard, with a close battle between Zara Povey and Meg Knight for the top spot. I’d predict the Bath University athletes, Ella Fullman and Rebekah Court, to be next in the rankings. It’ll be interesting to see if any of the younger athletes from the U19 squad can make an impression on the U23 stage.
