Holders: S. Wibberenz & L. Gutfleisch, Ruder-Club-Havel Brandenburg e.V. and Heidelberger Ruderklub 1872 e.V., Germany
Entries: 18 (to be reduced to 12 by Qualifying races)
The close season is upon us, and Henley Royal Regatta is here. The striped tents are erected and the booms afloat, now with the list of crews required to qualify made public, the word on the towpath is all about who might make it through the rounds in just ten days’ time. With record international entries and peppered with world, European, and Olympic Medallists, The Stonor Challenge Trophy is certainly one to watch.
There is certainly plenty of talent in this field, but the initial favourites when first glancing over the draw appear to be Roos De Jong & Benthe Boonstra (Hollandia Roeiclub, Netherlands), a recently formed combination from the Dutch national team. Despite being a relatively new pairing, De Jong & Boonstra have already picked up a silver medal from World Rowing Cup I in this boat class, and each brings a wealth of experience across a range of disciplines to this crew. Boonstra is an Olympic gold medallist from Paris 2024 in the coxless four, while De Jong has a Tokyo bronze (double) and Paris silver (quad) in the trophy cabinet. Bringing together their combined experience, this duo is undoubtedly one to watch between the Henley booms.
Another podium crew from World Rowing Cup I, Kathryn Glen & Stella Clayton-Greene (Waiariki Rowing Club, New Zealand) took home bronze for the Kiwis. A long-standing combination, these two first raced at the U19 World Rowing Championships in 2018, claiming a bronze medal, and have both since raced on the international circuit, including acting as reserves for the New Zealand Rowing Team for Paris 2024. Both have raced across sculling disciplines, including the single and with various doubles partners. Having impressed selection panels at Elite Trials, the duo secured their spot on the World Rowing Cup team and now have their sights set on the waters of Henley Royal Regatta.
There’s also a plethora of European Rowing Championship representatives in the draw for The Stonor Challenge Trophy – including Evangelia Anastasiadou & Zoi Fitsiou of Nautical Club of Kastoria and Nautical Club of Mavrochori, Greece. Fitsiou picked up a silver at the 2025 European Rowing Championships with Dimitra Kontou, while Anastadiadou placed fourth in the single, indicating the pedigree of Greek sculling at the beginning of this Olympiad. Both are young athletes, and while Anastasiadou picked up gold medals at three consecutive U23 World Rowing Championships in lightweight sculling events, Fitsiou won a bronze medal in the lightweight double at the Paris 2024 Olympic games, to go alongside a silver World Rowing Championships medal in the lightweight single and a whole host of European Rowing Championships medals. Both accomplished athletes in their own right, it should be exciting to see the mark these two can make on Henley Royal Regatta.
Completing the outfit of the European Rowing Championships A-finalists are Freya Keto & Vwaire Obukohwo (Thames Rowing Club and Twickenham Rowing Club), who placed fifth, and Aina Cid Centelles & Iria Jarama Diaz (Team España, Spain), in sixth. Keto & Obukohwo have installed themselves as a reliable GB pairing, and also have bags of experience racing at Henley Royal Regatta. Keto was in the runner-up crew at this event last year with Jenny Bates, while Obukohwo also fell short of a win in the final in 2023 with Katherine George. Now returning in a new outfit, this pairing will certainly both be looking to go one better in 2025. Meanwhile, in the Spanish shell, Cid Centelles shifts from sweep to sculling, having raced internationally in the pair between 2016 and 2023, including at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016. Jarama Diaz also brings offshore experience from the 2024 World Rowing Coastal Championships – a skillset which could be helpful given the coastal nature of the Henley Reach when the wind picks up. Despite being an unlikely pairing, they have already shown that they can pin themselves at the sharp end of the racing, demonstrated by an A-final finish at the recent World Rowing Cup.
Returning to defend The Stonor Challenge Trophy title is Lisa Gutfleisch of Heidelberger Ruderklub 1872 e.V., Germany, now teamed up with Sofia Meakin of Club Aviron Vésenaz, Switzerland. Meakin placed fifth in the B-final of the doubles at World Rowing Cup III 2024, then was selected as a spare for the Swiss quad for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. More recently, Gutfleisch has raced as part of the German quad, which picked up silver medals at both the 2025 European Rowing Championships and World Rowing Cup I. Despite the international experience of this crew, we have not yet seen them race together, and Meakin appears to have never raced at Henley Royal Regatta before. Because of this, I feel the title will be going elsewhere this year, but one to watch nonetheless.
A name that needs no introduction is Emma Twigg, racing here for Hawkes Bay Rowing Club, New Zealand, alongside Grace Sypher of Sydney Rowing Club, Australia. Sypher is a young talent, having picked up gold at the U23 World Rowing Championships in the lightweight single in 2024. According to our Australian correspondent, she is one of the fastest out-and-out scullers in the country. Sypher certainly promises future talent, but 15 years her senior, Olympic gold medallist Emma Twigg brings a wealth of international experience – including five Olympic games and countless World Rowing Championship medals. Now a Steward of Henley Royal Regatta, it is exciting to see Twigg return to race, especially with an up-and-coming athlete like Sypher. With bags of experience, I’m really excited to see what this duo can pull off, especially against more established crews.
Another Dutch offering to this field comes in the form of Isabel Van Opzeeland & Marieke Keijser of Hollandia Roeiclub, Netherlands. A recent graduate of the University of Washington, the 6’3 powerhouse, Isabel Van Opzeeland, has a staggering range of experience across boat classes and seems to excel in every discipline. Having raced internationally in the single, double, pair, coxless four, and eight, she, alongside Marieke Keijser, could certainly be a force to be reckoned with. Keijser raced in the lightweight double sculls at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, coming home with a bronze medal just 0.01 seconds ahead of Emily Craig & Imogen Grant. Keijser has since been racing in coastal disciplines, which could bring plenty of experience to the crew. Another relatively new pairing, I would not put it past these two to reach the later stages of racing.
The Stonor Challenge Trophy truly is an international affair this year, with domestic hopes, aside from Keto & Obukohwo, resting on just four crews. These entries include those from Rob Roy Boat Club, Upper Thames Rowing Club, Nottingham Rowing Club, and NCRA. Despite the pedigree of these scullers on the UK club scene, they’re likely to be no match for the international armada headed their way, and just to qualify would be an immense achievement.
The only offering from the US is that of Princeton University, while a strong Australian contingent appears in the form of young scullers from Canberra Girls’ Grammar School, King’s College, Queensland, and the Australian National University Boat Club – who may be making long journeys just for a qualifying race. The latter crew made the final of aspirational lightweight doubles at Henley Women’s Regatta yesterday afternoon. With ten crews racing for the four remaining qualifying spots on Friday, it is all to play for in this incredibly high-calibre event.
Prediction
This is certainly a tough one to call, given the pedigree of entries. The Dutch duo of De Jong & Boonstra stand out as the most likely winners, although either Anastasiadou & Fitsiou, or Twigg & Sypher could prove to be a roadblock. The unpredictable nature of Henley Royal Regatta – whether it be the wind, rain, heat, or wash – can provide a challenge to even the most experienced of crews, and the conditions and one-on-one format will undoubtedly make for some thrilling racing among this elite field of women’s sculling.
