4th Cop Challenger

Cop Challenger founder Iztok Cop
© Getty Images

After a tough season on the international rowing circuit you would expect most athletes to gladly set down their blades for a little rest. But it seems that some are still asking for more – eight athletes from across Europe will be taking part in this year’s Cop Challenger – a 200 metre sprint race held on the Ljubljanica river in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia this coming Friday (October 4).

Vaclav Chalupa of the Czech Republic, Stefan Roehnert of Germany, Croatian brothers Niksa and Sinisa Skelin, Diederick Simon from the Netherlands, last year’s World Champion Olaf Tufte and single scull gold medallist in the World Under 23 Regatta this year – Peter Wells of Great Britain all responded present to the invitation sent out by Iztok Cop – 2000 Olympic gold medallist and organiser of this exciting and fun event.

The format is simple: participants are divided into two groups, and row against each other until a winner for each group is selected. The two fastest of each group then race each other in a grand finale to see who, of the up and coming young rowers or of the well established “oldies” will be able to master this stunning floodlight course.

The race will be opened by Milan Kucan, president of the Republic of Slovenia and who has been honorary chairman of the race since its very beginning in 1997. Kucan will also cox the men’s coxed pair rowed by junior World Championships silver medallists Ziga Palcec and Andraz Fistravec.

But the Cop challenger is not just a rowing event: last year Juri Jaanson won the qualifying cart race on the day preceding the Cop Challenger. This year – weather permitting – rowers will be summoned for something even more stomach churning and will experience the joys of being be rolled down a hill for thirty seconds jammed – in pairs – in the entrails of a huge inflated ball. If they survive, they will be allowed to participate in Friday’s sprint.

And who said rowing was a serious sport??