Single Scullers to Battle it out in Cop Challenge

The world’s best scullers gather in Ljubljana, Slovenia this weekend for a unique sprint race created with the rowing public in mind.

World single sculls champion Olaf Tufte, his runner up this year Iztok Cop and bronze medallist Vaclav Chalupa are set to do battle just three weeks after meeting at the World Championships in Lucerne.

They are among eight top scullers racing in the Cop Challenge, a 200 metre race through the centre of Slovenia’s stunning capital city Ljubljana.

World double sculls champions Akos Haller and Tibor Peto, Olympic eights champion Luka Grubor, German Olympian Stefan Roehnert and former world champion Juri Jaanson complete the formidable field.

The scullers will race in two heats of four with the winner and runner up of each heat progressing to the final.

The rowers aren’t the only big names to get involved in the event. Slovenian president Milan Kucan is the honorary chairman while the mayors of Ljubljana and Cop’s hometown of Radovljica with open the challenge by rowing down the course as part of a coxed four.

As the name suggests, the event is the brainchild of Cop who wanted to create a spectator friendly rowing race to promote the sport in his country’s capital city.
The course of just 200 metres is ideal for the Ljubljanica River and those watching can see the race from beginning to end. The course’s location in the heart of the city makes it easy for people to get to.

Worldrowing.com will feature news from the regatta on next week. For more information visit iztokcop.com.