Azou, the French champion

Jeremie Azou, one of the world’s best lightweight athletes, unsurprisingly came out on top in the lightweight single. Less expected was to see Stany Delayre finish third. In recent years, Azou and Delayre have consistently finished first and second respectively in the lightweight single at their home championships. Together they have also won a number of medals internationally in the lightweight men’s double sculls including silver at the 2014 World Rowing Championships.

This year, however, it was Pierre Houin who held on to a steady second position throughout the final. Houin, who has just turned 21, has medalled twice at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in the lightweight double and is no doubt aiming to one day do the same at senior level on the world stage.

In the men’s pair, Olympic and World Championship medallists Germain Chardin and Dorian Mortelette proved that their form is still going strong. The pair raced last year in their nation’s eight, but these trials may step them back on the pairs path. In second place was three-time under-23 World Champion medallist Edouard Jonville with Benoît Demey. Together they markedly improved on their fifth-place finish from last year’s national champs, successfully holding off Olympic and World Championship medallist Cedric Berrest who took third with partner Benjamin Lang.

In the lightweight men’s pair, the duo of Guillaume Raineau and Franck Solforosi finished first, with Thomas Baroukh and Thibault Colard finishing second. Raineau and Solforosi most recently have raced internationally in the lightweight men’s four with their 2014 result being an impressive fourth at the World Rowing Championships. Baroukh was part of the lightweight four that won European Championship bronze in 2013 and 2014, but at last year’s World Rowing Championships he raced in the lightweight men’s pair instead where he took silver. Whether these top four athletes will form this year’s international lightweight four for France remains to be seen, as last year selectors chose instead the boats that ranked first and third nationally to race at the World Rowing Championships.

On the women’s front, internationally renowned Noemie Kober crossed the line first in the women’s pair with partner Marie Le Nepvou. A junior world champion in the women’s double sculls back in 2010, Kober also took bronze that same year in the single at the Youth Olympic Games. Last year she and Le Nepvou raced internationally in the women’s eight and four.

In the para-rowing LTA mixed double, last year’s world bronze medallist Guylaine Marchand finished second with a new partner, David Liot. Marchand’s partner from last year, Antoine Jesel raced to first in the LTA men’s single sculls. Perle Bouge, who won silver with Stephane Tardieu in the TA mixed double sculls at last year’s World Rowing Championships, won the TA women’s single sculls, with Tardieu winning the TA men’s single sculls.

This is an important international year for French rowing as the 2015 World Rowing Championships will be staged on their home waters of Aiguebelette. Thus, all the more incentive for these top athletes to perform.