New Zealand dominant at Henley Royal Regatta

The remaining trophies were scooped by four other nations – Germany (two wins), Great Britain (two wins), the Netherlands (two wins) and France (one win).

Three women’s events were added this year to the Henley Royal Regatta programme: the women’s fours, the women’s pair and the women’s double sculls, balancing the number of men’s and women’s events to six each. To date, these new events have not yet been attributed a trophy name.

In the new women’s fours event, the Dutch line-up took the trophy three lengths ahead of the United States. The Netherlands also won The Princess Challenge Cup in the women’s quadruple sculls.

New Zealand’s Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast just recently set a new World Best Time in the women’s pair at World Rowing Cup II in Poznan, Poland, and they now add Henley’s newly established women’s pairs trophy to their collection when they beat the United States duo of Megan Kalmoe and Tracy Eisser in the final.

In the women’s double sculls, Olivia Loe and Brooke Donoghue of New Zealand, who also won gold at World Rowing Cup II, crossed the line first at Henley-on-Thames, beating Marloes Oldenburg and Roos de Jong from the Netherlands by four and three-quarter lengths, becoming the first athletes to win this new Henley event.

New Zealand also claimed The Remenham Challenge Cup when their women’s eight beat the British line-up, repeating the same result as in Poznan where the two nations had also faced off in this event.

In the Princess Royal Challenge Cup, Annekatrin Thiele from Germany beat Victoria Thornley from Great Britain in the women’s single sculls. Both Thiele and Thornley come to the single from racing team boats in 2016. Thiele is the Olympic Champion in the women’s quadruple sculls and Thornley the Olympic women’s double silver medallist. This is the first time this season that Thiele has beaten Thornley, the 2017 European Rowing Champion in the women’s single.

New Zealand’s star sculler Mahe Drysdale has won the Diamond Challenge Sculls for the men’s single five times. This year, another New Zealander claimed the prize – lightweight rower Matthew Dunham. Dunham finished ahead of American John Graves. New Zealand also won a trophy in one other men’s event – The Double Sculls Challenge Cup with John Storey and Christopher Harris. The duo recently won gold at the World Cup in Poznan in the double and they beat the Olympic Champions in the lightweight men’s double sculls, Pierre Houin and Jeremie Azou of France.

Great Britain claimed two cups, both in men’s events: The Stewards’ Challenge Cup in the men’s four, finishing ahead of Italy, and the Queen Mother Challenge Cup in the men’s quadruple sculls, winning against New Zealand.

The French Onfroy brothers, Valentin and Theophile, claimed the Silver Goblets & Nickall’s Challenge Cup in the men’s pair, winning against Australia’s Joshua Dunkley-Smith and Joshua Booth.

And finally, the German men’s eight, who recently set a new World Best Time in their event in Poznan, won against the British boat, claiming the Grand Challenge Cup.

Full results here.

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