Plovdiv ready to welcome rowers to the 2018 World Rowing Championships

For immediate release
Lausanne, 29 August 2018

The entries are in for rowing’s most important event of the rowing year, the 2018 World Rowing Championships to be hosted in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The World Rowing Federation, FISA, is pleased to announce that over 900 athletes from 62 nations will be competing.

The regatta will take place in Plovdiv’s Maritza River Water Sports Centre from 9 to 16 September 2018 with rowers vying for the coveted title of World Champion in 14 Olympic, six international and nine para-rowing boat classes.

These Championships will see the culmination of a tumultuous season in the men’s single sculls which saw two-time Olympic Champion Mahe Drysdale (New Zealand) concede his spot when he was beaten by fellow-countryman Robbie Manson. Manson now comes to Plovdiv as the favourite but will be up against the ever-improving Oliver Zeidler of Germany. Newcomer Zeidler ousted top sculler Tim Ole Naske in the battle to represent Germany at these World Championships.

Meanwhile, in the women’s single sculls, Jeannine Gmelin of Switzerland looks to be untouchable having dominated the event this season. But both Sanita Puspure of Ireland and Austria’s Magdalena Lobnig will be aiming to close the gap on Gmelin.

The men’s pair has entries from 25 countries and the season, so far, indicates an open book for the medals podium. Gold medals have been won this season by the popular Sinkovic brothers from Croatia, New Zealand’s Tom Murray and Michael Brake, Jakob Podrazil and Lukas Helesic of the Czech Republic. The Onfroy brothers from France are also knocking on the door for the gold medal position.

Leading the way in the women’s pair this season has been Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast of New Zealand. They will be challenged by Canada’s Caileigh Filmer and Hillary Janssens, the United States’ Victoria Opitz and Gia Doonan as well as European Champions, Denisa Tilvescu and Madalina Beres of Romania.

The 1996 and 2000 Olympic Champion Ekaterina Karsten will be racing in the Belarus women’s quadruple sculls, while reigning Olympic Champion in the men’s single, Mahe Drysdale will compete in the men’s quadruple sculls.

The biggest team is coming from the United States with 27 entries and includes seven entries in the para-rowing boat classes. This is the second year of para-rowers racing the new standard 2000m distance. It is also the first year for four new boat classes: the PR2 men’s and women’s single sculls and the PR3 men’s and women’s pair.

Keep track of results, race information, photographs and live blog on www.worldrowing.com

Regatta information here.
Entries here.

The World Rowing media guide will be online (from 31/8/18): http://www.worldrowing.com/mediacenter/