01 May 2019
World Rowing’s 2019 season opens in Plovdiv
For immediate release
Lausanne, 1 May 2019
A taste of what 2019 has in store for World Rowing will be revealed when World Rowing Cup I takes place in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
This first international regatta for 2019 goes from 10-12 May with 12 May featuring 16 finals. The regatta has seen entries come in from 24 countries with over 300 athletes competing. A large contingent from China, Romania and Poland will be competing. Both China and Romania are sending 24 crews with Poland sending 15.
The men’s single sculls sees the return of Croatia’s Damir Martin to international rowing. Martin, who took silver at the Rio Olympics, had his 2018 season cut short due to injury. Also from Croatia is the men’s pair of Martin and Valent Sinkovic. The Sinkovic brothers raced at the Rio Olympics in the men’s double sculls, winning gold. They have switched to the pair for this Olympiad, won it at last year’s World Rowing Championships and will be up against Marius-Vasile Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosa of Romania in this first race of season. Cozmiuc and Tudosa are the 2018 world silver medallists.
The unstoppable Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus, winner of gold at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games, goes into her 29th international season. Karsten is back in the women’s single sculls as she works towards her seventh Olympic Games. Also making a return to the single is 2012 Olympic Champion Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic. This match-up will be one to watch.
The United States looks to be doing a women’s pair selection with four boats entered. The top crew is likely to be World Champion from the women’s eight Tracy Eisser and three-time Olympian Megan Kalmoe.
Racing begins on Friday 10 May 2019 with heats and will continue through to semifinals with finals commencing at 10:35am Sunday 12 May. All races will be live streamed on www.worldrowing.com
Regatta information and entries can be found here.
The World Rowing media guide will be online (from 3/5/19) here.
The World Rowing Cup series was launched in 1997 and consists of a series of three events. The overall World Rowing Cup winners are determined after the third event. This year, the three stages of the series are Plovdiv, BUL (10-12 May), Poznan, POL (21-23 June), Rotterdam, NED (12-14 July).