Rowers to watch: European Rowing Under 23 Championships

The racing is set to get underway in Kruszwica, Poland for the European Rowing Under 23 Championships this weekend. This was one of only three World Rowing events to take place back in 2020, but this year it rounds out a full calendar. There are a handful of returning athletes, plus many who competed earlier in the season at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Here is a sample of who to watch this weekend.

The men’s and women’s single sculls might prove to be some of the most hotly-contested categories at the European Rowing Under 23 Championships. On the men’s side, we see the return of world under-23 champion, Emil Neykov from Bulgaria. He will go up against a host of tough challengers including Piotr Plominski from Poland and Kai Schaetzle from Switzerland.

The women’s side sees two very fast scullers entered, including recent Olympic Champion in the women’s double sculls Simona Radis from Romania. She must be the favourite to win, but will have to contend with Aurelia-Maxima Janzen from Switzerland. Janzen recently finished second at the world-level event. Keep an eye too on the talented Anna Santruckova from the Czech Republic.

In the pairs categories, Croatia seems to have the upper-hand. They have entered their top women’s pair of Ivana and Jospia Jurkovic. The sisters are under-23 champions and won a gold medal at World Rowing Cup I earlier this season. Although they did not manage to qualify for the Olympic Games, they are building up a strong pedigree of experience. Watch out too for Romania who have entered their Olympian Adriana Ailincai, paired together with Dumitrita Juncanariu.

Croatia has also entered in the men’s pair with Patrik and Anton Loncaric. The Loncaric brothers have had mixed results over the last years, but pulled off a bronze medal at the World Rowing Cup III. They will face Lithuania’s Dovydas and Domantas Stankunas, who finished two places better to at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships to take the silver medal. These two crews are likely to be searching for podium places in Kruszwica.

The men’s and women’s double sculls have ten and 11 entries respectively. There are some returning crews from the under-23 championships, including Romania’s women’s double Cristina Druga and Alexandra Ungureanu, who finished fourth. Keep an eye too on the new combination from Greece. The men’s double sees quite a shake-up with all three medal winners from the world-level event entering new line-ups. Watch out for Greece, though. They return with world under-23 champion Christos Stergiakas.

Watch out for Turkey in the lightweight women’s double sculls. They come to the event with their world under-23 champion crew of Mervenur Uslu and Elis Ozbay. And keep an eye on Belgium in the lightweight men’s double sculls. They finished third at the world event, but in the absence of the gold and silver medal crews, they might just be able to upgrade the colour of their medal.

Moving into the big boats and the predictions become more difficult. Many of these combinations are relative unknowns on the international scene.

Keep an eye on Switzerland in the women’s quadruple sculls. They are world under-23 champions from earlier this season. The men’s four is likely to be a challenge between Germany and Romania. These two teams typically field high-quality under-23 teams.

There are only three crews entered in the women’s eight – Germany, Poland and Romania – but at the world under-23 event earlier in 2021 these three countries finished with Germany in third, Poland in fourth and Romania in sixth.  The men’s eight see has six crews entered and the outcome isn’t straightforward. Keep an eye on strong line-ups from Germany and Great Britain.