International crews impress at the 2022 Henley Royal Regatta

A record number of entries, with plenty of Olympians, and half the trophies going overseas, meant much to celebrate at Henley Royal Regatta, where the competition was increased to six days of racing for the first time in the event’s 183-year history.  The relaxation of COVID-19 rules also allowed the Stewards to organise their first ‘normal’ regatta in three years, with a welcome return of the colour and spectacle that are hallmarks of this traditional British event.

World and European champion Oliver Zeidler recorded his second win in the Diamond Challenge Sculls, with a two length verdict over Australia’s David Bartholot. The two scullers will meet again next weekend in Lucerne, where Bartholot finished ahead of Zeidler at their last meeting in 2019.

In the Princess Royal event for women’s singles, Kara Kohler of the USA, who finished in 9^th place last year in Tokyo, crossed the line just over two lengths ahead of GB lightweight Imogen Grant, racing as her home club, Cambridge University.

The Chinese Rowing Federation had sent their largest entry for years to Henley, no doubt encouraged by the efforts of Sir Steve Redgrave in his dual role of Henley chairman and strategic director of Chinese Rowing.  Their efforts were rewarded with wins in both the men’s and women’s events for quadruple sculls, unchanged from the line-ups which won gold two weeks ago in Poznan.

The Grand Challenge Cup for men’s eights saw the new-look GB men’s eight defeat Australia by almost three lengths in their first meeting this season. Australia won silver behind Germany in Poznan, while GB had taken gold in their absence at Belgrade three weeks earlier, and the next meeting for all three at Lucerne is sure to be a highlight of the regatta.

The women’s eights saw another GB win ahead of Australia, in their first meeting of the season. Only five crews have entered the event at Lucerne, so the Australian may have to wait until the senior Worlds in Racice to seek revenge for their Henley defeat.

Australian crews came away from Henley with three trophies, including the men’s fours, where the Tokyo gold medallists held off a strong challenge from the new British crew by just one foot, the closest final of the day.  There was another win in the Double Sculls for Caleb Antill and Jack Cleary, out of the bronze medal Tokyo quad, when they took a 1/3 length verdict over GB’s George Bourne and Matt Haywood, and the third Aussie win came in junior women’s eights, where St Catherine’s School from Melbourne defeated the Florida-based Winter Park by 2/3 length.

The USA won four trophies at Henley, in their last European appearance before the world championships in Racice, with Molly Reckford and Michelle Sechser leading the way home in the women’s double sculls ahead of Australia’s Anneka Reardon and Lucy Coleman. The only Henley final to feature two lightweight crews saw the Australians lead over the first half of the course before the Americans’ experience began to tell and their went on to a two length win.

There was another US win, at least in theory, when double Olympic champion Meghan Musnicki teamed up with Australia’s Jessica Morrison, a gold medallist in the Tokyo four, and entered as California Rowing Club! With such experience on board they dominated Sunday’s final to beat Annie Campbell-Orde and Sophia Heath, with an ‘Easily’ verdict.

The last two US victories came in the all-American final of the student women’s eights, where Brown University defeated Yale, and the intermediate men’s fours, where University of Washington won the Visitors Challenge Cup.

The international wins at this year’s Henley were completed by New Zealand, where the new-look women’s four, who finished fifth in Poznan, defeated Denmark by just one length. The Silver Goblets event for men’s pairs saw a clash of the titans when Matt Macdonald and Tom Mackintosh from the gold medal Olympic eight in Tokyo came up against Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George, who raced in the GB bronze medal crew in that Olympic final. Despite a plucky start  by the Brits, who led at halfway, the Kiwis came through to win by 2/3 length.

Copy thanks to Robert Treharne Jones, photos by World Rowing