The Directors' Talk : Reactions from the 2023 European Rowing Championships

The 2023 European Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovenia, provided an opportunity for many nations to test various line-ups in this all-important Olympic and Paralympic qualification year. While we saw the return of many familiar boats, we also saw lots of new line-ups, with a few surprises on the way. We spoke to various Coaches and Performance Directors after the racing to see how the competition had gone for them.

Great Britain, finished top of the medal table with five gold, three silver and two bronze medals. While British Rowing’s Director of Performance, Louise Kingsley, was happy results, she indicated there perhaps might be even more to come;

“It’s a pleasing, solid start to the 2023 season. Some crews have definitely delivered some stunning performances out there, but definitely there is a work in progress back at home for others.”

“Across the board, we had some crews that certainly found the bumpy water quite challenging. we haven’t done an awful lot in the way of speed-work – we’re early in the season, and our sights are set on World Championships rather than necessarily coming out here with our full armoury on.”

Asked about any stand-out results for her Team, Kingsley praised the PR2 mixed double – the new formation of Lauren Rowles and Gregg Stevenson. “Absolutely phenomenal. And again, even though it was a sensational performance and a World Best Time, there’s more to come”.

For the GB Team, next up is World Rowing Cup II in Varese. Some crews will then race at Henley Royal Regatta before they travel to World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne.

While Great Britain had finished top of the medal table due to the number of golds that they won, it was the Netherlands who claimed the most medals overall. Tecnical Director Hessel Evertse was pleased with their performance and particularly with the perhaps unexpected gold for Lennart van Lierop in the men’s single sculls.

“Our goal here was to win at least two gold medals. In order to get gold medals. We just, by surprise made this. We got what we expected, so we are satisfied!”

Evertse highlighted the significance of the racing in Bled for their Olympic selection process:

“This was for us Olympic Qualification for our National Olympic Committee. We raced in eleven Olympic boats and ten qualified for the Olympic Committee. So if we make a quota place in Belgrade, the NOC will say it’s OK. In the Netherlands, it’s not enough to race and get a quota place, there has to be a level within the federation to guarantee this place.”

“We had one boat not in the A final. This boat needs to do another round of qualification.”

The Dutch Team will next race at World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne. Instead of World Rowing Cup II, they will race a National Regatta.

Italy picked up one gold, three silver and two bronze medals and Franco Cattaneo, the Team’s Director was reasonably pleased with their performance:

“It was a good regatta from my point of view and I’m happy with how the team performed. For many of the crews it was the first experience at a level as high as this of the European Championships in Bled.  It’s early in the season, and it’s a very difficult season because we have the Olympic qualifiers. And as always happens in some crews, we will still have to fix some compositions.”

Cattaneo indicated that the Team still has a bit more work to do and while they will compete at World Rowing Cup II in their home country [in Varese], they are likely not to race at World Rowing Cup III before their focus moves to the World Rowing Championships and Olympic Qualification.

“As is always the case with those who know my method, the crews who have done well will be confirmed. The crews in which we have some uncertainties from the point of view of (Olympic) qualification, we will do some more tests, that’s why we will do the World Cup in Varese. And then we will skip the one in Lucerne. Because, if we need any more trials, at the right time we can still do them.  If from the Varese World Cup, we have some indications that it might be necessary to do the Lucerne World Cup, we will take some crews to Lucerne.”

The German national team has been struggling to absorb the generational change that came after the Tokyo Olympics. 2022 was planned as a transition year and there were only a few successes that year, which was met with a lot of criticism from the German sporting public, after having been spoiled by many years of success.

At the European Championships in Bled, the Germans picked up one silver, two bronze – apart from bronze for single sculler Oliver Zeidler, only two Para boats made the podium. However, the increased number of A-final participations in Olympic boat classes (two at the World Championships, five now at the European Championships) is seen by Germany’s head coach Brigitte Bielig as an indication that the difficult path out of the performance slump is bearing its first small fruits.

“We have seen very good rowing here in Bled. What we have been shown here internationally on the lake reflects a very high level already for this point in time,” 

“Of course, we are not completely satisfied as a team, but the European Championship was the season’s entry. As a German national team, we are living with light and shadow right now. We have had more boats in the finals than last year, and there were also some good improvements as far as the distance to the other crews are concerned. However, we also have open water in some boat classes, e.g., such as the women’s eight, and we will have to react here. As we discussed before the event, we will sit down and take measures accordingly.”

By September, the aim for the national team is to be in such a shape that it will secure Olympic quota positions on as broad a front as possible at the World Championships in Belgrade.

Bielig said, “That is our main goal, even if a medal or two would be nice as well.”