World-class racing at Henley Women’s Regatta 2023

Olympic champions Grace Prendergast and Andrea Proske hailed the “world-class” racing on display at Henley Women’s Regatta (HWR) this weekend after a series of close races on the iconic course. Prize-giver Prendergast said she had enjoyed her first experience of the regatta.

“The atmosphere was amazing, the racing was really exciting, and with any regatta that is held here the scenes are just impeccable. It’s such a special place, the knockout racing is unlike anything else,” Prendergast said.

“I’m really passionate about women rowing, and that’s why these regattas are amazing; you see the turnout, you see the excitement that everyone has coming to watch, and that’s pretty special.”

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Women’s Eight champion Proske spoke at the international crew reception before racing started. Unlike Prendergast, Proske had raced at HWR, winning the senior singles in 2017, and she said the experience had been formative.

“It really taught me how to win, and I expected to get a lot of technical and race experience out of it. What I didn’t expect was the community that I would leave with. Friends that I made here from the start line to the spectators would go on to shape my career,” Proske said.

Proske and Prendergast both joined the commentary team for the weekend, and Proske described watching the racing as “inspirational”.

“My cheeks hurt from smiling so much,” she added. “I had the privilege of commentating on some really world-class rowing, and if the banks filled with spectators or the attendance don’t say it for itself, this really is a regatta like nothing else in the world.”

Despite a healthy number of international entries this year, UK crews dominated the wins. Oxford Brookes University continued a strong run of form this season to win the Ron Needs Cup for championship eights which concluded the regatta. Brookes beat Thames Rowing Club in the final, after Thames had earlier knocked out the University of Pennsylvania, fresh off their fourth place finish at the National Collegiate Athletic Association championships.

World Rowing Under 23 Championships bronze medallists Vwaire Obukohwo and Katherine George won a second straight title in the W. Peer Cup for championship double sculls. George’s club, Leander, also successfully defended the Borne Cup for championship quadruple sculls and the Avril Vellacott Cup for championship coxless fours – the latter race by just a canvas over Durham University.

Harvard University’s Radcliffe College were the only US entrants to go home with a trophy, after Ava Sack and Elsa Andrews won the Parkside Trophy for championship lightweight pairs with a win over compatriots Princeton University.

Australia’s Sydney Rowing Club took the Rayner Cup for junior double sculls and Cara Grzeskowiak of Canberra Rowing Club won the George Innes trophy for championship single sculls.

USR Triton of the Netherlands were the sole winners this year from a strong Dutch entry, taking the Chairman’s Trophy for aspirational quadruple sculls over Bath University. Their victory song on the podium was greeted with warm applause by the assembled supporters.

Crew member Elina in ‘t Velt said the experience had been “surreal”.

“We’ve been talking to each other about it, and it still hasn’t sunk in that it’s actually happened. Just being here in general was such an achievement for us at the end of the season anyway, and being able to race here was amazing. Actually winning was even crazier. The entire experience was amazing,” In t’ Velt said.

Many of the HWR competitors are going on to race at Henley Royal Regatta (HRR), which begins on 27 June. Women’s entries for HRR doubled this year, with 1 400 women in 239 crews hoping to race.