2023 World Rowing Cup III: Pundit's Picks

The 2023 World Rowing Cup III is set to kick off tomorrow, 7 July, in Lucerne, Switzerland. With more than 700 athletes across 300 crews, it is bound to be a busy weekend as nations compete for World Rowing Cup points and international medals across the 16 boat classes.

Our panel of rowing experts is on site, and they all have their own races they are most looking forward to.

For Colleen Saville, American coxswain and rowing aficionado across multiple continents, she has her eyes locked on the men’s double sculls:

I can’t wait to see the Sinkovic brothers line up against the new and highly skilled French combination of Boucheron and Onfroy in the men’s double sculls. I’m also looking forward to seeing how the Spanish duo of Aleix Garcia Pujolar and Rodrigo Conde Romero race in Lucerne. Last week they made history as the first Spanish crew to win at Henley Royal Regatta.

Sarah Cook, Australian Olympian, and newly appointed CEO of Rowing Australia, is going to be watching the eights:

I’m looking forward to the eights with a number of the big guns back in action and all facing off for the first time this season. In the women’s eight reigning World and European Champs from Romania will face World Rowing Cup II winners Australia, and with Canada fresh off a win at Henley Royal Regatta it will be a great race. In the men’s eight, Great Britain come off wins at the European Champs and World Rowing Cup II, but will face stiff competition from Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Romania who have all featured on the podium at those two recent events. Great to see the programme in Austria stepping up with a crew also entered.

Tim van Vliet is the newest face in our all-star commentary team, but knows the sport inside and out. He has a few boat classes that are drawing his attention this weekend:

I’m looking forward to the M2x: the new French combination, the Sinkovic brothers and the Dutch Olympic silver medallists all trying to lay down a marker for Belgrade. The Olympic champion in the Women’s Single Sculls, Twigg going toe to toe with World Champion Florijn and the two time World Rowing Under 23 Champion Foester (winner in Lucerne last year, as well as the 2023 World Rowing Cup II a few weeks ago) will be great to watch. Keep an eye out for the Australian Women’s Pair, they rowed 0.30seconds under the official World Best Time at the Holland Beker 2 weeks ago.

Camilla Hadland, commentator across all three of rowing’s disciplines, and rowing expert, says she’s most looking forward to seeing the New Zealand team back in action:

Very excited to see a big New Zealand team lining up here for the first time in the 2023 season in Lucerne. The kiwis topped the medal table at Tokyo, but were somewhat depleated at last years World Championships finishing only 9th. The first time for them to test their summer speed in all boat types against a fairly stacked international field.

Greg Searle MBE, the four time Olympian, says he is looking forward to the men’s single sculls, a boat class in which he holds a World Rowing Championships bronze medals:

It was good to see Olli Zeidler getting it done at Henley and in Varese. Now I’m excited to see the chasing pack and if there’s going to another ‘joker in the pack’ after what we saw at the Europeans, who knows. Could it be Arakawa, Thomas, Ntouskos or someone else? Sadly we know it won’t be ‘Mahe Lenny’, from the Netherlands this time as he’s being deployed in the 4x.