BT1_6574
Lisa Loetscher (b), Celia Dupre (s), Women's Pair, Switzerland, 2025 World Rowing Cup Varese - Varese, Italy / World Rowing / Benedict Tufnell

A fortnight after the 2025 World Rowing Cup Varese, a total of 43 nations will travel to the Rotsee in Lucerne, Switzerland – the ‘Lake of the Gods’ – in search of more speed and more medals.

The overall World Rowing Cup trophy will be presented at the end of the regatta and, with leaders Italy and the Netherlands largely sitting this regatta out, that puts Great Britain in pole position to take the crown. The British have 12 crews entered, the second-highest behind Australia (16), and have shown strong form so far this season.

That said, the British women’s eight which triumphed at both the European Rowing Championships and in Varese is not racing in Lucerne; instead, its crew members will compete in two coxless fours. However the women’s single sculler Lauren Henry, who is the 2025 European Rowing Champions and also won in Varese, will be racing.

Henry, who has been lengths ahead of the field so far this season, will meet again with the silver and bronze medallists from both the European Rowing Championships and World Rowing Cup Varese. Fiona Murtagh (Ireland) and Frida Sangaard Nielsen (Denmark) both made a superb switch from sweep boats to reach the Plovdiv podium, while in Varese Ruiqi Liu (China) finished third.

In the men’s eight, Germany, who appear to be gaining speed through the season, will look to be back on top of the podium. The USA have also entered a men’s eight for Lucerne, including Olympic bronze medallists Christian Tabash and Christopher Carlson, and Varese men’s single sculls silver medallist Jacob Plihal. The USA crew are doubling up in the men’s four and quadruple sculls.

Despite the absence of Plihal and Varese single sculls winner Simon van Dorp (Netherlands), the 34-boat men’s single sculls field is still rich with depth and experience. It is headed by European champion and Olympic silver medallist Yauheni Zalaty (AIN2), who will again meet European silver medallist and Tokyo 2020 champion Stefanos Ntouskos (Greece) and Romania’s European bronze medallist Mihai Chiruta.

Jonas Slettemark Juel won bronze for Norway in Varese in his first senior regatta in this boat class, and there are plenty of other scullers who could challenge for a place in the podium. Reaching the final will be an achievement in itself.

The men’s double sculls has also proven to be a hotly contested event this season and 24 boats will take to the Rotsee. Romanian Olympic champions Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache won European silver behind Poland and are always fast, while Kai Schaetzle and Raphael Ahumada of Switzerland won in Varese.

Ireland and Greece are both sending two boats, all four featuring one Olympic lightweight men’s double sculls medallist. Ireland’s Paul O’Donovan makes his 2025 season debut, alongside Olympic men’s double sculls bronze medallist Daire Lynch; the other Irish crew of Fintan McCarthy and Konan Pazzaia won European bronze. Greece’s Antonios Papakonstantinou and Petros Gkaidatzis are splitting up for the first time in six years, each racing in Lucerne with a young World Cup debutant – 16-year-old Iason Mouselimis and 17-year-old Konstantinos Giannoulis, respectively.

Greece have also shaken up their women’s double sculls crew which won silver at the European Rowing Championships. Dimitra Kontou has come out and will join Christina Bourmpou in the women’s pair; Evangelia Anastasiadou, who raced in the pair with Bourmpou at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and in the women’s single sculls at the European Rowing Championships, is joining Zoi Fitsiou in the double.

But China’s impressive combination of Yunxia Chen and Ling Zhang are the ones to look out for in the women’s double after a good victory in Varese.

In the women’s pair, expect Romania’s Maria Magdalena Rusu and Simona Radis to shine again after they won the European Rowing Championships ahead of Italy, who are missing Lucerne.

Romania are also European champions in the men’s pair, and Florin Arteni and Florin Lehaci will face Oliver Welch and Benjamin Taylor of New Zealand for the first time in Lucerne. The Kiwi pair beat Olympic champions Martin and Valent Sinkovic in Varese; the Sinkovics are rejoining the Loncaric brothers in the men’s four.

As has become common, there is doubling up in the women’s fours, with both of the USA crews also racing the women’s eight.

Three para-rowing events will be contested on the Rotsee. The PR3 mixed double sculls is an exciting five-boat line-up. Germany’s European champions Valentin Luz and Katrine Marchand seem to be in a domestic competition too against Paralympic bronze medallists and Varese winners Jan Helmich and Hermine Krumbein. Both German doubles have been flying this season and it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top; Australia and Ireland are also in the mix.