Entries announced for this year’s Henley Royal Regatta

THE number of female rowers entering Henley Royal Regatta continues to grow.

There will be 1,400 women in 239 registered crews at this year’s event, double the amount that took part in 2019.

This reflects the growing strength and popularity of the sport and the addition of three new events for women created two years ago.

Entries closed on Monday with 732 crews from 17 nations registered overall, the second highest ever in its 184-year history, seven fewer than last year.

There are a record 581 domestic and 151 international entries, with 61 from the USA and, for the first time, a crew from Zimbabwe.

Sir Steve Redgrave, who chairs the committee of management, said “The doubling of the number of female rowers is testament to the successful introduction of the Prince Philip, for junior women’s eights, the Island, for student women’s eights, and the Wargrave, for club women’s eights, in 2021.

“It is more than just numbers though. This is about helping to establish pathways from junior level to the elite squads and keeping our athletes in the sport. The talent is there, the numbers are growing and there are events for them to grow into. We are excited to see that women’s participation is set to expand further over time.”

Those pathways from junior to elite rowing, male and female, will be even clearer at this year’s regatta than normal with the Paris Olympics taking place next year.

Helen Glover, Great Britain’s double Olympic champion, will be racing in the Town Challenge Cup. The 36-year-old is making her second comeback, having won silver in the women’s coxless four in the European Championships in Slovenia in May.

With another strong international entry, there will be many fascinating head-to-heads, particularly in the Queen Mother Challenge Cup, for men’s quad sculls, where the top boats from Great Britain, Canada and reigning World Champions Poland will compete.

Sir Steve said: “Every edition of Henley Royal Regatta is unique, but a regatta in a year before the Olympics is always significant.

“We really see where crews are in their preparations and the difference at Henley is that the gladiatorial nature of the racing means there are no hiding places. And, of course, this is the last chance to see the British squad before Paris.”

This year is also a chance for the large contingent of under-23 athletes to experience a pre-Olympic regatta as they begin their journey to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Great Britain’s Iwan Hadfield, who will race in a Oxford University and Leander Club composite in the Ladies’ Plate and Harry Geffen, of Yale University, in the Silver Goblets will be two to watch.

There will be fewer sterner examinations of body and mind than racing side-by-side with Germany’s Oliver Zeidler. The 26-year-old is the men’s single sculls current World Champion and the winner of the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley last year. This year he is joined by his younger sister, Marie-Sophie, 24, who is hoping to qualify for Paris in the women’s quadruple sculls and will be competing in her first Henley in the Princess Royal Challenge Cup.

Combined international crews can spring surprises too, and after the success of the Polish-Ukraine entry in the Stonor Challenge Trophy, for women’s double sculls, last year there is a well-established combined German-Ukraine eight, in the Thames Challenge Cup, for club men’s eights.

A rule change in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, for junior men’s eights means that for the first time clubs, as well as schools, have been allowed to enter.

St Paul’s School, the champions last year and Eton College have won seven out of the last eight regattas but from now on they will have to face crews such as Seattle USA’s Green Lake, whose schoolboy-aged eight performed admirably in the Thames Cup last year.

Sir Steve said: “We made this rule change to broaden the pathways in the junior men’s eights. Again, it both reflects and will hopefully encourage the talent in many clubs around the world and raise the standard of this famous event even higher.”

The draw for the regatta will take place in Henley town hall next Saturday. The regatta runs for six days from June 27 to July 2

Picture credit: Robert Treharne Jones