Rising stars to shine at women’s regatta

LEANDER Club will have the most athletes from the town’s three rowing clubs competing at the three-day Henley Women’s Regatta that gets underway on Friday, June 21.

The Henley-based club has 48 athletes racing across 13 crews in the event that has attracted a record entry of 579 crews.

Oxford Brookes University Boat Club has the largest entry, with 50 athletes competing as they look to retain the Ron Needs Cup for championship eights and the Colgan Foundation Cup for aspirational academic eights.

This year’s regatta has seen 38 clubs from Australia, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the USA entered, including 18 American clubs, schools and universities, and 11 from the Netherlands.

Almost 300 athletes are travelling from overseas to compete in the regatta.

USA entrants this year include Solveig Imsdahl and Elaine Tierney, who raced in the lightweight women’s pair at the 2022 and 2023 World Rowing Championships and are competing in the Redgrave Challenge Vase for championship pairs.

A number of entrants have represented their countries previously. Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games champion and Henley Women’s Regatta ambassador Ellen Buttrick, who lives in Henley, is part of the Marlow Rowing Club crew competing in the Ron Needs Cup.

The majority of the Great Britain Project LA women’s squad competing at World Rowing Cup III this weekend will also be racing at the Henley Women’s Regatta.

Racing begins at 10am on Friday, June 21 with the time trial for the Copas Cup for aspirational club eights.