The 2023 World Rowing Cup series starts in Zagreb, Croatia. Lake Jarun hosts the 2023 World Rowing Cup I from 5-7th May 2023. With the first shot at Paris 2024 Olympic qualification fast approaching a strong start to the 2023 season is critical.
There are entries from 30 countries and the biggest teams are being sent from Spain, Switzerland and Croatia. Last year China, Great Britain and the Netherlands dominated the 2022 World Rowing Cup series. Besides Dutch lightweight Tosca Kettler these big three teams will not feature at the 2023 World Rowing Cup I. The only events in which they did not secure overall wins last year were the light and openweight men’s doubles. The defending overall winners of the men’s double scull and the lightweight men’s double scull, respectively Croatia and Switzerland, are in attendance. The Sinkovic brothers are hunting their fiftieth world medal (winning it on home water might be the silver lining for finishing fourth at the 2022 World Rowing Championships in Racice).
Other subplots include a return for Faroe Islander sculler Sverri Nielsen and his Danish teammates Joachim Sutton and Fred Vystavel who were last seen winning bronze in the men’s pair at Tokyo 2020. Don’t expect Sutton to hang around long: soon after the 2023 European Rowing Championships finishes he will row across the Pacific Ocean. Elsewhere, Switzerland pits two of their top scullers against one another to fill the vacant women’s single sculls spot following Jeannine Gmelin’s retirement. And Macon blades might yet have a moment on Lake Jarun!
Switzerland is not the only nation using this world cup to settle internal selection battles. Teams like Thailand, Hong Kong and India are building towards the Asian Games later in the season. Zagreb provides a chance to test lineups under race conditions before selecting and preparing their Asian Games crews. Other nations are using the world cup to blood emerging talent into international-level racing.
Follow the links below for the ones-to-watch in each category.
Click here for our single sculls preview
