The 2014 World Rowing Under-23 Championships started today in Varese, Italy. These championships will go on between 23-27 July. The World Rowing Federation, FISA, writes in a press release:
A large turnout of 800 of the best under-23 rowers in the world, covering 51 nations will race in Varese. The single sculling boat classes have attracted the biggest fields among both the men and the women. The men's single has 30 scullers and the women’s has 22 scullers. The lightweight men's single sculls also has a huge turnout of 25 entries, while the lightweight women's single has 21 entries.
Boris Yotov of Azerbaijan and Natan Wegrzycki-Szymczyk of Poland will be hot contenders in the men's single. They both medalled at the World Rowing Junior Championships last year and Yotov already has a silver medal from this year’s European Rowing Championships in the men's double. The 2012 World Junior Champion Michal Plocek of the Czech Republic is back in the single after finishing second in the double at last year's World Rowing Under-23 Championships.
The women's single has 2013 World Rowing Junior Champion Jessica Leyden of Great Britain and World Junior silver medallist Tatsiana Klimovich of Belarus racing. Leyden and Klimovich will face the more senior Elza Gulbe of Latvia who was third last year in the single at the World Under-23 Championships.
The United States has become regular winners in the women's eight and are the current World Under-23 Champions. Their line up this year, however, is completely new apart from one, Erin Boxberger. The United States will expect the strongest competition to come from Germany, Australia and Great Britain. For the men, New Zealand men’s eight is the reigning World Under-23 Champion and this crew remains the same as in 2013. Their main competition will come from the United States, Germany and Poland.
Both Italy and Germany are sending complete teams of 21 boats. These two nations are strong in under-23 rowing and, at the event in 2013, Germany was on top in the medal table, followed by Italy and then the United States and Romania.
Varese, in northern Italy, is a popular rowing venue. A new regatta course and a new finish tower were installed for the 2012 European Rowing Championships and it is used by a number of international crews as a training base. Varese will host stages of the 2015 and 2016 World Rowing Cup series as well.
The World Rowing Under-23 Championships is raced in 21 boat classes and is open to all FISA member nations for athletes under the age of 23. The under-23s began in 1976 as the ‘Seniors Match’ and then became the ‘Nations Cup’. It became the World Rowing Under-23 Championships in 2005.
For the complete list of entries, click here.
For entries, timetable, full reports, live audio streaming, live results and live blogging during the event go to: www.worldrowing.com
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