The regatta has attracted representation from 36 member federations, tied for the record, with a near record of just under 600 athletes entered. Both Great Britain and Germany are sending the biggest teams with boats in 16 of the 17 boat classes. Italy and the Netherlands also have large teams with 15 boat classes covered.

The 2018 World Champion and Rio 2016 bronze medallist Kjetil Borch of Norway steps out for the first time this season in the men’s single sculls. He will face winner of 2019 World Rowing Cup I and Rio 2016 silver medallist, Damir Martin of Croatia. The large men’s single field includes rowers from 25 nations with Rio 2016 bronze and London 2012 silver Olympic medallist Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic also in the mix.

On the women’s side, home favourite Jeannine Gmelin of Switzerland will be the one to beat. Gmelin is the reigning European Champion but she will face two Olympic medallists in the single, Mirka Topinkova Knapkova of the Czech Republic, gold medallist at London 2012 and Denmark’s Fie Udby Erichsen, silver medallist at London. Also entered is World Rowing Cup I winner, Lisa Scheenaard of the Netherlands.

The men’s double sculls has attracted a large field with World Champions France racing for the first time since their 2018 championship win. Hugo Boucheron and Matthieu Androdias are back together and they will face the new German combination of Stephan Krueger and Tim Ole Naske as well as World Rowing Cup I bronze medallists Stanislau Shcharbachenia and Dzianis Mihal of Belarus.

Romania finished at the top of the medals table at last year’s European Championships and they come to Lucerne with 11 crews including their defending European Champion women’s eight.

Racing begins on Friday 31 May at 9:30 CET with heats. The races will then progress through repechages, semifinals and finals that begin at 10:03 CET on Sunday 2 June. The finals will be live-streamed on www.worldrowing.com.

Courtesy of World Rowing

With that in mind Lucerne has attracted nearly 700 competitors from 54 countries. This is the largest field of the season and includes a number of up-and-coming rowing nations.

The men’s single sculls has 36 entries and all eyes will be on New Zealand’s Robert Manson who set a new World Best Time in the single earlier this month at World Rowing Cup II in Poznan. Manson knocked three seconds off the previous time set five years ago. The New Zealander will face both the Olympic silver and bronze medallists – Damir Martin (Croatia) and Ondrej Synek (Czech Republic), respectively, in this hotly contested boat class.

The women’s pair also saw a new World Best Time being set at World Rowing Cup II. Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast of New Zealand are the new best time holders and they come to Lucerne as favourites. Gowler and Prendergast will race against two United States crews including Olympians Tracy Eisser and Megan Kalmoe as well as Great Britain and Denmark.

The eagerly awaited return of the Sinkovic brothers will come in Lucerne. Valent and Martin Sinkovic of Croatia are the World and Olympic Champions in the men’s double sculls, but for 2017 they have changed boat class to the men’s pair. The Sinkovic’s will be up against European Champions Matteo Lodo and Giuseppe Vicino of Italy as well as winners of World Rowing Cup II France’s Valentin and Theophile Onfroy.

The evergreen 41-year-old Olaf Tufte of Norway is back with his Rio Olympic medal partner Kjetil Borch in the men’s double sculls against European Champions Luca Rambaldi and Filippo Mondelli of Italy, World Rowing Cup II winners, John Storey and Christopher Harris of New Zealand and the home favourites Roman Roeoesli and Barnabe Delarze of Switzerland.

New Zealand is back to defend their World Cup II win in the women’s eight. They will be up against strong competition from Great Britain, Romania and the Netherlands.

Racing begins on Friday 7 July 2017 at 8:30 CET with heats and progresses through repechages, semi-finals and to finals. The finals for international boat classes will be raced on Saturday 8 July starting at 16:32 CET. Finals will continue with World Cup boat classes on Sunday 9 July commencing at 10:18 CET. There will be live video streaming of World Cup A-finals on www.worldrowing.com.

The World Rowing Cup series was launched in 1997 and consists of a series of three events. The overall World Rowing Cup winners are determined after the third event. This year, the three stages of the series are Belgrade, SRB (5-7 May), Poznan, POL (16-18 June) and Lucerne, SUI (7-9 July).  Following World Rowing Cup II the leading country is Great Britain followed by Poland and the Netherlands.

Regatta information: click here.
Entries: click here.

Report courtesy of World Rowing