World Rowing joins with the Holland Beker Regatta:
Stage two of the 2007 Rowing World Cup will kick
off on Friday 22 June in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
More than 750 rowers from 43 countries will gather on the
Bosbaan regatta course to compete in 20 events, including
one international adaptive rowing event.
Winners of the first stage of the series, Great Britain,
will travel to Amsterdam in force with the highest number
of boats (23) and athletes (79), with entries in all but three
events. China also have 23 boats entered boating 65 rowers.
Home team Netherlands will defend their national pride and
try to satisfy their orange-clad supporters with a contingent
of 75 rowers taking part in 14 out of 20 boat classes.
This second stage sees the return of the New Zealand team
including 2006 World Champion in the single sculls Mahe Drysdale
competing in the 36-strong field. The men’s single is
also the “Holland Beker” or “Holland Cup”
event, so double stakes are at hand for anyone competing in
this race.
A total of 18 women’s single scullers will also fight
for the traditional women’s Holland Beker – the
Ladies’ Trophy – in addition to the fiercely fought
after Rowing World Cup points. In the absence of Belarus’
star women’s single sculler Ekaterina Karsten, the top
points and trophy are up for grabs, so no doubt Bulgaria’s
Rumyana Neykova, back now from maternity break, France’s
Sophie Balmary and Germany’s Peggy Waleska will be among
the top contenders in this competitive event.
Also returning from New Zealand after months of winter training
down-under, twins Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell get
their first chance for revenge after a surprise defeat in
the women’s double at last year’s World Rowing
Championships. In the absence of the Australian World Champions
Brooke Pratley and Liz Kell, Germany’s 2006 silver medalist
Susanne Schmidt (who has doubled up with Manuela Lutze) are
the only others to put their bow ahead of the Kiwi twins.
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