New Zealand’s big guns ready for Henley assault

Female and male superstars of the rowing world are finally equal at Henley Royal Regatta, which celebrates its 168th edition, starting this morning, with the creation of three new events for women’s pairs, fours and doubles. Among those taking advantage are New Zealand, who can finally enter their full national team during a break between World Cup regattas.

New Zealand topped the medal table in Poznan, where their leading crews, Robbie Manson in the men’s single and Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast in the women’s pairs, broke the world best times. Both will be strong favourites at Henley if they can navigate past the wooden course-edge booms, as will the German men’s eight, who meet New Zealand and Britain in the Grand, after defeating them with a worldrecord time in Poznan.

The women’s singles has benefited from the boom in women’s teams, with its strongest roster for years. Top of the list are European champion Vicky Thornley and her close rival Annekatrin Thiele, from Germany, who won quads gold in Rio. Thornley beat Thiele in both their single sculls finals this season, and could become Britain’s first winner of the Princess Royal Challenge Cup since 2000.

Racing begins with club and student crews, this year including the first round of the Fawley junior quads. National Schools winners Windsor Boys’ School have runners-up Leander in their half of the draw, along with two strong United States quads, while in the Princess Elizabeth schoolboy eights, the talent is spread more evenly.

St Paul’s share the upper half of the draw with Eton, while Radley and winners of the shortened Schools’ Head, Shiplake, are in the lower half. That also includes St Edward’s School, who overturned St Paul’s at Marlow a week ago.

Oxford Brookes’s recent breaking of the Marlow Regatta 2km record means they enter the Ladies’ Plate, while their second eight, only four seconds slower, will hope to recapture the Temple Cup.