Author: Harry Otse

Day 1 is done and dusted, and what a day it was! Although slightly on the warm side, conditions were perfect. A mild tail breeze resulted in a world best time (AUS W2-) and national best time (NED W4x). Kicking the day off were the heats of the BM2x. With a gap just below 1 second separating the number 1 and 2 of that heat, the crews laid down the basis of an exciting day of racing ahead.

It truly was a day that had it all: a great ambiance at the entire Regatta venue, very powerful and dominant crews getting their bowball in front in the start all the way until victory, and also some other really tight races such as the W2x where the Dutch duo Vos/Scheenaard managed to finish just 0.11 seconds in front of the GBR2 crew.

Want to know more about day 1? Read our recap of today’s results below!!You can find all results here.

Holland Beker
The heats of the Holland Beker were packed with talentTwellaar, van Lierop, Broenink and van Dorp directly qualified for the A/B semi’s tomorrow by winning their heats. Of these four Dutch rowers, Broenink was the fastest over the 2000m course, closely followed by van Dorp in the second heat (just a 1 second margin). Racing nearly 2 seconds faster than current European Champion van Lierop, van Dorp has showed that he is up to the challenge and can compete with the top in the single. The runners-up who also directly qualified for the semis tomorrow were Franz Werner (GER), Mats van Sabben (NED) and Aussies Hamish Harding and Blaine Heseltine. Surprisingly Tone Wieten (NED) had to row the repechage. However, he did so very successfully, showing that we should still count the comeback kid in for tomorrow’s victory. The others who claimed a spot in tomorrow’s semis via the repechage are Jannis Romanowski (GER), Lars Kreiter (NED) and Oskar Martinius Gjerland (NOR). Best of luck tomorrow! Youngster Gianni Perotti could not surprise and will row against Holland Beker routinieer Privel Hinkati in the D-final tomorrow.

Ladies Trophy
Although she explained to us in an interview that she is not at her best level yet, it came to no surprise to us that Emma Twigg (NZL easily won her heat. As she told us she was able to conserve some energy in the final part of the race, which is likely to help her row to victory tomorrow! Although Roos de Jong (NED) also easily won her heat and likely did the same as Twigg did, she managed to row nearly 5 seconds faster than Twigg. Martine Veldhuis (NED claimed victory in the third heat. This race was a bit closer, with just two seconds separating the numbers one and two, however, it is notable that she did manage to row a faster time than Twigg! We are excited to see the racing between these three unfold tomorrow! Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (GBR) claimed the final direct qualifying spot.

In the repechages Chloe Ahixsa Callorda Bordacosta (URU), Iris Neijzen (NED), Ida Görtz Jacobsen (DEN), Alejandra Alsonso Aldrete (PAR), Mazarine Guilbert (BEL), Juliana Faralisch (GER), Cara Grzeskowiak (AUS), and Suzannah Duncan (FRA) proved themselves worthy of a spot in the A/B semi-finals. The fourth repechage was the fastest of them all. However, the difference with the third repechage was only one second, so we are ready for some exciting racing tomorrow!!

Other events
Too much happened today to sum up in this race review. We want to mention that we saw some delightful racing across the scope and are even more happy and proud to see everyone having enjoyed it so much.

In the ‘other’ events it was predominantly the Dutch national team that stood out. For example, in the W4-, the GBR crew was no match for the awakened force of the Dutc. This unchanged crew since last European’s is looking well on their way for the world’s later this summer. Also, the Dutch W4x set a new national record! Very surprisingly Dutch national team duo Ritsma/Wiersma was seriously outclassed by the duo from Utrecht: Eli Brouwer and Pieter van Veen. The belgian duo of Claeys/Mercier came in third. The Dutch men eight was a delight to watch, but the real rowing lover was also looking behind them to the race between the Indonesian/Triton crew and the Dutch U23 crew. The Indonesia/Triton crew surprised everyone. They managed to stay in front of the Dutch U23 crew, and the commentators rightly complimented this team with their great rowing.

Glad to have left the cold winter at home behind to race on the sunny Bosbaan this weekend is Olympic Champion Emma Twigg. Whilst she was making small adjustments to her oar and riggings set up after her win in the heats Saturday, we met up with her for a little chat! 

Catching up

It was her first international race in a while, so we were curious to see how it felt. Twigg told us that she definitely had to get the “cobwebs off”, referring to the fact that it was her first time making the 36 hour flight to Europe in a while and having to find the rhythm in her preparation after arriving in Amsterdam on Tuesday.  Although we did not catch it, she told us there were some “funny strokes” due to the weed in the water. However, overall the race felt good and she is happy to be back! 

For Twigg, the Bosbaan is a special place. In 2014 she won her first and only senior world title at this course, which is her second most meaningful race to her (the first one of course being her race to victory at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic games). As such, coming back to the Bosbaan brings back good and special memories. Apart from that, she likes the course as it can be fast. Which was proven  by the Australian W2- shortly after this interview by setting a new world best time (6.47.11) and later in the day with the Dutch W4- setting a new national best time!  

Apart from the course being fast and special to Twigg, she is also using the Holland Beker to prepare for WRCIII. Coming from Australia, you can only stay in Europe for three months. With the Worlds in Belgrade (Serbia) later this summer, this is the perfect way to get some racing in and working around the visa problem! The world championships are the number one priority right now, as winning those championships means qualifying for the 2024 Olympic games. Twigg hopes to make it to Paris to defend her title.  With the whole summer still to go, she says she is not quite near her top form yet, but we are sure that she will make a strong performance in tomorrow’s Semi A/B and final. After Paris the plan, for now, is retiring from rowing. However, as she has retired from rowing and came back twice, it’s more a ‘we’ll see’ than a definitive retirement. 

Twigg has been in the rowing sport for twenty years, so of course we had to ask what she loves most about it and what made her continue these past years. She replied: I love being fit and training to be the best I can be. But, as I was getting older it also changed. For me now, it is not necessarily the rowing itself, but more the social aspect of it and the lifestyle. Getting to spend three months in the EU racing, but also meeting new people, and making and catching up with friends. For example, I just met up with Karolien (Florijn, red.) for a coffee last week. I think it is quite unique in our sport. In the end, I think people don’t remember the wins, they remember the friends and people, the ones that make it fun. 

Apart from rowing, spending time with her son and watching him grow up  is her favourite way to spend time. As she loves Amsterdam and the Holland Beker, being able to bring her family here is extra special and she enjoys showing them around the city and the great food that we have here.  When asking her what her favourite food is, she surprisingly said she really finds “ontbijtkoek lekker” and then pulled a ‘ Snelle Jelle’ out of her bag. 

Strong advise 

These past few years Emma has been advocating for more LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in the rowing sport. Since marrying her wife and with the birth of her son she felt it was her responsibility to talk about it and be a role model. For her being visible and having a being a person talk to are the most important factors contributing to an environment where everyone can feel comfortable in being themselves. She herself was worried for a long time what people would think about her and for her to feel okay with herself and accept herself for who she is.  She wants to remind those who are finding themselves in a similar situation that everyone goes through a process of acceptance. Even now, when people, more than ever, can be who they want to be. For some it happens over night and for others it takes longer, and that’s okay. 

We believe the Holland Beker is an excellent race for junior rowers to get to see the top of the world and their favorite athletes racing. As such, to conclude, we asked Twigg what her number one advice to these young rowers is.  She told us that you should not necessarily want to be the best very quickly. Rowing takes a long time to learn and to master the art of it. Most people are not a world champ overnight, it takes a lot of time and commitment. You should also enjoy the process of it. 

Some last minute information for your travel towards the Bosbaan.

The A10 North is closed for 2 weekends in a row. Rijkswaterstaat is laying a new layer of silent asphalt. From Friday evening 23 June to Monday morning 26 June, the stretch between Coenplein (S118) and Watergraafsmeer (S113) in the direction of Amersfoort/Utrecht is next. When you need to travel on the A10, count on half an hour to an hour extra travel time.

The A10 will be closed from 11 p.m. Friday evening to 5 a.m. Monday morning. Yellow signs and information panels indicate the detour routes.

Keep in mind that the Weesperstraat is also closed during the day and there is therefore extra nuisance for traffic.

Click on this link for some more background information (in Dutch).

See you this weekend!

We hope to see everyone at the Bosbaan this year to cheer on the rowers.

For those unable to attend in person, we have arranged a live stream available on YouTube. You can watch every race here!

• Please click here to watch the saturday races
• Please click here to watch the sunday races
• You can find the entries, draw and the results on Time team. The draw will be available on Friday evening.

 

Starting this year, the Koninklijke Holland Beker is serving an entirely vegetarian menu. A wide range of lunch products is sold in which there is a choice between various sandwiches. In these sandwiches, local products from the local grower are used and a vegan option is also available. The famous Skoll burgers will include vegetarian patty’s this year.

There is also a commitment to sustainability. Local produce will be used and waste will be eliminated. A cup coin system will also be used to prevent excessive use of plastic and to keep the grounds tidy. These cup tokens can be obtained at the token sale counter.

See you this weekend!

This weekend it’s possible to rent a bike at the event. For 1 coin you can rent a bike for 2 hours, for 4 coins you can have it for the full day!

Important note: it’s prohibited to ride your bike at the area around the docks and the finish area!

See you this weekend and happy biking!

Just 2 days left until the Bosbaan becomes the scene of international rowing spectacle again! According to the current forecast, it will be a very sunny weekend with temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius. If you do come and visit us at the ‘Costa del Bosbaan’ this weekend, don’t forget to bring a water bottle (easy to refill with tap water), sunscreen and a hat! If you unfortunately can’t visit us at the Regatta this year, you can follow the races via the livestream which we will make available online. 

Can’t wait until the racing kicks off? Us neither! Find out below who we believe are the ones to watch this year! 

Ladies Trophy 

Almost doubling the number of entries compared to last year, this year the Ladies Trophy has a record number of 23 entries. We have to go back to 2013 and 2014 to find more than 16 entries in this event (both years there were 21 entries).  Amongst the 23 athletes are some of the best rowers of the world, including (former) world champions and Olympians, so we’re expecting some spectacular racing this weekend! 

Unfortunately, last year’s winner Ria Thompson (AUS) is not here to defend her title. However, one who is back to win is the single sculls Olympic champion: Emma Twigg (NZL). She already won the Holland Beker back in 2016 and 2019 (WRC III Rotterdam) and claimed the 2014 world title on the Bosbaan as well! Twigg has not raced internationally yet this season, but she is without a doubt one of the favourites for this weekend.

The Dutch National Team has not really raced at Dutch regattas for quite some time, so we are honoured and beyond happy to have a large part of the Dutch rowing team racing at the Holland Beker this weekend. We are sure that Roos de Jong and Martine Veldhuis will be strong contenders to claim the Trophy.  Veldhuis is back in her beloved single after an outing in the W4x at the European Championships. With her efficient rowing and her skills, she is on our list for the A-final. De Jong has to race without her partner in crime (and our ambassador) Laila Youssifou, but we are sure that she is more than up to the task. 

Another athlete worth to keep an eye on is Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (GBR). A talented rower from the British team who gave birth 11 months ago but is already (successfully) back to racing. With that spirit, we believe she will definitely be one to reckon with! Cara Grzeskowiak (AUS) won the Championship 1x at Women’s Henley last Sunday, and will compete against Hodgkins-Byrne at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta next week. The Ladies Trophy races will be the perfect opportunity for both to feel the waters and see where they are at. Whilst they are at it, they might even snatch the Trophy. Ida Görtz Jacobsen (DEN) is an experienced rower who we believe might be the ‘outsider’ to watch!

Strong competition is to be expected from some U23 athletes. For example, Mazarine Guilbert (BEL) is having a fantastic season so far and is determined to prove to the Belgian coach that she deserves a spot in the team for the World Championships. She might come in short of the overall victory given the names mentioned above, however, with her determination she might make it far!  

Last but not least, we want to mention three athletes travelling from far. First, Olympian Alejandra Alonso Alderete (PAR). Second, the youngest contender in the Ladies Trophy: Nicole Martinez Gonzales (PAR). Third, Chloe Ahixsa Callorda Bordacosta (URU) who participated in the U23 World Championships last year. We expect all of them to have to row a very strong race to compete with the rest of the women in this field. 

Battle of the mighty lighties

A thing that stood out to us when going through the entries of both the Ladies Trophy and the Holland Beker, is the high amount of (former) lightweights who have entered these events. Perhaps the nearing of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the subsequent demise of lightweight rowing are encouraging these athletes to show their guns and see where they stand in the open weight field. One thing that we know for sure is to never underestimate the efficiency and power these athletes bring to the water. 

For the Ladies Trophy we are keeping our eyes on above-mentioned Veldhuis (NED), Eva Hofoff (GER). and national team spares Elizabeth Martin (USA) and Georgia Miansarow (AUS). In the Holland Beker it’s Hamish Harding Damien George Schroder and Blaine Heseltine (all AUS) who are battling it out against inter alia Lennart van Lierop. Fun fact: van Lierop started out as a lightweight rower and switched back and forth between weighing in and starting in the open weight category until just a couple of years ago. Maybe these Aussies will pull a ‘Lennart Surprise” and beat him and the other top favourites on Sunday. 

Holland Beker

Unfortunately, last year’s Holland Beker winner (Callum Dixon, GBR) is not coming to tropical Amsterdam to defend his title. However, with 22 entries, the field is packed with some of the best single scullers in the world. Whilst for the Ladies Trophy we believe the fight will be between a good mix of national and international athletes, we expect that the Holland Beker will go to a Dutchman. 

Our number one favourite is Lennart van Lierop (NED). He surprised the entire rowing world with victory at the European Championships a couple of weeks ago. We are for sure expecting some magic from van Lierop this weekend as well.  However, fellow Dutchman Simon van Dorp is taking over Lennart’s place in the single sculls for the World Championships. Van Dorp has some big shoes to fill, but racing against van Lierop, and the other talented athletes in this event, will be a good test run. We definitely see him as a contender for the podium. 

Two other Dutch National Team rowers who are our favourites to claim the Holland Beker are Melvin Twellaar and Stef Broenink. Used to racing together in the 2x, this weekend they will compete against each other. Both have showed excellent results in the single at World Championships, with Twellaar claiming the silver medal at the 2022 edition and Broenink rowing a strong A-final in 2019. As to which one of this iconic duo will outperform the other, we do not are make any predictions. What we do know is that both of them have a high chance of walking away with the Holland Beker in the end. 

Moreover, you should not rule out Dutch comeback kid of this weekend: Tone Wieten. He was part of the golden Dutch 4x that dominated the 2020 Olympics. He has recently proclaimed to give it a final shot after missing out on last season due to a back injury. Although he might not be the top-favourite, we for sure expect him to show his determination and skill on the Bosbaan this weekend. This could reward him with a podium finish! 

With the clash of the titans mentioned above, you would almost forget the other talented rowers coming from all over the world to participate. Don’t worry, that’s why we mention them here! First, as mentioned above, we expect the Aussie lightweights to do very well. Next, we want to welcome back Privel Hinkati (BEN). He rowed to the 3rd place in last year’s C-final and we are sure that he hopes to improve that score this year! Third, we are curious what the younger contenders can bring on water. There is a good mix of ex-junior and U23 World Championship participants that could very well challenge the established names above. 

New timetable online on Tuesday
Entries for the Koninklijke Holland Beker are closed. A new (temporary) timetable can be found here. We will keep you updated about the schedule and draw so you can finalize your weekend planning.

You can win prizes again this year. For the Holland Beker and Ladies Trophy event at the Koninklijke Holland Beker (both men and women) the prize money* is as follows:

• Gold medal €3.000
• Silver medal: €1.500
• Bronze medal: €750

* The prize money will only be awarded if at least three contestants from the Tokyo Olympics compete in the specific event

The merch is back and the webshop is open! Get your orders in now so it will be on time before the event.

The webshop is filled with baselayers, unisuits and warm-up jacket!

At the event site we will have a stand with the merchandise so you can try on your favourite item in the correct size.