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2022 sees the Koninklijke-Holland Beker finally returning to its full glory. In 2021 we were lucky enough to experience top-level racing again, but without visitors a rowing regatta is just not the same. We all know why visitors were not allowed, but nevertheless we are thrilled to welcome all of you back.

Taking some time to reflect on 2021, we saw two very impressive performances in the main events, with both Martino Gorreti for the Holland Beker and Pia Greiten for the Ladies Trophy taking the win by finishing first in the heats, semis and finale.

We now hear you think: ‘Martino Gorreti, that sounds Italian’. Smarty pants that you are, this is of course correct. We got the chance to ask the winner of the 2021 Holland Beker all of our and your questions.

To start, Martino is definitely Italian, but there is some Dutch in the mix as well. For starters, as mentioned Martino took the Holland Beker last year, which is (according to Martino) ‘a regatta with a very good atmosphere’. Thanks! Then there is of course his relationship with 2017 Quadruple Sculls World Champion Dutchie Sophie Souwer. This obviously means spending quite some time in the Netherlands as well.

First stroke(s)

But since you are here mainly for the rowing, let’s get into that. Martino has not always been a rower. Being raised in a small village close to Lake Como, the main choices were basketball, rowing or soccer. Having played basketball until his 18th, Martino did not choose the typical path for an Italian rower. In Italy, most rowers start as a kid and progress through the ranks. As the top level of basketball seemed out of reach (pun intended), the choice was made for rowing. A solid move, as the rowing club of Martino’s hometown is home to 5 Olympic medalists.

Martino obviously had some talent and at his 18th, he secured a spot in the coxless four to the Junior World Championships, where he and his crew won gold and the World Title. In the following years Martino secured multiple medals U23 crews and in 2005 the first of three World Titles in the Italian lightweight eight was claimed.

Although the Holland Beker is an event in the single, and thereby one person rowing with two oars, Martino confessed that sweeping has his preference. Quite surprising, considering the following. For everyone who has ever rowed, let’s do a mindfulness exercise. Close your eyes. Imagine your first (!) rowing training in a coxless two. Let that sink in. That is however how Martino started his rowing career. Horrifying.

Boat change

To be fair however, it all paid off in the end. Martino did compete in the lightweight coxless four at both the London (2012) and Rio (2016) Olympics. In 2016 Martino and his crew unfortunately just missed out on third place. Feeling he could use a change, Martino transitioned from sweeping to sculling. Another good choice, as Martino moved into the single from 2018 onwards and claimed his fourth World Title in 2019, this time in the lightweight single scull.

Since his change to sculling, Martino has tried to be allowed to compete in the Dutch National Championship, but so far without success. At the KHB we however welcomed him with open arms and luckily Martino did prepare well. Honest as he is, he did not expect to win. His own review of the finale reads that he benefitted from good conditions (head wind) and a good tactic (starting fast and keeping the pressure on). Are all freshmen keeping notes?

It will be obvious that Martino is passionate about rowing. In that regard, the single can be very rewarding, but also be very unforgiving. If the boat goes fast, it is all on you. But if the boat barely stays afloat, it is also all on you. This dynamic is very much to the liking of Martino, as it is a very personal boat, and you need a strong mindset as well.

Speaking about the mind and having rowed ourselves, we know how many superstitions and ‘special habits’ surround racing in regattas. We did ask Martino, but it would seem he is not the superstitious kind. Although, one time, he ordered a Fillipi with a gold stripe and wore gold and white Oakley’s to commemorate his World Title in the single sculls. Technically we are cheating here, as he just wanted to remember (and perhaps impress his rivals), but we count it as a superstition.

As a lightweight rower, the battle is not only to move the boat as fast as possible, but also to comply to the weight limits. It seems that Martino has not much trouble with his weight, although he did admit that he likes beer. Luckily, we have a lot of good breweries in the Netherlands.

Italy vs. the Netherlands

At last, we asked Martino about the differences between rowing in Italy and the Netherlands. The part that was most striking to Martino is that in the Netherlands, the combination between fun and competition seems to be more intertwined into the whole sport. In Italy one just wants to win and compete at a high level. In the Netherlands we strive to organize events that incorporate both a good ambiance alongside the water as well as hard racing on the water. As Martino explained, a group activity for friends in Italy would not be to go rowing together, but just go the bar and drink. With all our student rowing associations, this mix between fun and competition is more at the forefront and essential to our rowing culture. Even at the KHB you can experience this firsthand, as we depend each year on hundreds of (student) volunteers.

Final sprint

Although we are sure you have more questions for Martino, we needed to round of our conversation at some point. At the time of writing this article Martino was unfortunately not quite sure whether he would compete at the 2022 KHB. As Paris 2024 is closing in fast, the new Olympic cycle is starting as well. As the national team is forming new crews, Martino is not yet sure into which crew he will get selected. It goes without saying that we wish to see him again and wish him all the best with preparing for Paris 2024.

With that, thanks for reading! Ciao!

Pictures in this article are shot by Lars Veling and Merijn Soeters

While the sun is working and the volunteers are shining we jumped on our bikes to watch some nice races. The KNRB lightweight men’s quadruples rowed themselves to the winners podium. That race was immediately followed by the heavyweight quadruples. In this race a U23-KNRB combi appeared at the start with the main competition coming from Skøll and a German national squad. The experience in those boats turned out to be a size too big for the young KNRB athletes. It remained a tight race for about 1500 metres between Skøll and Germany, until the moment Lennart van Lierop (Skøll) started his final sprint. Skøll went home with the title!

After the men’s quadruples we continued with the women’s eight. In this field a nice mix of seasoned rowers and young talents could be admired via the livestream. The Dutch Women’s Eight took the lead, but were chased on their heels by the U23 Eight. With a difference of 3 seconds the medal went to the eight stroked by Karien Robbers. The lightweight women did not have to compete with rowers of the Dutch equipe. However, the final became all the more exciting. The Skøll/Proteus/Aegir/Neureus combi already had the lead from the first 500 metres and managed to push this through the finish. They were awarded with a golden medal and four different club anthems that were started for the winners podium. 

The lightweight men’s double sculls was quite a race. To start with, we had three boats from Triton. Neither of these boats managed to produce the speed that the German couple from Germania Frankfurt 1869 had, who started strong and kept the lead. The German race ended in agony however. With one of the boats from Triton chasing on their heels, one of the Germans catched a horrific crab, which provided Triton with the opportunity to overtake the German just in front of the finish line and thereby claiming the title.

Despite the well-known global pandemic, the Ladies’ Trophy, one the main events of the KHB received some striking names, with Marloes Oldenburg, Martine Veldhuis and Pia Greiten, to name just a few. The race follows a tournament-setting. This means the women start with heats, followed by repechages for everyone except the winners of the heats. Next are the semi-finals, which will result in the finals. Beforehand, Marloes Oldenburg and Pia Greiten were the big favorites, with both rowers from the respective national eights. The conditions developed throughout the day, with the wind blowing over the course from finish to start. Pia showed her outstanding talent. With long and strong strokes she managed to make the best out of it. With a lead of nearly 20 second Pia claimed the Ladies’ Trophy and thereby became the successor of Emma Twigg. 

As befits the Holland Beker, the field received the most entries with 20 men competing. Most appealing name was that of Martino Gorreti, reigning World Champion in the lightweight men’s single. Other names to watch were Amos Keijser (Laga), Guido de Ruijter (Theta) and Ruben Claeys from Belgium, who all showed good speed throughout the heats and semi-finals. As with the women, the wind played a larger role than during Saturday, with the wind blowing against the rowers. This wind however, appeared to not affect Martino Goretti. Following a blistering start, he extended his lead throughout the race. The only one to keep some kind of connection was Amos, who claimed the silver medal. Third was Ruben Claeys, who managed to outsprint Niels Boonstra (Njord) in the last 500m. 

During the M2x finals both Skøll crews had to accept a second and third position. Two French rowers became winners of the Open National Championship. 

The remaining main events of the Koninklijke-Holland Beker are the Junior Men’s and Women’s single. For the boys some fierce competition drove to Amsterdam this weekend. This showed in the A-Finale, where half of the field was not Dutch. The best in the Boys’ competition was Aaron Andries from Belgium. He started strong, kept his speed high and crossed the line first. Second came August Wisholm from Denmark. The third spot was claimed by Robbe Mourits from Het Spaarne. His start wasn’t the best, but following a good race, he managed to claim the remaining spot on the podium.

For the girls we had less foreign competition, but what competition it was. With a very strong showing and outclassing the entire field, we received Astrid van Roy from Belgium as the first to cross the line. Second came Fien Wenneker from Willem III. Third spot was claimed by Annelot ten Berg from Viking.

After a great kick-off yesterday, we continued racing this morning. For many Dutch student rowers today will be the first possibility to measure themselves against the rest of the Netherlands. After months of training the race uniforms can be pulled out of the closet. Time to race!

In the M2x heats, a French couple was the first to cross the finish line. Based on the results of the heats of this morning it looks very likely that a Skøll crew goes home with the national title for the M2x, however, it remains to be seen which one. Triton dominated in the LM2x heats of this morning, so becoming the national winner must be feasible. However, the German crew that participates in this field will definitely challenge them in being the first to cross the finish line.

The women of the Aegon National Rowing Team (ANRT) race today in combined eights. Karien Robbers and Femke Paulis stroke the Senior eight and Under-23 eight respectively. Skøll and Orca join forces and will compete against the rowers of the Dutch equipe. They are coached by Steffen de Vries, who is known as a very skilled coach in women’s rowing and also has an Olympic history. 

In the battle for the Holland Beker, Guido de Ruiter (Theta) outperformed Amos Keijser during the semifinals. The presence of very strong opponents with Italian and German roots promise us a nerve-racking final race. Who goes home with the Holland Beker? Check it out at 15:50. For the Ladies Trophy, it is also going to be close. Marloes Oldenburg (Gyas) took the lead in her semifinal. However, the fastest time came from Pia Greiten (Germany) in the other semifinal. Funny fact is that Marloes is a rower of the Dutch Women’s Eight and Pia of the German Women’s Eight. However, today they will compete for the Ladies Trophy in the skiff. You can watch the finals at 15:25 https://hollandbeker.nl/live/.

Holland Beker / Ladies Trophy

On Saturday the men battled for the Dutch Championship titles in the coxless four and the eight. The final of the men’s eights was mainly a battle between the U23-eight and an Aegir-combination. The boats went fairly even for a long time, but from the 1000m onwards, the U23-eight clearly had more speed. In a fast time of 05:46.61, the men of the U23-eight are the new Dutch Champions in the eight.

In the coxless four, the Laga/Nereus/Gyas-combination clearly took the lead from the start and didn’t give it away. Strong competition was given by Nereus, but the title went to the combination.

 For the women, NK titles were handed out in the light double sculls and the heavy double sculls, coxless four and quadruple sculls. The rowers of the Aegon National Rowing Team (ANRT) participated in most women’s fields. In the double sculls, the battle was between Olympians Lisa Scheenaard and Roos de Jong versus the Olympic light double sculls of Ilse Paulis and Marieke Keijser. The latter therefore decided not to weigh in, but nevertheless managed to put their heavy counterparts to the test. In the end Lisa and Roos came out on top, making Lisa Scheenaard Dutch Champion in both the single scull and double sculls.

Without the Olympic light women’s double sculls, it was up to the students rowing clubs to fight it out for the title. The Nereus/Aegir combination of Rosa Brouwers and Roos Duijn had a great race, were under constant pressure from Orca, but eventually managed to push the bow ball over the finish line first.

In the women’s coxless four, a composite team of the ANRT started with Karien Robbers on stroke. It turned out to be a very exciting race in which the boats from Skøll and Orca competed for what they were worth, but in the end they came just short of the title, which was grabbed by the ANRT-combi. The Olympic quadruple sculls started in the corresponding field. With a great show of force, this successful boat steamed for another victory.

Not only did we enjoy fantastic races during the NK Groot, but also our special attention went to the first heats for the Holland Beker and the Ladies Trophy. We were very happy to see that not only Dutch rowers appeared at the start. The KHB welcomed athletes from Germany, England, Italy and Belgium, who participated in the single heats of today. But also enough talented homegrown rowers grabbed their skiffs and raced for the trophees. 

Marloes Oldenburg was the fastest Dutch rower of the Ladies Trophy heats of today, however the German competitors will definitely challenge her in the semifinals of tomorrow. Lisanne Brandsma and Bente Paulis already met them in the first heats and will definitely go all out to ensure their spot for the finals. 

In the Holland Beker heats Amos Keijser stole the show with fantastic performance and a big lead in his heat. The Italian rower Martino Goretti showed off with a very hard start. Would it be enough to earn a ticket to the finals? The live studio is ready for take-off and Govert Viergever and Boyd Welsink are looking forward to being your hosts tomorrow. Check it out at https://hollandbeker.nl/live/. 

It took a long time, but we are back on the Bosbaan. Rowers, volunteers, coaches, everyone is in a good mood. The Holland Beker and the Ladies Trophy are polished and ready for tomorrow’s winners. Today we entertain ourselves with the races of the NK Groot/Open National Championship.

Anyone who has read the KHB magazine, knows that also the women of the Dutch Women’s Eight participate in different combinations today. Karien Robbers, Dieuwertje den Besten and Tinka Offereins, who have been interviewed for the magazine, started this morning in the Women’s Four (W4-). Karien and Dieuwertje join forces with Tessa Dullemans and Ilse Kolkman, while Tinka gets into the boat with project 2020 buddy Hermijntje Drenth in an Okeanos combination. In the finals they will compete among others with Varsity winners Jonneke Boere and Ashley Rijst, who appear at the start with Luka van der Zwan and Lina Dokter (Skoll). Make sure you don’t miss the finals at 14.25.

For the fanciers of sculling there is also plenty to see this afternoon. The finals of both the LW2x and the W2x promise to become extremely exciting. With a few well-known names such as Ilse Paulis, Lisa Scheenaard and Marieke Keijser. In this field we will also see one team from Belgium and one from Germany competing against each other. The M2x finals start at 15:24, who will go home with medals? Triton and Euros finished with a difference of four hundredths of a second. The results of the M4- heats were quite impressive this morning. Watch them out in the finals at 14.40. The men’s eights also showed their best in the heats and will prepare for more this afternoon. 

The battle for the Holland Beker and the Ladies Trophy started with the first heats. Check it out at our livestream and let yourself be impressed by the fantastic athletes who will battle for gold. 

With pride we present this year’s Holland Beker magazine.

Read the magazine 

Dear participants,

We look forward to welcoming you this weekend at the Bosbaan, Amsterdam. Please be aware of the following changes in comparison to previous editions of the Koninklijke – Holland Beker.

1. Unfortunately, due to the corona measures, we cannot receive any supporters / visitors. Each crew can bring a maximum of 2 coaches.

2. Changing rooms are closed.

3. Due to a too small number of top entries, there will be no prize money to win this year.

4. The Koninklijke-Holland Beker can be followed live via hollandbeker.nl/live

Keep an eye on the site for the latest updates and additional information.

Good luck and celebrate rowing!

Because the COVID-measures in the Netherlands will be lifted as per 26 June, we can host more rowing events! Additional events are published via the KNRB Inschrijfprogramma, where you can register your crews. Foreign participants are advised to reach us via regatta@hollandbeker.nl.

Dear participants, coaches and volunteers,

We are closely watching the (changes in the) covid-19 regulations in the Netherlands. At this moment, all visitors (participants, coaches and volunteers) are required to make an appointment at testenvoortoegang.org. However, we are closely monitoring the news about possible changes in covid regulations on June 25th.

We will update you as soon as possible!