Who to watch on the first finals day at the Aegon Koninklijke - Holland Beker

Jun 30, 2018

Who to watch on the first finals day at the Aegon Koninklijke – Holland Beker

As the temperatures soar towards 30 degrees Celsius in Amsterdam this afternoon, the weather won’t be the only thing heating up today: on the Bosbaan rowing course, rowers from all corners of the world will race for the many cups, trophies, and medals of the regatta. We’ve made a selection of exciting races to watch this afternoon at the Aegon Koninklijke – Holland Beker.

The first final of the day is the LM4- at 13:24h, promising to be a fierce contest between two Asian powerhouses, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Both national teams have entered two crews, so not only will they be looking to beat the other nation, but also their compatriots. A crew from Indonesia will also be in the hunt for medals in the M4x at 13:36h. They will face the national quad from Thailand, as well as Henley-bound quads from home favourites Skøll, and the French INSA Lyon.

More national teams, including Dutch crews, will contest in de W4- and M4- at 14:15h and 14:22h respectively. In the Women’s four, a selection of the Dutch squad will race crews from Indonesia, Denmark, and Germany, as well as a Dutch four bound for the FISU World Championships in China later this year. The men’s four will put their new line up to the test in preparation for the Lucerne World Cup, facing experienced crews from Proteus-Eretes, University of London, and a Dutch combination including the two Rienks brothers, Rik and Ralf.

Anyone looking for a textbook example of elite sculling should take a ride on the moving grandstand for the LW2x at 14:30h: The Belgrade World Cup winners Ilse Paulis and Marieke Keijser will probably be in a league of their own, given that they were close to beating the World’s Best Time in Belgrade earlier this year. At 14:52h, the M2x final will be the stage of an interesting battle between the Dutch Under 23 men’s heavyweight (Gyas/Aegir), and lightweight (Skøll/Leythe) crews. Spicing up the fight are national crews from the Czech Republic and Thailand.

For those who want to scout a future Olympic champion, make sure you turn your attention to the water from 15:40h, when talents will get the opportunity to show their speed. We start with the finals of the Development competition, which is the culmination of a number of races for points throughout the Dutch national season for promising sophomores and juniors. We then continue with the finals of the hotly contested under 23 single sculls. The day will finish with the repechages of the Holland Beker and Ladies’ Trophy to determine who will advance to tomorrow’s semi-finals.

Follow all races on the livestream!