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HENLEY ROYAL
REGATTA
Wednesday, 2 to Sunday, 6 July 2008
The Stewards are pleased to announce an entry of
450 crews (467 in 2007) for this year’s Regatta.
There are 98 Overseas crews (112 in 2007) from
17 different nations. This is an Olympic year so
very few of the Olympic crews are able to attend
the Regatta as they will be away in training
camps around the world. However, with many top
rowers just missing out on Olympic selection,
competition at the Regatta will still be of a
high quality with good entries from Estonia,
Canada, Denmark, Germany, Australia, Holland,
South Africa, Greece, and the U.S.A..
The Grand Challenge Cup has four entries.
Leander Club has entered in its own right i.e.
not as part of a national crew, and will face
strong opposition from a composite crew from
Denmark, the Canadian Under 23 eight and an
interesting entry from the University of
Southern California, U.S.A. The American
university crew contains six members of the
Estonian national eight that just failed to gain
Olympic qualification in Poznan on Wednesday.
In The Stewards’ Challenge Cup the Cambridge
University four were all members of this year’s
Boat Race crew and will be racing as GBR II at
the World Cup in Poznan. The Greek four just
missed out on Olympic qualification in Poznan
while the composite crew from Molesey Boat Club
and Reading University is the GBR Under 23 crew
for this year’s Under 23 World Championships in
August in Brandenburg, Germany.
The Queen Mother Challenge Cup sees the entry of
the Estonian quad, Rowing Club Pärnu, which was
eighth in the World Championships in Munich last
year. Their opponents from California Rowing
Club include the two scullers from the U.S.A.
Olympic double for Beijing.
In The Silver Goblets & Nickalls’ Challenge Cup
the South African crew from Trident Rowing Club
is the new pairing of Ramon Di Clementé and
Shaun Keeling. Although they are competing in
Beijing they have been keen to enter the Regatta
and to take on crews from Canada, the United
States, Germany, Japan and Great Britain.
The Double Sculls Challenge Cup will be keenly
contested this year. The Estonian double of Tönu
Endrekson and Jüri Jaanson from Rowing Club
Pärnu has qualified for Beijing and will be keen
to beat the new U.S.A. Olympic double of Elliot
Hovey and Wes Piermarini from California Rowing
Club. Other interesting entries are the Grave
brothers from Bantam Boat Club, second in the
American Olympic trials, and the Yanakiev
brothers from Bulgaria.
The Diamond Challenge Sculls and The Princess
Royal Challenge Cup both appear to be wide open
this year. They offer great opportunities for
two new names to appear on these prestigious
trophies. There are five overseas scullers in
each of these events.
The Remenham Challenge Cup, for women’s eights,
has received 17 entries and will be a very open
competition this year. There are two entries
from the United States, Boston University and
Trinity College, Hartford.
This year the women’s quadruple sculls, The
Princess Grace Challenge Cup, will feature a
quad from Danmarks Rocenter, containing a number
of Danish Olympic aspirants, and the British
Lightweight Women’s Quad racing as Wallingford
Rowing Club and Reading University.
The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup has an
entry of 35 boats, including two crews from the
United States, one from Canada and one from
Australia.
The Chairman of the Committee of Management, Mr.
Mike Sweeney, said "I am delighted that we have
been able to attract such a high quality entry
for this year’s Regatta. Despite the pressure of
this being the Olympic Qualification year, the
Regatta will host many of the top stars from the
sport of rowing – there will be some excellent
racing."
Any further
information required can be obtained from
D. G. M. Grist
The Secretary
Henley Royal Regatta
Regatta Headquarters
Henley-on-Thames
Oxfordshire RG9 2LY
Telephone 01491-572153
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