Saturday, 28th June 2025
The Draw for the 2025 edition of Henley Royal Regatta has unveiled a series of fascinating opening-day match-ups in the Club, Student, and Junior events, alongside some thrilling spectacles in the well-stocked Premier roster.
The Grand and Remenham Challenge Cups for Premier open and women’s eights pits the British and Australian national teams against each other in blockbuster Saturday showdowns. Whilst the Netherlands’ women’s eight gets a bye to Sunday’s Final, their men’s crew will race against Cambridge University’s victorious Blue Boat, strengthened by the inclusion of Olympic gold medallist, Tom Ford.
The inaugural staging of The Bridge Challenge Plate for Intermediate women’s eights opens the path to a Saturday rematch of the Henley Women’s Regatta championship eight final between Leander Club & the University of London and Thames Rowing Club. With just a few metres separating the crews under a week ago, the newest Trophy on the Henley Royal Regatta docket promises action and drama aplenty.
Elsewhere, the Olympic champion Sinkovic siblings will race Great Britain’s men’s four in the semifinals of The Stewards’ Challenge Cup for Premier open coxless fours in a bid to face down a Canadian development four in the Final, whist the Draw for The Princess Royal Challenge Cup for Premier women’s single sculls will potentially pit the Olympic bronze medallist from Paris, Viktorija Senkutė, against Great Britain’s newly-minted European champion in the single scull, Lauren Henry. Henry last raced in this Trophy in 2021, reaching the Final, and arrives in Henley as a strong home favourite.
The Diamond Challenge Sculls for Premier men’s single sculls features a roster of starting scullers that would not be out of place at an Olympic Games, and the Draw has illuminated some compelling contests to watch out for. Olympic champion, Oliver Zeidler, returns to Henley Royal Regatta to defend his title but will be wary of 2024 Olympic bronze medallist and 2025 World Rowing Cup Varese winner, Simon Van Dorp, who is placed on the same side of the Draw. In the bottom half, the selected scullers are all of world-class pedigree, including Tokyo Olympic champion, Stefanos Ntouskos, double Olympic silver medallist, Melvin Twellaar, and a first-time appearance for Japanese international, Ryuta Arakawa.
The Stonor Challenge Trophy for Premier women’s doubles sculls is another example of Henley Royal Regatta’s enduring appeal, as the national women’s double combinations from New Zealand, Greece, Great Britain and the Netherlands all pitch up for a tilt at the Trophy. Provided both can navigate earlier rounds, of particular interest will be the pairing of Roos de Jong and Benthe Boonstra of Hollandia Roeiclub, who placed second at World Rowing Club Varese, against the Kiwi crew of Kathryn Glen and Stella Clayton-Greene, who were third and a few seconds back at the same event two weeks ago.
One consistent theme of the 2025 Henley Royal Regatta Draw was pitting clubs against each other on Day One. In The Thames Challenge Cup, holders Thames Rowing Club’s ‘B’ and ‘C’ crews will meet each other on the Tuesday, whilst A.S.R. Nereus ‘A’ - who are selected in The Temple Challenge Cup for Student open eights - will meet their ‘B’ crew on Wednesday’s first-round contest in a similar manner to Oxford Brookes ‘B’ and ‘C’.
The Junior events are sure to deliver a set of fascinating encounters. In The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, the revenge mission for Shiplake College is well and truly on. Their path to the final would see them coming up against last year's winners St Paul's School in the semi-finals. After winning this year's National Schools' Regatta, Shiplake have a great opportunity to avenge last year's Finals Day defeat at the hands of St Paul's.
Wycliffe College, who stormed to victory in The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup last summer, will be hopeful of retaining their title in 2025 after taking the junior quads title at Henley Women’s Regatta. They will have to get past a variety of superb crews on their side of the Draw to do so, though, including National Schools’ Regatta champions, the Tideway Scullers School, and Australian schoolgirl coxed quad national title holders from Canberra Girls Grammar School.
“Once again we will see the very best crews and athletes competing at this year’s event. The Draw has thrown up some fascinating clashes in the opening days of the Regatta,” said Richard Phelps, Chair of the Committee for Henley Royal Regatta.
"In my first year as Chair, I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing the action on the river next week. With outstanding crews from both home and abroad, the Regatta promises once again to highlight the exceptional calibre and spirit of this world-class event."
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Notes to the editor
For any media enquiries, please contact Henley Royal Regatta’s press office, The PHA Group - press@hrr.co.uk
Background
Henley Royal Regatta, founded in 1839, is the best-known rowing regatta in the world, renowned for its match-racing. It is one of the highlights of the summer sporting and social calendar in the UK, as well as the rowing calendar internationally. Over 400 races are staged at the Regatta, featuring Olympians and emerging stars from around the world. www.hrr.co.uk You can stay up to date with Henley Royal Regatta including race results, schedules and event information on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X and Facebook.
