Next up are the pairs…..

M2-

Defending champions: Matteo Lodo/Giuseppe Vicino (Italy)

Entries: 25

This event is still trying to re-establish itself following 8 years of dominance by the legendary Hamish Bond and Eric Murray. The expectation post-Rio, was that the Croatian Sinkovic brothers would quickly fill the gap left by the Kiwis as they moved from the M2x (where they were Olympic champions) into the sweep equivalent. But it hasn’t really worked out that way so far. They took silver at Lucerne in 2017 and followed that up with another silver at the World Championships. In 2018 they took their first M2- gold with a win at the 1st World Cup and their 1st Championship title with gold at the European’s in Strathclyde. At the 2nd World Cup in Linz they were beaten into silver by the Czechs and then Martin Sinkovic was injured for Lucerne. It’s clear they have the potential to win gold in Plovdiv, but the event is extremely competitive.

Italy won the World Championships in 2017, but the champions (Lodo and Vicino) have split up. So for 2018 the Italians have Cesare Gabbia and Vincenzo Abbagnale (who returned to competition in time for the 2017 World Championships following a 2 year suspension for doping violations). This is a new combination for Italy, Gabbia was a member of the Italian M8 that won bronze at the World Championships in 2017 and then finished 4th at the Europeans this season. It looks unlikely that this pairing will be able to retain the title for the Italians, but as a slightly unknown quantity it’s difficult to predict how this duo will get on.

We have grown very accustomed to seeing New Zealand on the top step of the podium in this event, and in Lucerne the latest Kiwi pairing of Thomas Murray and Michael Brake won their first gold as a pair. They both raced in the NZL M8 at the Rio Olympics with Brake also racing in the M8 at the 2017 Worlds finishing 6th and Murray racing the M2- with James Hunter to a bronze medal.

One of the most consistent crews of the season are the French brothers, Theo and Valentin Onfroy. They were the stern pair of the French M4- at the Rio Olympics that finished back in 11th. Post-Rio they moved to the pair and have had much stronger results taking silver at the 2017 Europeans, gold at the 1st World Cups and bronze in Lucerne. At the Sarasota World Championships they were just outside of the medals. So far this season they have continued where they have left off with medals at the Linz and Lucerne World Cups and a silver medal behind the Croatians at the Europeans. They will be strong contenders to win France’s 1st world championship medal in this event since 2013.

Another duo who have had an excellent 2018 season so far are the Czechs, Lukas Helesic and Jakob Podrazil. They have been racing together as a pair since 2015 and finished 7th at the Rio Olympics. 2017 saw them win their first medals in the pair when they won bronze at the 1st and 2nd World Cups. They ended the season with an 8th place at the World Championships. This season they have pushed themselves towards the head of the field with a silver in Belgrade and gold (the first M2- World Cup gold for the Czech Republic) in Linz. They finished the World Cup series with another medal taking bronze in Lucerne making them the only nation to medal at all three World Cups. Competition at the World Championships will be fierce, but they will be very strong contenders for a medal.

Great Britain’s Oliver Cook and Matt Rossiter (schoolmates from Abingdon School) have been showing signs of good speed and potential. Cook was world champion in the M2+ in 2016 and spent 2017 in the M8 before moving to the pair for 2018. Rossiter was a member of the M4- that won bronze at the 2017 World Championships. They have produced some solid performances so far this season with 5th places at the Linz and Lucerne World Cups and 7th at the Europeans. They may not (yet) be challenging for a podium place in Plovdiv, but they won’t be far off.

Romania have been having an outstanding season across all their men’s boats. Their pair of Marius-Vasile Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosa raced together in the M8 that finished 5th at the World Championships last season before moving into the pair for 2018. They’ve made two appearances so far and taken 4th in Belgrade and bronze at the European Championships. Like the British, they may not have the absolute speed to make the podium in Plovdiv, but will be strong contenders for an A-Final placing.

South Africa have a new pairing with Jake Green and Lawrence Brittain. Brittain won silver in the M2- at the Rio Olympics with Shaun Keeling. He and Green raced together in the M4- at the 2017 Worlds that promised to be very competitive, having finished 4th in Lucerne, but ended up a disappointing 13th. Now back in the smaller sweep boat they are making their first appearance of the season and could well be the dark horses.

The other crews to watch for are the Serbs, Milos Vasic and Nenad Bedik (4th at the Europeans), the Belarussians, Dzimitry Furman and Siarhei Valadzko (bronze medallists in Belgrade and 4th in Linz) and the former lightweight World Champions from Ireland Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll.

My picks…..this could be a really close contest. I think the Croatians will just take the gold ahead of New Zealand in silver and the French in bronze.

W2-

Reigning Champions: Grace Prendergast/Kerri Gowler (New Zealand)

Entries: 17

The Kiwis will start as the overwhelming favourites to retain their title. They are unbeaten in the pair since losing to the British in 2015. They broke the British’s World Best Time at the Poznan World Cup in 2017 and went on to win the World Championships by nearly 4 seconds ahead of the Americans. So far in 2018 they’ve raced at the Linz and Lucerne World Cups. They were pushed really hard in Lucerne by Canada ending up taking the victory by just 4/10ths of a second.

The Canadians will be looking to overturn that defeat in Plovdiv. They are a very talented young pairing, Caileigh Filmer is still only 21 but she’s an U23 World champion from the BW8 in 2017 having also rowed in the Canadian W8 at the Rio Olympics. She’s joined by Hilary Janssens who was, herself, an U23 World Champion in 2016 and then a senior World medallist in the W8 last year. This season they raced at the Belgrade World Cup winning gold before taking silver behind the Kiwis in Lucerne.

The USA were runners-up to the Kiwis at the World Championships last year, but for Plovdiv they have a different combination with Victoria Opitz and Gia Doonan. Doonan, from the University of Texas, won two golds at the U23 World Championships in 2016 and then made her senior debut this season winning bronze medals in both the W8 and W4- at the Lucerne World Cup. She’s joined by Opitz, a triple World Champion in the W8 in 2013, 2014 and 2015. She also raced in the W4- and W8 in Lucerne before moving to the pair for the Worlds.

Another new pairing for Plovdiv are the Australians, Addy Dunkley-Smith and Hannah Vermeersch. They were both members of the Australian W8 this season, taking bronze in Linz and 5th in Lucerne. Linz was the first international race since 2015, and for Dunkley-Smith (younger sister of double Olympic medallist Josh) 2018 marks her senior international debut following a successful U23 career which saw her win bronze in the BW2- in 2015. Vermeersch was in the W8 that raced at the London Olympics and she also won gold at the U23 World Championships in 2013.

Romania will be one of the strongest contenders for a medal, Madalina Beres and Iuliana Popa. They were both members of the W8 that won bronze at the Rio Olympics and then won the World Championships last season. As is typical with the Romanians they are doubling up in pair and eight and usually medal in both. So far this season they have raced together just in the W8, winning gold at the European Championships. Beres also raced in the W2- at the Europeans with Denisa Tilvescu a combination that also won gold.

Italy are another combination that have had an excellent 2018. Alessandra Patelli and Sara Bertolasi raced together at the Rio Olympics ending up 11th, but 2018 has seen them consistently among the medals with silver at Linz and bronze in Strathclyde. Their silver medal was only the 2nd for an Italian W2- (the first being this duo at the Varese World Cup in 2016).

Great Britain’s Helen Glover and Heather Stanning dominated this event between 2012 and 2016, but with both of them now retired the British coaches are looking to build a crew that can defend the title in Tokyo. At the 2017 the pairing of Melissa Wilson and Holly Hill just missed out on the medals in 4th. For 2018 the British have another new combination with Hattie Taylor and Rowan Mckellar filling the seats. They’ve made a solid start to their partnership, making the A-Final in each of their races, including a bronze in Linz. This combination has a lot of potential, but it probably won’t be until 2019 or 2020 before we see it fully develop. A medal is unlikely in Plovdiv, but they will want to end the 2018 season having reached the A-Final every time they raced.

Spain have never won a gold medal in the W2- but they came closest at the Belgrade World Cup when the pairing of Anna Boada Peiro and Aina Cid finished runners-up to the Canadians to win their first ever silver medal (and only their 2nd ever W2- medal). They just missed out on an A-Final placing at Lucerne, taking 7th and didn’t compete at the Europeans. They have been racing together for a number of years, finishing 6th at the Rio Olympics and 5th at the 2017 World Championships. It’s not often Spain has a truly competitive women’s boat (they’ve only ever won 2 Olympic class medals and both were by this pair). Another A-Final placing in Plovdiv will be a great result.

My picks….this is set for another epic contest between the Kiwis and the Canadians but I think the New Zealanders will be just a bit too strong for the Canucks. I think Romania will win the battle for bronze.