An opportunity for future Olympians, junior, under 23 and senior-level athletes to compete on the same stage, the 2016 World Rowing Championships will combine three events in one this week in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. A total of 1,890 competitors coming from 70 countries will converge on the Willem-Alexander Baan Rowing Regatta Venue in one of the largest international regattas ever.
During an Olympic year, the world championships traditionally showcases the non-Olympic senior international boat classes alongside the World Rowing Junior Championships. This year, however, that event will combine with the World Rowing Under 23 Championships.
The U.S. will send 41 crews to the line over the eight-day event including 13 junior, 21 under 23 and seven senior-level boat classes. Both the United States and Germany have entered a full contingent.
Senior competition includes the lightweight men's and women's single sculls, lightweight men's pair, men's pair with coxswain, lightweight men's and women's quadruple sculls and the women's four.
The United States is the defending world champion in the women's four and won bronze in the lightweight women's single sculls in non-Olympic events at the 2015 World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette, France.
Highlighting competition for the U.S. is 2015 women's four gold medalist Kristine O'Brien (Massapequa Park, N.Y.), London Olympian and seven-time national team member Tom Peszek (Farmington Hills, Mich.), three-time senior national team member Yohann Rigogne (Besançon, France) and Vesper Boat Club's Mary Jones (Huntsville, Ala.), who is one of six 2015 Pan American Games medalists representing the U.S.
Under 23 competition features more than 900 athletes in 21 events including the the men's and women's single sculls, lightweight men's and women's single sculls, men's and women's double sculls, lightweight men's and women's double sculls, men's and women's women's quadruple sculls, lightweight men's and women's quadruple sculls, men's and women's pair, lightweight men's pair, men's and women's four, lightweight men's four, men's four with coxswain, and men's and women's eight.
In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, the U.S. won four medals at the 2015 World Rowing Under 23 Championships including gold in the women's pair, women's four and women's eight.
A three-time national team member, Walter Banfield (Wake, Va.) will compete among 29 athletes in the most subscribed event, the lightweight men's single sculls. There is also a large entry list for the men's and women's single sculls, with 26 entries each.
The U.S. will be represented in 13 junior events including the men's and women's single sculls, men's and women's double sculls, men's and women's quadruple sculls, men's and women's pair, men's and women's four, men's four with coxswain, and men's and women's eight.
The 2015 World Rowing Junior Championships, the test event for the Olympic Games, was a standout campaign for the U.S., as the women's four took gold, the men's eight won silver and the women's pair, women's quadruple sculls and women's eight won bronze medals, giving the U.S. a team record of five medals.
The U.S. roster includes athletes from 14 states with California claiming 22 of the 54 athletes. Sarasota Crew from Sarasota, Fla., is the most represented club with five athletes.