The first-ever combined Senior/Junior/U23 rowing world championships (also known as "megaworlds" around the row2k office) begin this Sunday in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
The event is truly huge, simply by the numbers; FISA notes entries for 1890 competitors coming from 70 countries, in 41 events. USA and Germany have both entered boats in all 41 events to be contested, with Italy next at 37 points. (And if this were a high school regatta, there would totally be a team points trophy, whew).
The 41 USA crews in the Junior, U23 and Senior events entered earned the right to compete in Rotterdam via a combination of camps for the men and women, and open trials.
Once dubbed "the Olympics for leftovers," the World Championships in Olympic years have come to fill an important role for development athletes, athletes seeking to make the jump to the top level of the sport, or even in some cases, for Olympic rowers to get a few more strokes in before the end of the summer.
Several international athletes made the trip from Rio to Rotterdam, most notably the Dutch Olympic pair of Roel Braas and Mitchel Steenman, who will compete in the coxed pair.
For folks at home keeping track, FISA has compiled a useful "Who to watch" for the event.
Rotterdam pulls it off
Rotterdam earned praise from FISA for its ability to plan and execute this truly enormous regatta, and in typically Dutch fashion, Rotterdam is not only ready for megaworlds, but is looking forward to it (including putting a 60-foot rower on a building downtown...tallest rower ever?)
And the venue looks spectacular (cue drone photos here).
As with most higher-profile rowing events, the event has its own promo video as well.
Team USA is on the ground
With the venue having opened for practice yesterday, Team USA is on the ground. In the Senior events, the US is the reigning champs in the women's four, and will look to add to that tally in Rotterdam. The US also won bronze in the lightweight women's single sculls at the 2015 World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette, France.
2015 women's four gold medalist Kristine O'Brien returns to compete in the same event in Rotterdam, while London Olympian and seven-time national team member Tom Peszek and pair partner Yohann Rigogne, who so narrowly fell to eventual Olympians Anders Weiss and Nareg Guregian at the Olympic trials in June join forces with coxswain Lou Lombardi in the Men's Coxed Pair.
Vesper Boat Club's Mary Jones, competing in the Lightweight Women's Single, is one of six 2015 Pan American Games medalists representing the US in Rotterdam.
The US U23 men and women have done their prep, and look to add to their recent haul; in 2015, the US U23 women swept the sweep events at the U23 Worlds, capturing gold in the women's pair, women's four and women's eight.
The USA Juniors are also looking to build on a stellar 2015, where the team captured five medals at the Olympic test event in Rio. By all accounts the Junior men and Junior women have had strong preparation prior to Rotterdam.
Of course, even if training goes well, it's important for everyone to be "coachable:"
The 2016 worlds website offers a good overview of the event.
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