PRESS RELEASE: Entries for 2012 World Rowing Senior and Junior Championships

As this is an Olympic year the 13 boat classes in World Rowing Junior Championships have combined with the seven boat classes of the World Rowing Championships that are not on the Olympic programme to become one regatta.

The senior lightweight men’s single sculls will see 26 nations competing with World Champion, Henrik Stephansen of Denmark out to defend his title. Stephansen raced at the London 2012 Olympic Games earlier this month in the men’s single. Last year’s silver medallist Pietro Ruta of Italy is also racing in Plodiv, having raced in the lightweight men’s double sculls in London.

Ruta’s doubles partner from London, Elia Luini will line up in Plovdiv in the lightweight men’s quadruple sculls.

The entries in the lightweight women’s single sculls stand at 23 countries. The reigning World Champion Fabiana Beltrame is likely to be the gold medal favourite. Also prominent in the medals mix is likely to be London Olympic bronze medallist and former lightweight single World Champion, Alexandra Tsiavou of Greece.

On the junior side, the junior men’s double sculls and the junior men’s single sculls have both attracted a field of 32 entries. The men’s single was won last year by Germany. At Plovdiv, Germany has entered Moritz Moos to race at his first international regatta and he will face last year’s fourth-placed Paul O’Donovan of Ireland. 

In the junior men’s double, Kai Fuhrmann of Germany has returned to defend his 2011 title with a new partner, Ole Daberkow.

The junior women’s single sculls is the biggest women’s field and the 28 nations entered includes Uganda racing for the first time at a World Championship regatta.

To compete as a junior, rowers must be 18 years of age or under. An athlete can compete as a junior until 31 December of the year in which the rower reaches the age of 18. After that date the rower shall be classified an Under 23 rower.

The World Rowing Junior Championships is partly subsidised by the rowers who take part in the World Rowing Masters Regatta which donates 1 Euro of every masters regatta entry fee to support youth rowing.

Live scoring, audio streaming, race reports, results and a photo gallery will be available throughout the regatta on www.worldrowing.com.

A full list of entries and an updated provisional timetable can be found here.