Henley Royal Regatta returns to traditional setting for the first time since 2019
The event is taking place over six days with a record number of rowers taking part
Henley Royal Regatta is getting underway for its first six-day event in its 183-year history.
A record 419 crews qualified from 17 nations (including Great Britain) at every level of elite rowing, from school, university, club and country, will contest 393 head-to-head knockout races across 26 events in the first ever six-day Regatta.
Sir Steve Redgrave, Chairman of the Regatta said:
“The Stewards of Henley Royal Regatta are looking forward to the start of this Regatta as much as it seems the rest of the rowing has been
“Once it was clear we would be able to stage this scale of event, the level of expectation has been building. But the response from our crews, both domestic and international, our Members and Volunteers, and all who come to support the event has still been as breathtaking as I’m sure the racing will be from Tuesday morning until Sunday afternoon.”
12 Tokyo Olympic Champions
There are 12 Olympic Champions from Tokyo, including five from New Zealand. Emma Twigg New Zealand’s Olympic gold medal in the women’s single sculls in Tokyo and favourite for The Princess Royal Challenge Cup. Kerri Williams (née Gowler) and Grace Prendergast, who won the women’s pair in Tokyo are favourites for the The Hambleden Pairs Challenge Cup (Women's Pair).
With three of the quad that won gold for China in the Women’s Quadruple Sculls in Tokyo - Yunxia Chen, Yang Lyu and Xiao Tong Cui - the Chinese National Rowing Team are favourites to win The Princess Grace Challenge Cup (Women’s Quadruple Sculls). China’s men’s quad are also the ones to beat in The Queen Mother Challenge Cup (Men’s Quadruple Sculls).
Likewise, Australia’s three Tokyo gold medallists - Alex Purnell, Spencer Turrin and Jack Hargreaves - make them favourites in The Stewards’ Challenge Cup (Men’s Four).
Alongside them are a host of Tokyo medallists of all colours, previous Olympic medallists, and current champions, such as Oliver Zeidler, the German sculler and World and European champion, favourite for The Diamond Challenge Sculls (Men's Single Sculls).
Sir Steve says: “The quality of this year’s Regatta can be seen throughout the events, we’ve got eight national teams racing that have two boats or more entered - that is unusual.”
But there have been enough upsets over the years to ensure that no one takes the 2,112-metre course at Henley-on-Thames for granted and Lauren Henry’s epic run to the final of the The Princess Royal Challenge Cup last year are still fresh in the memory.
Back to June
After being cancelled in 2020 for the first time outside of the World Wars, and hosting an event last August constrained by COVID-19, the Regatta is back in its traditional place in the summer season for the first time since 2019.
“We’re excited to be back as we were and in fact a bit beyond 2019 - a year that broke a lot of records - after not having set up a full Regatta here in three years,” Sir Steve Redgrave said. “It has been odd driving around the one-way system here in June and not seeing anything appear by the river. Seeing the familiar blue-and-white boating tents - even though they are new this year - has made for a happy 2022.
“One of the reasons for going to six days was to accommodate our expanded number of events and ease the pressure on our volunteers,” Sir Steve Redgrave said. “After introducing them last year, the depth and quality in the three women’s events (the Wargrave - Club Eights, the Island - Student Eights and the newly-named Prince Philip - Junior Women’s Eights) is very exciting to see and is part of the pathway from School to the Open events which makes the Regatta special.”
Later starts
Holding the event over six days means that instead of the 8am early start, races will begin on Tuesday at 09.30am, 09.00am on Wednesday, 09:30am on Thursday and Friday, 10:00am on Saturday, and 11.00am on Sunday. It will also mean some crews get a day off.