On the 25-28th May the GB team will return to the international racing scene at the European Championships in Bled, Slovenia.

There are no less than 9 recent Blues named in the GB team (six of whom were in 2022 Blue Boats) who will all be excited to show their speed following a long winter of training having not taken part at the recent World Cup I in Zagreb, Croatia.

Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George (both Cambridge ‘22) return in the men’s coxless pair this season as they seek to improve on their 2022 World Championship Bronze medals and the European Championships will be a great indication of how winter training has gone. They’ll quite likely be lining up against former rival Roman Röösli (Oxford ‘22) who recently picked up gold at World Cup I as part of the dominant Swiss team.

Fellow Cambridge rower Freddie Davidson (Cambridge ‘17, ‘18 & ‘19) returns in the men’s coxless four together with school friend David Ambler (Oxford ‘22). Joined by Ollie Wilkes and Matt Aldridge, a slightly different lineup to the crew that topped the World Championships podium in 2022, they’ll be looking to continue to make this boat class their own.

Another returning World Champion is Charlie Elwes (Oxford ‘22) who is back in the men’s 8+ coached by Steve Trapmore (Cambridge Coach from 2010 until 2018) and with just a couple of changes to the 2022 crew they’ll no doubt have high hopes for 2023.

With unfinished business from Tokyo, Imogen Grant (Cambridge ‘17, ‘18 & ‘22) returns with her partner Emily Craig to follow on from their World Championship winning season in 2022 in a bid to get on the podium in Paris next year.

We’re delighted to learn that the team also includes Erin Kennedy (Oxford ’14) who after 15 rounds of chemotherapy and a double mastectomy returns to the coxing seat of the PR3 Mix4+ with the all clear 🙌

And in the Women’s Eight we have Henry Fieldman (Cambridge ’13) who will be looking to lend his experience to this crew as they seek to improve on the silver medal they won at the European Championships in 2022.

Tobias Schröder (Oxford ‘19’, ‘21, ‘22)  will also be traveling with the team as a reserve.

And lastly someone our hospitality guests will remember from her talk and Q&A session in 2023, multiple Olympic Champion and Hydrow Ambassador Helen Glover who is moving out of the pair and into the coxless four as she bids to become the first British mother of three to win an Olympic medal in Paris.

We’re looking forward to some great racing at the Championships and will keep you updated on the progress of all these crews. The full list of crews can be found here on the British Rowing website