Plovdiv, Bulgaria will host some of the world's best young rowers this August, and twelve New Zealanders will be among them. Selected on the strength of their performances at the Maadi Regatta, the NZ Club Champs, and the U19 Selection Trials, the squad represents an exceptionally talented generation, with many expected to go on and represent New Zealand at senior world championships and Olympic Games.
The men's coxless four draws together four athletes with genuinely impressive credentials. George Langley, from North Shore, already has senior competition experience behind him, having claimed silver in both the coxless four and the pair at this year's NZ Rowing Championships. Charlie Field, of King's College, won gold in the U18 four at Maadi before leading his school's coxed eight to a dominant victory. Alexander Walters left Maadi with two gold medals, having topped the field in both the U17 coxed eight and the U17 coxed four. Sam Bird completes the crew, bringing gold from the U18 pair to the combination.
Charlie Manser and Aidan Bennett, contesting the men's double scull in Plovdiv, arrive with a combined record that few international rivals will match. Manser's titles include the men's senior coxless quad at the NZ Rowing Championships, alongside national titles in the double scull and premier quad. Bennett won the U18 single scull at Maadi before collecting three national titles in club categories at the NZ Rowing Championships.
The women's squad carries comparable depth across both events. In the women's coxless four, Jessica Walkinshaw and Charlotte Mawston are joined by Georgia Kendrick and Charlotte Gorman. Kendrick made the move into club rowing with Hamilton last year, securing two silver medals at nationals. Gorman had a productive Maadi campaign, taking silver in the U18 eight and gold in both the U17 coxed eight and the U18 coxed four.
Eleri Clare and Zara Blackie will represent New Zealand in the women's double scull. Clare's win in the U18 single scull at Maadi came by a commanding margin, and she added gold in the U18 coxed quad. Blackie claimed bronze in the girls' U18 double scull at Maadi and showed consistent form throughout the selection pathway.
Rowing New Zealand's high-performance pathway has a strong track record of developing athletes who move successfully from junior competition to the senior international stage. Drawn from schools and clubs across the country, the group now faces the greatest test of their young careers, a fortnight in Bulgaria where the outcomes could shape everything that follows.
