For the 11th time the city of Basel is hosting the 11th Mirabaud BaselHead, Switzerland on 13.11.2021
This year, 4 female and 5 male Olympic champions competing in Basel 101 eights are entered for the 11th edition of the Mirabaud BaselHead Regatta. International rowing celebrities will be in attendance. Five Olympic champions and two silver medalists from Tokyo are rowing in the Men Great 8. In Womens Great 8 four Olympic champions and two Olympic bronze medalists will be in action.
Champions all over Basel
Two worth seeing eight-boat competitions are on the programme on Saturday, 13 November 2021, in Basels city centre. Just getting the 101 boats into the water is a logistical masterpiece. Last but not least, the challenging course with start and finish below the Mittlere Brücke, where the public can watch the dynamics of rowing at close quarters, will be a spectacle.
At 10.30 a.m., the Sprint des Rois will be contested over a distance of 350 metres. Raw power, vigour and agility of the crews will be decisive here. The winning women and men of the Sprint des Rois and the winning boats in the junior categories will take home a brand new pair of carbon oars. For
the first time, two boats will compete directly against each other. Although the fastest time will be taken into account for the days victory, the direct duels (German eight against Holland8) will certainly provide great drama.
Hollandacht will challenge Deutschlandachter
The Mirabaud Classic pursuit race will start at 14.00 hrs. On the 6.4-kilometre course with a 180° turn after halfway, not only stamina but also good steering skills are an advantage. Good coxing (coxing rules) will be the key for success. In the elite category, both men and women will receive a prize of CHF 5000.
Line-up in a class of its own The field of participants in the mens eight offers an exciting mix of Olympic glamour and future success boats. For example, while the Dutch national team Holland8 will be competing with some athletes of the original Olympic line-u p, the German eight has rejuvenated to six furlongs after its Olympic silver medal and is also bringing a second crew and an U23 boat to the start.
A special treat is definitely the Great 8. This illustrious crew of absolute top rowers will know how to mix up the races. The brothers Martin and Valent Sinkovic celebrated the Olympic victory in the coxless double in Tokyo and only recently announced their return to the double sculls. The Croatian
duo had won Olympic gold in this boat class in Rio in 2016. Du to an injury only Martin can compete in Basel. Paul ODonovan and Fintan Mc Carthy also won Olympic gold in Tokyo in the lightweight double sculls. The two Irishmen row in the Great 8 on the bow seats. Dutchmen Stefan Broenink and Martin Twellaar, Olympic silver medallists in the double sculls, share the middle four seats with two skiffiers, the Greek Olympic champion Stefanos Ntouskos and the silver Medallists in the coxless pair from Romania. Ciprian Tudosa und Marius Cozmiuc.
We are curious to see what is in it for the highly decorated rowers in the Great 8. In the womens event, ASR Nereus from the Netherlands will defend their title from 2019. The womens crew will compete against, among others, the Norwegian national eight, two boats from Great Britain (Tideway Scullers School) and the Great 8, which is in no way inferior to the mens boat in terms of glamour.With Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis from Romania (Olympic champions in the double sculls), Federica Cesarini and Valentina Rodini from Italy (Olympic champions in the lightweight double sculls), Lisa Scheenaard and Roos de Jong from the Netherlands (Olympic bronze medallists in the double sculls) and the single scullers Victoria Thornley from Great Britain (Olympic fourth) and Sophie Souwer from the Netherlands (Olympic seventh), there are no exceptions in the eight.
The Womens eight is coxed by Patricia Merz successful lightweight rower of the Swiss team with a 7th rang at the Tokio Olympics,
The 11th Mirabaud BaselHead, Switzerland is looking forward to welcoming numerous spectators. For further infos check our social media channels on Instagram (@baselhead_official) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/baselhead). Further information as well as starting and ranking lists are available on the website www.baselhead.org .
Media infomation:
Jolanda van de Graaf, Media Office Mirabaud BaselHead (media@baselhead.org ), Organization: Matthias Schmitz, Co-Präsident Mirabaud BaselHead (matthias.schmitz@baselhead.org )
