Henley Royal Regatta

Henley Royal Regatta Premier Rowing Crew Qualify for this Prestigious Event

In the July school holidays, our four premier rowers, Katerina Bitzios (Year 11), Anneka Davys (Year 11), Madeleine Hill (Year 10) and Annie Trainor (Year 12), travelled to the UK to compete in the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta.

The athletes and coaches were billeted by a family in Henley and embraced the local lifestyle, walking to and from the course multiple times a day to train on the Thames. Rowing alongside national teams and some of the best club and school athletes in the world was such a privilege for our crew. Despite their heavy training and preparation schedule, the girls made time to visit Oxford, Eton, Windsor Castle, London and the surrounding local areas of Henley. The crew were fortunate to have both a Rowing Coach and scholar tour the girls and staff around Oxford, including Christchurch College, which was a fantastic educational experience to view a day in the life of a Christchurch student and rower. During the first week, the athletes also competed in the Reading Town Regatta and won the Junior Quad event. It was a great opportunity for the athletes to compete before the major event of the Henley Royal Regatta and have an early win. As one of only three international crews to successfully prequalify for the Henley Royal Regatta in the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup, Loreto Toorak drew Sir William Perkins’ School (UK) and raced on Wednesday 7 July 2019. Sir William Perkins’ School positioned the same crew that had raced in the Henley Royal Regatta for the past three years, so our crew were prepared for some tough competition. A total of 53 crews entered the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup, the only junior women’s event on the racing timetable, with only 20 crews moving forward into the main draw of the Henley Royal Regatta. Despite being beaten by Sir William Perkins’ School, it was a huge achievement for the girls to even qualify for this initial event and invaluable experience competing in one of the most prestigious regattas in the world. The girls attended the Regatta for the rest of the week, meeting many athletes from around the globe and watching some of the most competitive racing the sport has to offer. Thank you to the Loreto Toorak community for their support throughout the campaign and for all those that set their alarms to view the race live online. The girls had a fantastic experience racing at the Henley Royal Regatta which has been formative for their development as young women and competitive athletes.