Eva Hofmans is no stranger to a world championship regatta. To be fair, the last time the former Otago rower represented New Zealand at one was as a junior. That turned out to be a glittering moment in her fledgling career, when the former Bayfield High School rower was crowned the world junior champion in the quadruple sculls in 2019. Hofmans, who studied at Yale University and now rows for Waikato, will make the step up this week, competing at her maiden elite world championships in Amsterdam. She will line up for the women’s double scull alongside fellow Waikato rower Sophie Egnot-Johnson, marking a world championships debut for the duo. They head into the regatta in fine form, having competed on the world cup circuit earlier this year, making it through to the A final in Bulgaria. Otago University rower Juliette Lequeux is also pulling on the black race suit this week, competing in the women’s coxless pair alongside Waikato rower Katie Lush. Lequeux and Lush laid a good foundation for themselves at the world cup earlier this year. They reached the B final in Spain and made it through to the A final, where they finished fifth, in Bulgaria. While Lush is making her world championships debut, Lequeux adds plenty of experience to the pair, having been part of the women’s four that won bronze at last year’s world championships. Former Otago Boys’ rower Ben Mason and Waikato rower Finn Hamill will continue their budding partnership in the men’s double scull. They won silver at the world cup in Bulgaria, adding to the bronze they won in Italy last year and raced together at the world championships in 2025, when they finished second in the B final. Avon rowers Oli Welch and Ben Taylor are out to defend their men’s coxless pairs world championship title and have been in fine form already this season, winning double gold at both world cup stops. They finished 0.54sec outside the world best time in Bulgaria, set by New Zealand greats Hamish Bond and Eric Murray at the London Olympics. New Zealand has also entered a men’s and women’s eight at the world championships, the first time the boat has been raced since the Tokyo Olympics.
