14 September 2022

By Göran R Buckhorn

The 2022 World Rowing Championships will take place in Račice, Czech Republic, on 18-25 September.

After the last race on Sunday, 25 September, there will be a tribute to the Czech three-time Olympic medallist and five-time World Rowing Champion in the men’s single sculls, Ondřej Synek, who retired from elite rowing last year.

World Rowing and the Organising Committee of the Championships have organised a 500-metre exhibition race between Synek and his five main rivals during the last two decades.

In the race, Synek will meet the following retirees:

Alan Campbell, of Great Britain, who is a four-time Olympian and a three-time World Championships medallist. Campbell is also a three-time winner of the Diamonds Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta.

Iztok Čop, of Slovenia, four-time Olympic medallist and holds a total of 11 World Championships medals. Čop was the recipient of the Thomas Keller Medal in 2015.

Mahé Drysdale, of New Zealand, three-time Olympic medallist and eight-time World Champion medallist. He has also won six Diamonds at Henley.

Lassi Karonen, of Sweden, is a two-time Olympian and is a multi-time Swedish champion in the single sculls and double sculls. He took a silver medal in the single sculls at the European Championships in 2010. The same year, he was the runner-up in the Diamonds at Henley.

Olaf Tufte, of Norway, is a four-time Olympic medallist and a six-time medallist at the World Championships. In July, Tufte received the 2021 Thomas Keller Medal.

The race will be included in the international host broadcast and live streamed on www.worldrowing.com.