The 2019 World Rowing Junior Championships acted as a test event for Tokyo 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic ©Getty Images

The World Rowing Junior Championships is set to make its return tomorrow in Plovdiv in Bulgaria after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to COVID-19.

The men’s single sculls sees an entirely new field lining up with 21 athletes set to take to the water.

All eyes will be on the indoor rowing talent Isaiah Harrison of the United States as he goes into the tournament in fantastic form.

The 18-year-old won gold medals at the 2021 Under-19 World Indoor Rowing Championships and the 2021 US Rowing Under-19 World Championship trials.

In the women’s single sculls there are a number of returning athletes such as Switzerland’s Aurelia-Maxima Janzen who finished second at the Under-23 Championships in July.

Greece’s Evangelia Fragkou, who finished third in the women’s double sculls at the same event, is also one of the favourites.

The return of Italy’s Giulia Clerici completes a strong field.

Clerici starred in both the women’s quadruple sculls and women’s eight for Italy's youth crews back in 2019.

The women’s double sculls received the highest number of entries with 23 crews due to compete.

The Dutch duo of Lotta van Westreenen and Phaedra van der Molen already had a chance to compete earlier this year when they finished tenth in the women’s quad at the World Rowing Under-23 Championships.

It is an international debut for the rest of the field, but the Dutch will have to watch out for some historically quick crews such as Lithuania, Germany and Ireland.

The men’s double sculls has 19 entries and all athletes will be making their international debut.

In the absence of the defending champions from China, promising Germans Finn Staeblein and Adrian Groth will be looking to take top spot.


The pair will have to watch out for strong performances from Italy and France.

In the women’s coxed four, Ukraine are likely to start favourites.

They come to the event with two of the five athletes that finished fourth back in 2019 and who recently finished sixth at the Under-23 Championships.

Italy are tipped for success in the men’s coxed four as they have one returning athlete from the 2019 event and have pedigree in this boat class.

The event will culminate with the eights.

The men’s eight has nine entries and a fresh field of young sweep rowers.

In 2019 it was Germany, United States and Britain who found a spot on the podium.

Britain has not entered this time so it could end up being 2019's other medallists fighting for gold.

Hungary should also not be written off as their crews have shown improvements year after year.

The women’s eight will feature five entries and does not include the defending champions from China.

In 2019, the three crews behind China were Germany, Italy and the United States, and all three have entered again and will be looking to find the podium.

Romania will be one to watch as they are led by coxswain, Victoria-Stefania Petreanu, who has years of experience, including gold in the coxed four from the Under-23 Championships in July.