The preliminary round of the Talents Cup 2025 kicked off last weekend. As part of the Lauerz Regatta, 18 mixed U17 quadruple sculls competed on Saturday in the heats and on Sunday in the A and B finals. It was an exciting weekend of racing, with some incredibly close finishes – and a clear winner: Seeclub Zürich.
On Saturday morning at exactly 9:30 a.m., it was time: curtain up for the new Talents Cup. 18 boats were entered and competed in three heats to qualify for either the A or B final on Sunday. The goal for the weekend: to collect as many points as possible in this first round. A quick reminder: the top six boats with the most points after all three qualifying regattas will advance to the final, which takes place on Saturday, June 28, during the LUCERNE REGATTA.
The clubs seem to agree on one thing: the Talents Cup is important and highly competitive. There was less agreement when it came to boat composition: in some cases, boys sat in stroke seat, in others, girls; some crews placed all boys in the middle seats, while others alternated rowers by seat. It remains to be seen in the upcoming regattas whether one winning formula will stand out.
After the heats, the crew from Seeclub Zürich – Helena Puskas, Marlon Michel, Alexander Weber, and Klara Welt – emerged as the favorite. They posted the fastest time across all three heats. And they lived up to expectations: a commanding win in sunday’s A-final with over seven seconds’ lead – a clear statement!
Behind them, the competition was as tight as expected: Basler Ruder-Club, also a heat winner on Saturday, secured second place by just 0.23 seconds ahead of Rowing Club Bern. The battle for 5th and 6th place also turned into a nail-biter just before the finish line: Seeclub Richterswil edged out Società Canottieri Locarno, rowing in the lane furthest away, by just over 0.4 seconds.
Points are also awarded in the B Final of the Talents Cup, making it a highly contested race as well: hometown favorite Seeclub Zug narrowly beat Seeclub Sempach by 0.38 seconds. Even Club Canottieri Lugano, in 10th place, earned one point – possibly the decisive one for securing a spot in the final.
Next stop: Schmerikon, May 10–11, followed by the final qualifying regatta in Cham, May 24–25.
Current Talents Cup standings: LINK
