Filippi enjoyed a fabulous weekend on the Henley reach at the 2025 Henley Women’s Regatta, collecting eight wins and claiming 33% of the available trophies. Over three scorching days of racing, hundreds of women took to the water to contest 24 categories, with Filippi well-represented throughout.
Starting with the lightweights, our wins came in the championship and aspirational lightweight single sculls for the Godfrey Rowsports Trophy and Fiona Dennis Trophy, respectively. In the latter, Catherine Jackson of Worcester Rowing Club put the ghosts of yesteryear behind her to take a magnificent and resounding victory in the first final of the day over Ava Robertson of Glasgow University. Catherine was peerless in her performances over the course of the weekend and looked untroubled throughout in her Filippi shell.
Henley Women’s Regatta often attracts Olympic-level talent, and 2025 was no different. Sonia Baluzzo Chiaruzzo took the Godfrey Rowsports Trophy for Ruder Verein Teutonia, Argentina, winning her final by just under two seconds over the sculler from University College Cork, Ireland. Sonia last raced at the Paris Olympic Games, finishing 12th overall in the women’s lightweight double scull.
Staying on the theme of single sculls, Catherine Gardner of Hartpury College was in scintillating form on the Henley stretch, winning the Di Ellis Trophy for junior singles. The U19 World Rowing Championship silver medallist showed no quarter to a stacked field, winning her final by a whopping 25 seconds in her Filippi shell. Gardner is in line for further representation at the 2025 U19 World Rowing Championships and will next be seen racing for Hartpury in the quad at Henley Royal Regatta.
Filippi has long been a stronghold for prominent junior crews, and this year’s edition of Henley Women’s Regatta further evidenced that, as we also took the victory in the Rayner Cup for junior doubles. Teagan Smith and Seren Page – of Northampton and Nottingham Rowing Clubs, respectively – clubbed together to win this event impressively. Despite limited time in the boat together, they were able to overcome a stubborn Walton Rowing Club crew in the final.
Our final singles win of the event came in the Grosvenor Cup for the PR3 single. Reigning champion Samantha-Louise Gough was defeated by the rising star from Rob Roy Boat Club, Amalia Sangiovanni Vincentelli. This young sculler recently won gold in the girls’ Adaptive Single Sculls at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta and adds to an impressive trophy collection.
Two more wins came in fours, via Edinburgh University in the Frank V Harry Cup for development coxed fours and K.S.R.V. Njord, Netherlands in the Cathy Cruickshank Trophy for aspirational academic coxless fours. Edinburgh secured their third victory in a row in this category, underlining their status as the country’s premier provider of beginning rowing. Meanwhile, Njord rowed with typical Dutch panache to collect the Cathy Cruickshank Trophy, defeating their own countrywomen in the final.
Our final victory of the day came whilst riding with Reading University in the Borne Trophy for championship double sculls. Reading were a class above in the championship sculling categories, also taking the quad title. These athletes will now jump into Reading’s ‘B’ entry into The Princess Grace Challenge Cup.
This was another searing characterisation of Filippi quality at the highest levels of our sport. We are so excited to support a flotilla of athletes competing in our shells at the upcoming Henley Royal Regatta.
