Sinković brothers ready for European Championships with challenging schedule

Croatian Olympic rowing duo Martin and Valent Sinković are set to compete at the European Rowing Championships in Varese, Italy, from July 31 to August 2. The brothers, who have shifted back to the men's double sculls discipline this season after a stint in the coxless four, are eager to test their form against Europe's best.

Their return to the double sculls began at the Seville World Cup, where they finished 13th. However, they demonstrated their prowess just two weeks later in Plovdiv, securing a gold medal with a time of 6:00.97, nearly five seconds ahead of their closest rivals. This victory set a new World Cup record and brought them close to their own world best time from 2014.

Following their success in Plovdiv, the Sinković brothers skipped the third World Cup in Lucerne to focus their training on the upcoming European Championships. They have been preparing at Perućko Lake, aiming for peak performance at this major season highlight.

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After Seville, I learned not to make big announcements, but we feel great, speeds are good, and I am looking forward to the races.

"We are looking forward to it, we have trained well and are really satisfied with how the preparations went," said Martin Sinković. "Technically everything is going great, and we will see how we stand physically. After Seville, I learned not to make big announcements, but we feel great, speeds are good, and I am looking forward to the races." Valent Sinković added, "Everything went great, and that's the most important thing. We prepared well and had quality training sessions. It's a bit specific that we will have three races within 24 hours, which we haven't had before at a major competition, but we will try to handle it as best as possible. High temperatures are expected, so that needs to be taken into account."

The men's double sculls event is the most competitive at the championship, featuring 18 national teams. Key rivals include Belgium's Tibo Vyvey and Aaron Andries, and Serbia's Martin Mačković and Nikolaj Pimenov, the current world runners-up. Spain's Rodrigo Conde Romero and Caetano Horta Pombo are also expected to contend for top positions. The championship will operate under a new system without repechages, with the top two crews from each qualifying group advancing directly.

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Everything went great, and that's the most important thing. We prepared well and had quality training sessions. It's a bit specific that we will have three races within 24 hours, which we haven't had before at a major competition, but we will try to handle it as best as possible. High temperatures are expected, so that needs to be taken into account.