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Grand Challenge Cup

The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and best-known event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs. Two or more clubs may combine to make an entry.

The event dates from 1839 and was originally called the "Henley Grand Challenge Cup". The Stewards resolved that a silver cup, for which they incurred 100 guineas,[n 1] was to be competed for annually by amateur crews in eight-oared boats. One of the prize medals awarded at the first race was donated to the regatta in 1969 and is on display in the Prize Tent.

The cup has since been competed for annually save for the years affected by the two World Wars and the COVID-19 pandemic. The eligibility rules have varied over the years, but the premise that the cup has always been open to all established crews has remained at its core. Subject to rowing together long enough, F.I.S.A. national crew members may enter for this event. In its history the Cup has been won by foreign crews 47 times – 14 times by crews from Germany, 11 from the US, 9 from the former USSR, 4 times each by crews from Australia and Canada, 3 times by Belgian crews, twice by a Dutch crew and once each by crews from Bulgaria, Croatia, France and Switzerland. The Leander Club hold the record of 36 wins.

The cup itself records the names of all winning crews since 1839. The base was added in 1896 and extended in 1954 and again in 1986. The Book of Honour was added as an integral part of the trophy in 1954. In 1964, the winning Harvard crew of 1914 presented the regatta with a new cup, identical to the original of 1839, which is now very fragile. This new cup continues to be used as the trophy presented to the winning crew for lifting and photographs on finals day, with medals as in all other events being awarded permanently to winners.

The current Henley course record is 5:53 set by the winning 2018 entry.[1]

Winners

1839–1849

1850–1899

E.B. Gibson's medal for winning the Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Regatta with Royal Chester in 1856

1900–1949

1950–1999

2000–2019

the Harvard University crew, runner-up during the 2004 regatta

2020 onwards

Notes and references

Notes
  1. ^ The amount paid was after the withdrawal of the guinea, a gold coin, in 1816 and is nominally equivalent to £11,671 in 2023 (auto-updates).
References
  1. ^ "Regatta Records | Henley Royal Regatta". www.hrr.co.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  2. ^ "A Wet Henley – Five Oxford Victories". The Times. 5 July 1920. p. 7.
  3. ^ "Henley Regatta. The Grand Won By Magdalen". The Times. 4 July 1921. p. 7.
  4. ^ "Henley Royal Regatta. The Grand Won By Magdalen". The Times. 10 July 1922. p. 5.
  5. ^ "Der Sport in Zahlen" [Sport in Numbers]. Berliner Zeitung (in German). Vol. 14, no. 155. 8 July 1958. p. 4. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  6. ^ "DDR-Siege in Henley im Achter und Einer" [GDR victories in Henley in the eight and single scull]. Berliner Zeitung (in German). Vol. 25, no. 184. 6 July 1969. p. 7. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  7. ^ "UdSSR dominierte" [USSR dominated]. Neue Zeit (in German). Vol. 26, no. 158. 7 July 1970. p. 8. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  8. ^ "Sowjetische Erfolge bei Henley-Regatta" [Soviet successes at Henley Regatta]. Berliner Zeitung (in German). Vol. 30, no. 186. 8 July 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Recent Winners, The Grand Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta, http://www.hrr.co.uk Archived 7 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Results 1999, The Grand Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta, http://www.hrr.co.uk". Archived from the original on 10 October 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  11. ^ "Results 2000, The Grand Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta, http://www.hrr.co.uk". Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  12. ^ "Results 2001, The Grand Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta, http://www.hrr.co.uk". Archived from the original on 10 October 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  13. ^ Results 2002, The Grand Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta, http://www.hrr.co.uk[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ "Results 2003, The Grand Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta, http://www.hrr.co.uk". Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  15. ^ Results 2004, The Grand Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta, http://www.hrr.co.uk[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ "Results 2005, The Grand Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta, http://www.hrr.co.uk". Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  17. ^ "Results 2006, The Grand Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta, http://www.hrr.co.uk". Archived from the original on 8 October 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  18. ^ Results 2007, The Grand Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta, http://www.hrr.co.uk[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ "Results 2008, The Grand Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta, http://www.hrr.co.uk". Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  20. ^ "2009 Winners, The Grand Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta, http://www.hrr.co.uk". Archived from the original on 11 October 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  21. ^ Recent Winners of Henley Royal Regatta http://www.hrr.co.uk
  22. ^ a b Recent Winners of Henley Royal Regatta http://www.hrr.co.uk
  23. ^ "Recent Winners of Henley Royal Regatta". Henley Royal Regatta. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  24. ^ "Recent Winners of Henley Royal Regatta". Henley Royal Regatta. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  25. ^ News Taurus Boat Club, London
  26. ^ "2020 REGATTA CANCELLATION - STATEMENT ON CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)". Henley Royal Regatta.
  27. ^ "Results 2021". Henley Royal Regatta. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  28. ^ "Success for Brookes Rowing at Henley Regatta". Oxford Brookes University. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  29. ^ "Leander, Oxford Brookes and Thames dominate at Henley Royal Regatta". British Rowing. Retrieved 4 July 2023.

Sources