Heineken Regatta on the Amstel in Amsterdam

Each year there is a great rowing regatta on the Amstel called the Heineken Roeivierkamp. The boats race up to 5Km on the scenic Amstel river from Ouderkerk and finish in Amsterdam city center. It's a beautiful spectacle. Many pros and top amateurs from all over the world race this event. That's all good. I love watching are the real amateurs come in to the finish line. The guys and girls who train hard and probably party harder. The athletes who might be in really good shape but may not be in perfect shape. This race is early in the season.


As the boats come into Amsterdam center you can watch from the bridges along the Amstel river. From the bridge you can look down on the pain and suffering going on as they approach the final meters. Some look as though they are having a serious internal dialog questioning the sanity of racing 5KM so early in the season. Respect! All this makes for great moments in sports photography.

I find it hard to pick my absolute favorites in sports photo journalism, but these two photos are very high up on my list. The photos were taken from Berlage Bridge about 200 meters from the finish line.