Race report: USA soars to top of medal table on day 6

A world best time in the women’s fours and victory in the men’s four saw the USA at the top of the medal table on the penultimate day of the 2026 World Rowing Championships, after another intense finals session.

Pritchard stays on top

Benjamin Pritchard (GBR) has not been beaten in the PR1 men’s single sculls since he won the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. He produced another assured performance on the Bosbaan to claim his second world title, storming out of the blocks for an early lead and responding to his rivals’ counterattacks before stretching out to win in a World Rowing Championships best time of 8:50.46. Behind him, Erik Horrie (AUS) claimed his ninth World Championship medal – and his first silver – ahead of Roman Polianskyi (UKR), who won his first bronze after three previous gold and three silvers.

Results: GBR, AUS, UKR, FRA, ITA, ESP

Pritchard said: “They’re getting faster off the first 500 but you’ve just got to try and back yourself, back all the training that you do. We’re in some lovely Welsh weather at the moment, some liquid sunshine, so it’s great that all the training that I do on the Tawe back home comes dividends.”

Sheremet untouchable in PR1 W1x

Anna Sheremet (UKR) has become the dominant force in the PR1 women’s single sculls since the retirement of the Paralympic gold and silver medallists, Moran Samuel (ISR) and Birgit Skarstein (NOR). On Saturday Sheremet won her second world title in a World Rowing Championships best time of 9:48.91 – the second-fastest time in history, only a second down on Skarstein’s world best. Behind her Laurence VandeVyver (BEL) claimed silver, in her international debut regatta after switching from handcycling; Claire Ghiringhelli (SUI) took bronze after overcoming Eva Mol (NED) in the closing stages of the race.

Results: UKR, BEL, SUI, NED, BRA, SWE

VandeVyver said: “The winner in me is always wanting more. I’m happy with the silver. It’s the first time against a big woman, so I think it’s not bad for a first time, a big race.”

USA end British men’s four reign

An incredible sprint from the USA gave them the men’s four title ahead of the Netherlands after a fantastic race. Great Britain and the Dutch exchanged blows through the middle of the course, with the USA just a fraction down, but the three boats were basically level as they came through 1500m. When the USA unleashed their sprint the Dutch went with them, while the British defending champions fell back, unable to live with the pace. And it was the USA who crossed first, only 0.27 seconds up on the Netherlands.

Results: USA, NED, GBR, GER, ROU, NZL

The USA’s Pieter Quinton said: “Huge credit to the Dutch and the British, they pushed that race right from the start and we were a little bit on the back foot coming off the line. But there’s just so much trust in this crew, the four of us, and we just had the confidence that if we raced our race, got into our rhythm and just pushed the length of the course we’d come through in the end.”

USA smash world best time in women’s four

Exactly 12 years ago, at the 2014 World Rowing Championships on the Bosbaan, New Zealand set the world best time in the women’s four – 6:14.36. In 2026 that time was smashed as the USA charged to defend their title, becoming the first women’s four under 6:10. The new world best time is 6:09.87, and silver and bronze medallists Australia and the Netherlands also went under the old standard. It was a second title in a row for three of the USA women, who rowed into the lead in the second 1000m but were pushed by Australia and the Netherlands right down the course. The rest of the field were well back.

Results: USA, AUS, NED, ROU, GBR, GER

The USA’s Kate Knifton said: “We came into this year with a lot of big goals for ourselves. Last year we definitely felt like underdogs and this year we had to shift our mentality a little bit. But I’m just so proud of how we handled the pressure that we felt going into it, and really turned that into motivation and fuel.”

Italy triumph in three-boat dash in men’s quads

There was overlap between the three leading crews into the finish of the men’s quadruple sculls final, but it was 2025 champions Italy who crossed the line first. European champions Germany had led out the race, and were a second quicker than Italy to 500m, but Italy gradually pegged back that margin and had their bows in front by 1500m. Great Britain were also very much in the mix from the start, and pressured Germany hard in the closing 500m, but were unable to repeat their 2025 silver medal.

Results: ITA, GER, GBR, NED, POL, USA

Italy’s Luca Rambaldi said: “I’m very happy to have done this back to back.”

Dutch end with golden quads race

The Dutch defended the women’s quadruple sculls title on the Bosbaan with a strong performance, holding off Great Britain and the USA in the last 500m to maintain their grip on the event. Great Britain took silver. In the last three World Rowing Championships and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, no other nation has managed to take gold or silver in this event. However, the USA came close, with the fastest second 1000m of the field taking them to bronze, their first women’s quad medal since 2015.

Results: NED, GBR, USA, AUS, ROU, GER

The Netherlands’ Lisa Bruijnincx said: “We went out really fast, and we really wanted to dig deep into that middle 1000. Especially in the last 500, I think we really had to find something we didn’t know was in there.”

Ntouskos crashes out in men’s singles semis

There will be a new men’s single sculls champion crowned tomorrow, after Stefanos Ntouskos (GRE) missed out on the Bosbaan. Ntouskos was beaten into fourth in his semifinal by Victor Marcelot (FRA), who became the first Frenchman to reach the men’s single sculls final since 1987. Sam Melvin (USA) also broke a long streak of missed finals – the last time the USA had a men’s singles finalist was in 1997, the year he was born. But 2025’s silver and bronze medallists Oliver Zeidler (GER) and Yauheni Zalaty (AIN2) did progress, winning the two semifinals.

Fiona Murtagh (IRL) has got a chance to defend her women’s single sculls title after rowing through Jovana Arsic (SRB) to take the win in semifinal 2. However, 2025 silver medallist Lauren Henry (GBR) was 10 seconds faster than anyone else and comes into the final as the heavy favourite.

USA and GBR lead eights time trials

The heats of the eights were redrawn for time trials to ensure fairness. The USA came out as the fastest women’s crew, just ahead of Romania. Australia, World Rowing Cup winners in Seville and silver medallists in Lucerne this year, were seventh and miss the final.

Great Britain were narrowly the fastest in the men’s time trial, just 0.09 seconds ahead of the USA. Australia and the Netherlands were third and fourth. The men’s eights race semifinals on Sunday morning.

Netherlands and Ireland in pole position in mixed double sculls

After their thriller in the women’s double sculls on Friday, it looks like Roos de Jong and Margaret Cremen are on for another showdown in the mixed double sculls. De Jong and Simon van Dorp (NED) were slightly quicker than defending champions Ireland, with Cremen partnering with Konan Pazzaia this year. 2025 bronze medallists Celia Dupre and Raphael Ahumada (SUI) were third-fastest. The mixed doubles have semifinals on Sunday with finals in the afternoon.