World Rowing Under-23 Champions crowned in Rotterdam

For immediate release
Rotterdam, 26 August 2016

Medals were awarded to 26 countries in the finals of the World Rowing Under 23 Championships at the new Willem-Alexander Baan Rowing Regatta course in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The under-23 Championships were part of the combined 2016 World Rowing Senior, Under 23 & Junior World Rowing Championships.

The World Rowing under-23 Championship regatta received record entries of nearly 900 athletes with racing spread over five days and finals over two days. The Netherlands finished at the top of the medals table with the Dutch taking five medals, three of them gold. In the first final of the afternoon and in front of the enthusiastic Dutch home crowd, Marieke Keijser won the lightweight women’s single sculls by building up an impressive lead winning by an unprecedented 11 seconds over the second place Nicole van Wyk of South Africa and Kenia Lechuga Alanis of Mexico. The Dutch under-23 men’s eight also scored gold ahead of Great Britain and Germany.

The third gold medal for the Netherlands was in lightweight women’s double sculls with Amber Kraak and Anne Marie Schonk winning over a fast-starting Federica Cesarini and Valentina Rodini of Italy and a fast-finishing Lucy Jonas and Jackie Kiddle of New Zealand.

Germany earned the biggest number of medals with a total of nine out of the 21 boat classes. With two of them gold, this put them second on the overall medals table. Tim Ole Naske finished his 2016 season as World under-23 Champion when he raced the best under-23 scullers in the men’s single sculls. Naske, the reigning under-23 World Champion, finished ahead of silver medallist Natan Wegrzycki-Szymczyk of Poland who finished seventh at the Rio Olympics earlier this month and bronze medallist Michal Plocek of the Czech Republic the 2014 World under-23 Champion.

Also winning gold for Germany was Max Appel and Philipp Syring in the men’s double sculls.

Italy won an impressive eight medals which put them third on the overall on the medals table. The two Italian gold medals came in the lightweight men’s four and in the lightweight women’s quadruple sculls. The quad crew of Paola Piazzolla, Asja Maregotto, Allegra Francalacci and Gerogia Lo Bue set a new under-23 World Best Time in their race. This was one of four new under-23 World Best Times. All set on the first day of finals in calm conditions with a very slight tail wind, the United States set the new standard in the women’s four, Switzerland did it in the lightweight men’s pair and Poland did it in the women’s quadruple sculls.

Racing continues on Saturday 27 August with finals of the World Rowing Championships in world senior boat classes and semi-finals in the junior boat classes. Then on Sunday 28 August the last day of the regatta has the finals of the World Rowing Junior Championships.

For live streaming, results, race reports and live blog go to www.worldrowing.com