Calm weather, close racing on day 1 in Lucerne

The 2025 World Rowing Cup Lucerne began on Friday in calm, although slow, conditions, setting up a weekend of exciting semifinals and finals.

Every crew got to race on the first day, with the men’s single sculls and lightweight women’s single sculls quarter and semifinalists also facing an afternoon race too, with several races demonstrating the finely balanced margins that have characterised the season so far.

Racing continues on Saturday from 08:30 CEST with minor finals, followed by semifinals from 10:35 CEST and finals in three events from 12:55 CEST.

Stamina tested in single sculls

The women’s single sculls were the first races on the course. All three European Rowing Championships medallists – Lauren Henry (Great Britain), Fiona Murtagh (Ireland) and Frida Sanggaard Nielsen (Denmark) won their heats to progress straight to the semifinals; Canada’s Katie Clark was the other heat winner. The men’s singles had to race both heats and quarterfinals, testing their stamina in the heat. Bruno Cetraro of Uruguay impressed by winning the first quarterfinal ahead of Romania’s Mihai Chiruta. Both Lithuanian scullers – Dovydas Nemeravicius and Giedrius Bieliauskas – won their quarterfinals after going head-to-head in the heats, and Bieliauskas posted the fastest time of the quarterfinals, 6:53.69. He was just 0.06 seconds ahead of Norway’s Jonas Slettemark Juel.

Varese medallists continue rivalries

Once again the lightweight women’s single sculls seems to be set up for a showdown between the top two from the 2025 World Rowing Cup Varese – Kenia Lechuga (Mexico) and Lara Tiefenthaler (Austria). Thrown into the mix for the first time this season is 2023 world champion Siobhan McCrohan (Ireland), who won her heat and was well in the mix in the second semifinal. But European silver medallist Maia Lund (Norway), third in Varese, missed out on the final after being off the pace in the semifinal. Meanwhile the gold and silver medallists from Varese in the lightweight men’s single sculls, Felipe Kluver (Uruguay) and Hin Chun Chiu (Hong Kong, China) won their heats, with Kluver slightly faster.

Sprint finishes for second place in pairs

There were some close finishes in both the men’s and women’s pairs as crews battled for the automatic semifinal spots. On the women’s side, Switzerland’s recently formed crew of Lisa Loetscher and Celia Dupre came through Chile’s Abraham twins to take second in heat 1; in heat 3 of the men’s pairs, Australia 2 (Hamish Wynn-Pope and Charles Batrouney) edged out Greece’s Boukouvalas’ brothers by 0.01 seconds. Romania’s European champion crews both progressed safely, with Maria Magdalena Rusu and Simona Radis posting the fastest heat time in the women’s event.

Romania survive Australian challenge

For a while in heat 2 of the men’s double sculls it looked like Olympic champions Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache would be beaten by Australia 1 – but a huge third quarter took the Romanians through to a comfortable win. Serbia’s Martin Mackovic and Nikolaj Pimenov posted the fastest heat time (6:17.64), winning heat 3 ahead of Switzerland. In the women’s double sculls, new combinations impressed with revamped crews from Greece and Great Britain progressing automatically. But France’s Elodie Ravera Scaramozzio and Emma Lunatti won heat 1 ahead of China’s Yunxia Chen and Ling Zhang, who won in Varese, and seem to be back on form as they reunite following their home Olympic campaign.

Australia out in front in fours

The women’s four final will be an all-Anglophone affair. Australia and USA1 won their heats, with Great Britain 1 and New Zealand second respectively. USA2 and Great Britain 2 were the next-fastest crews, completing the final line-up. In the men’s four, it looks like the European Rowing Championship medallists Romania, Croatia and France are in good form as they all reached the semifinals, but Varese winners Australia 1 posted the fastest time from the heats. Lithuania and the USA were the other automatic qualifiers to the next round.

Clear winners in quad heats

The quadruple sculls heats would see direct qualification for the final, and the winners were clear for both men and women. Germany’s Frauke Hundeling celebrated her 30th birthday with a comfortable victory in heat 1 of the women’s event, while Romania won heat 2. Poland, Switzerland, Czechia and China2 also progress with China1 eliminated. Poland and Great Britain won the men’s heats, ahead of Australia and the USA respectively. Germany and China also qualify, as the next-fastest boats – they were third and fourth in heat 2.

Romania and Germany win eights preliminaries

Australia led out the men’s eight preliminary race, but the Deutschlandachter were not content to let the Rowsellas have things their own way. A big push into the third 500m saw the green German bows come through for the lead, which they held on to for the rest of the race. Romania were second after sprinting past Australia. In the women’s race, Romania led from the start, holding off the USA into the line.

Para preliminaries test speed

There were three preliminary races in the para-rowing events. In the PR1 women’s single sculls, Switzerland’s Claire Ghiringhelli overhauled Dutch sculler Eva Mol in the second quarter and went on to win. Australia’s Erik Horrie won the PR1 men’s single sculls preliminary, while in the PR3 mixed double sculls, it was Germany 1 (Kathrin Marchand and Valentin Luz) who took the win over Australia and teammates Jan Helmich and Hermine Krumbein. But all three crews looked chilled over the line and the final could be a whole different affair.