2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships: Crews to watch

Experienced internationals and first-timers will race for World Rowing Under 23 Championships medals in Poznan, Poland between 23 and 27 July. The event has attracted a huge entry from 53 nations – here are the crews to watch.

Under 23 Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls (BLW1x)
10 entries

Two junior world champions step up to the under 23 category in the lightweight women’s single sculls – Greece’s Gavriela Lioliou and Italy’s Melissa Schincariol. They won gold in the junior women’s double and quadruple sculls respectively last year. Of those who competed in this event last year, South African Chloe Cresswell was the best performer with fifth place.

Under 23 Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls (BLM1x)
15 entries

Only three of the lightweight men’s single scullers competed at last year’s World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Slovakia’s Peter Strecansky was fourth in this event, while Luca Borgonovo won silver in the lightweight men’s double sculls. This season, both have competed at senior level with Borgonovo taking bronze at the 2025 World Rowing Cup Varese, and Strecansky finishing fourth at both World Rowing Cups. But look out for Turkish sculler Halil Kaan Koroglu, who won European Rowing Championships silver.

Under 23 Women’s Single Sculls (BW1x)
17 entries

Although she is still only 21 years old, Aurelia-Maxima Janzen of Switzerland is competing in her fifth World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Poznan. Janzen was under 23 world champion in 2023, and has silver medals from 2024, 2022, and 2021 too, along with the 2021 junior world title. She was ninth at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Another world silver medallist in this event is South African Danelia Price-Hughes, second at the 2024 World Rowing Under 19 Championships, while 17-year-old Eleni Diavati won gold at the 2025 European Rowing Under 19 Championships in the women’s double sculls.

Under 23 Men’s Single Sculls (BM1x)
29 entries

Sweden’s Erik Kallstrom, under 23 silver medallist in 2024, leads a huge entry in the men’s single sculls. Belgium’s Aaron Andries, who won bronze last year, is also back in a bid to improve his placing, and there is another under 23 bronze medallist in the shape of Italy’s Marco Selva who has stepped out of the men’s quadruple sculls into the single. Several scullers have also raced at the 2025 European Rowing Championships or the 2025 World Rowing Cups, including Türkiye’s Cevdet Ege Mutlu who followed up his 2024 European under 23 title with seventh place at the senior European Rowing Championships in Plovdiv. Also look out for Malaysia’s Kheng Aik Ong, and Somalia’s Abdirahman Hassan, making their nations’ debuts at this level.

Under 23 Women’s Pair (BW2-)
14 entries

Naroa Zubimendi of Spain is the only returning competitor from last year’s under 23 women’s pair field, having won silver in St Catharine’s. But several other rowers in this event have won under 23 or junior world medals previously, including Romanians Beatrice Piseru and Georgiana Blanariu and both the British pair of Rhiannon Luke and Chloe Sheppard. Great Britain are defending champions in this event.

Under 23 Men’s Pair (BM2-)
16 entries

Coming into Poznan in blazing form is the British pair of Marcus Chute and Theodore Bell, who, racing for Princeton University, were a close second in the Silver Goblets & Nickalls Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta to the experienced Dutch Rienks brothers. That experience should benefit them in a classy field. Italy’s Alessandro Timpanaro and Giuseppe Bellomo are both under 23 world medallists from last year, winning men’s pair bronze and coxed four silver respectively; meanwhile the USA pair of Adam Pushner and Colton Millar were fifth last year.

Under 23 Women’s Double Sculls (BW2x)
17 entries

Dimitra Kontou of Greece is still not 20 years old, but she brings immense pedigree to Poznan: lightweight women’s double sculls bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, women’s double sculls silver at the 2025 European Rowing Championships, in addition to lightweight women’s double sculls gold at the 2023 and 2024 World Rowing Under 23 Championships and the 2024 European Rowing Under 23 Championships. She partners with reigning Under 19 world champion in this event, Varvara Lykomitrou. But Lithuania, Romania and Poland all also have plenty of international experience at junior and under 23 level, and the Poles – Anna Khlibenko and Julia Rogiewicz – picked up bronze in the women’s quadruple sculls at the 2025 World Rowing Cup Lucerne.

Under 23 Men’s Double Sculls (BM2x)
23 entries

There is plenty of prior international experience in the men’s double sculls field, with medallists from the 2024 World Rowing Under 19 and Under 23 Championships. That includes Spain’s Caetano Horta who was eighth in the lightweight men’s double sculls in Paris and then won under 23 lightweight men’s single sculls gold in St Catharine’s. Croatia’s Davor Poljancic and Ivan Talaja are the only unchanged crew from last year – they finished fourth in Canada.

Under 23 Women’s Four (BW4-)
18 entries

Jessica Martin of Great Britain returns to defend her under 23 title in the women’s four, bringing with her a new crew including under 23 women’s eight world champion Ellie-Kate Hutchinson. Martin will race plenty of familiar opponents, including 2024 silver medallist Madeleine Parker (New Zealand), and two members of both the French and Swiss crews that finished fourth and fifth respectively last year.

Under 23 Men’s Four (BM4-)
14 entries

Lots of new faces make their debuts in the men’s four, including a totally new crew for defending champions Great Britain. Romania have one of the more consistent groups in this event, with plenty of crossover between their athletes including two members of their 2023 junior world champion crew. The Danish four are aiming to double up in the men’s eight in Poznan too.

Under 23 Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (BLW2x)
5 entries

There is plenty of experience among the five crews racing the lightweight women’s double sculls. Look out for Poland, 2024 under 23 European bronze medallists. France’s Rose Gallen won world bronze in this event in 2024, but has a new partner in the shape of Justine Dias this time around. Meanwhile Italy are the youngest competitors: Gloria Licciardi is 17 and Alice Lauletta just 16.

Under 23 Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls (BLM2x)
8 entries

Maximilian Ruehling of Germany won gold in the under 23 lightweight men’s quadruple sculls last year. Austria’s pairing of Mathias Mair and Elias Hautsch are the most experienced as a duo, having finished fifth in this event in St Catharine’s and second at the 2025 European Rowing Championships. Norway’s Mads Reite has gained experience on the senior scene this year, which he will aim to bring to Poznan.

Under 23 Women’s Quadruple Sculls (BW4x)
8 entries

Romania are defending champions in this event, but have selected a new-look crew for Poznan – while three members of the silver-medal winning Polish boat are back, as are two of Great Britain’s bronze medallists, and three of Australia’s fifth-placed 2024 crew. However, all four Romanians are 2024 European Rowing Under 23 champions, albeit in sweep boat classes.

Under 23 Men’s Quadruple Sculls (BM4x)
16 entries

Last year, Poland beat Czechia to the under 23 men’s quadruple sculls title by 0.37 seconds – and three members of both crews are back for a rematch. With Poland also coming a creditable sixth at the 2025 World Rowing Cup Varese, they are definitely once again among the favourites. Three of the Swiss quad picked up silver behind Poland at the 2024 European Rowing Under 23 Championships, and have also raced at senior level this season with 10th in Lucerne, where Czechia – save for bowman Miroslav Vokalek – were seventh.

Under 23 Women’s Eight (BW8+)
10 entries

An extremely strong 10 boats will contest the women’s eights in Poznan, with Great Britain hoping to retain their title. Abigail Dawson, Alice Baker and Olivia Hill are all named to the crew once again. The USA, silver medallists in 2024, have four returners, and there are also familiar faces in this event from Australia, Canada and Italy. All eight of Canada’s rowers are doubling up in other events.

Under 23 Men’s Eight (BM8+)
14 entries

A record entry in the under 23 men’s eight means this event will be even more exciting than ever. Defending champions Great Britain have brought back three members of their 2024 crew plus two members of the 2024 under 23 men’s four world champion crew. Add to that a winning campaign for Tristan Wenger, Cameron Beyki and Harry Geffen in the Visitors’ Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta and it is hard to bet against a sixth straight victory for the British in this event. However, Australia’s boat has only three new members compared to last year’s bronze-medal winning crew, and there is tons of under 23 experience in other boats too. Expect speeds to be high and margins close.

PR3 Under 23 Women’s Single Sculls (PR3 BW1x)
2 entries

Australia’s Isobel Egan and Ukrainian Dariia Kotyk will go head-to-head in search of the first-ever under 23 world title in the PR3 women’s single sculls. The smart money would be on Kotyk, already a two-time Paralympian, world bronze medallist and multiple European medallist in the PR3 mixed double sculls and PR3 mixed coxed four. Egan makes her international debut.

PR3 Under 23 Men’s Single Sculls (PR3 BM1x)
4 entries

All four scullers in the PR3 men’s single sculls have some senior experience already. Italy’s Luca Conti is the reigning PR3 men’s pairs world champion, while Ivan Kupriichuk (Ukraine) won that title in 2023. Sam Stunell of Australia has two World Rowing Cup silver medals from this season in the PR3 mixed double sculls, and Germany’s Jan Rothlaender raced in the PR3 men’s pair at the 2025 World Rowing Cup Varese, where he was fifth.