Rain fails to dampen excitement on day 1 of 2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships

The 2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships kicked off on Wednesday afternoon in Poznan, Poland, with plenty of tight racing in drizzly conditions.

The day began with the inaugural under 23 para-rowing races, before continuing with heats in eight of the remaining events.

History made as para-rowing makes under 23 debut

There were two preliminary races in the under 23 PR3 single sculls, marking the first time para-rowers have been able to race at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Paralympian Dariia Kotyk of Ukraine won the women’s race, ahead of the young Australian Isobel Egan. In the men’s race, it was Egan’s compatriot Sam Stunell who came out comfortably ahead of the field, with Ivan Kopriichuk (Ukraine) in second place.

Close racing in lightweight singles

The lightweight single sculls heats were marked by close racing as scullers battled for the crucial top two spots that would see them straight through to the final. Heat 2 of the lightweight women’s single sculls went to Chloe Cresswell of South Africa after a great race, with Ireland’s Sophia Monahan grabbing second by 0.09 seconds. Third-placed Ayse Guenduez (Germany) still made it through to the final on time.

In the lightweight men’s single sculls, Joost van der Sluis (Netherlands) rowed down Türkiye’s Halil Kaan Koroglu in the closing quarter to claim second place behind Argentinian Santino Menin, but Mats Winkels (Germany) was unable to do the same to Cosmo Honrogen of the USA in the following heat. Luca Borgonovo is the fastest through to the final in 6:59.58.

Netherlands and Switzerland set pairs standards

The Netherlands’ Elisabeth Boone and Marg van der Waal were comfortably the fastest crew in the women’s pairs heats, winning heat 2 in 7:10.83 – over five seconds quicker than heat 1 winners Denmark. Austria, Lithuania, Spain and Canada make up the six finalists.

In the men’s pairs, it was a race through to the semifinals. The winning time for Switzerland’s Seric Critchley and Nicolas Chambers in heat 2 was the quickest of the day (6:27.83), while Italy won heat 1 with Norway second. In heat 3, Türkiye beat Greece for top spot by just under a second.

Greece looking strong in double sculls

Both Greek crews in the under 23 double sculls won their heats; Dimitra Kontou and Varvara Lykomitrou in narrowly the quickest time of the day, 0.15 seconds faster than Poland who won heat 1.

Their teammates Konstantinos Giannoulis and Iason Mousemelis were also the fastest crew in the men’s event, after a close race where Czechia and Ireland were close behind throughout. Portugal and Italy won the other two heats, just a couple of seconds slower than Greece, suggesting competition will be tight in this event.

Fours finish the first day’s racing

Defending fours champions Great Britain looked strong again in both the men’s and women’s events, both posting the fastest heat times as they cruised to victory. France and the USA won heats 2 and 3 in the women’s fours, and New Zealand, Switzerland and Romania were second in the three heats.

The USA also won heat 3 of the men’s fours, with Romania taking top spot in heat 2. Paraguay were eliminated from the semifinals after finishing heat 2 in the slowest time of the 13 crews competing.