Debut titles and repeat winners on first finals day in Poznan

The first day of A-finals at the 2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships delivered a series of close races, with a number of first-ever victories as well as back-to-back gold medals.

The regatta concludes on Sunday with another eight A-finals, as well as six B-finals.

Kotyk takes first PR3 under 23 title

Paralympian Dariia Kotyk became the first para-rower to win a World Rowing Under 23 Championships title, defeating Australia’s Isobel Egan. But the 17-year-old Egan did not let the Ukrainian take the medal easily, staying in touch with her rival right down the course and marking herself as a talent to watch in the future.

Result: UKR, AUS

Stunell continues debut year in style

After debuting on the international stage earlier this year in the PR3 mixed double sculls, Australia’s Sam Stunell claimed the inaugural PR3 under 23 men’s single sculls title. He was tracked closely by Ukrainian Ivan Kupriichuk to halfway before putting on a push and moving well clear, never to look back. Luca Conti of Italy took third, comfortably ahead of Germany’s Jan Rothlaender.

Result: AUS, UKR, ITA, GER

Stunell said: “I came out here with the intention that the only thing good enough for me was gold, so I’m stoked to be at the top of the podium.”

Schincariol adds under 23 gold to her medal cabinet

Melissa Schincariol won gold in the women’s quadruple sculls at the 2024 World Rowing Under 19 Championships, and she added another gold medal in Poznan with a confident performance in the lightweight women’s single sculls. Behind her, Germany’s Ayse Guenduez challenged hard from lane 6 but could not quite overhaul South Africa’s Chloe Cresswell for silver.

Result: ITA, RSA, GER, SUI, IRL, ZIM

Cresswell said: “It was a fight to the line, some really close racing. I had to close my eyes at the end and just go for the best.”

Koroglu takes the win for Türkiye

Halil Kaan Koroglu came into the World Rowing Under 23 Championships as reigning European under 23 champion in the lightweight men’s single sculls, but after the heats he was drawn in lane 1 for the final. However, the form book was shaken up in the final. Italy’s Luca Borgonovo was fastest out of the blocks before the USA’s Cosmo Hondrogen took the lead – but Koroglu kept in touch, and in the closing 500m came charging through to stride ahead and claim gold by over two seconds. Hondrogen took silver and Borgonovo bronze. It was Türkiye’s first gold medal in this event.

Result: TUR, USA, ITA, NED, GER, ARG

Hondrogen said: “The plan was just to go out and dominate the middle 1k, and that’s exactly what I did, but didn’t have the legs. Hats off to Türkiye.”

First women’s sweep medals for Austria and Denmark as Dutch win

The women’s pair final was extremely close from start to finish. Dutch duo Elisabeth Boone and Marg van der Waal were first to 500m, and maintained a narrow advantage through to halfway which they had extended a little by 1500m. Behind them Canada had a good start, but started to fade into the finish as Denmark’s Clara Hornnaess and Frida Foldager – both with Olympic experience from the eight in Paris – started to move. Austria’s Lisa Zehetmair and Laura Swoboda were also pressing in search of their first-ever under 23 sweep medal, and they found a bit more speed to claim silver ahead of the Danes. However it was also Denmark’s first women’s sweep medal at this level.

Result: NED, AUT, DEN, CAN, ESP, LTU

Boone said: “We tried really hard to stay in front and we did it, but it wasn’t easy.”

Another gold for Türkiye

The men’s pair semifinals promised a close final, and so it proved. Türkiye’s Aytimur Selcuk and Enes Biber led out the race and they had a good advantage coming into the closing stages, but the field was closing up behind them as Germany, Switzerland and Great Britain all charged for the line. Germany’s Vinzent Kuhn and Leonardo Rosenquist grabbed silver after a superb closing quarter, beating Swiss duo Seric Critchley and Nicolas Chambers by 0.27 seconds. But in turn, the Swiss beat Great Britain by 0.08 seconds for bronze, and Switzerland’s first under 23 openweight sweep medal.

Result: TUR, GER, SUI, GBR, NOR, GRE

Selcuk said: “The first 1000, the last 1000, we always (want to) be first, in heats, in finals, and the same here. We knew we would do this.”

Greeks dominate in women’s doubles

Dimitra Kontou has fast established herself as one of the best young rowers on the circuit and she continued in style in Poznan, taking her first openweight under 23 title and her third in total. The double of Kontou and junior world champion Varvara Lykomitrou led from the start to the finish and were able to hold on as the rest of the field came back into the line. Silver went to Poland’s Anna Khlibenko and Julia Rogiewicz, but Germany’s Johanna Debus and Charlotte Burgdorf almost spoiled the home party with a great last 500m that saw them snatch bronze.

Result: GRE, POL, GER, ROU, NED, FRA

Kontou said: “It’s crazy, our coach is also crazy, so we have no excuses, we just do it. But it’s a good craziness.”

Italy win; Germany and Ireland split by 0.01 seconds

Ireland’s Martin O’Grady and Donagh Claffey shot out of the blocks in the men’s double sculls final and had taken a length’s lead by 500m. But they could not hold on to that, as the field came back on them. Portugal’s Pedro Rodrigues and Tomas Neves were the first to start pushing at the halfway mark, but Italians Josef Giorgio Marvucic and Marco Prati came with them and had moved through Ireland by 1500m. In the last 500m every boat was charging; Italy had the most speed, and claimed gold, but German double Ole Hohensee and Timo Strache produced a stunning finish to take silver, just 0.01 seconds ahead of Ireland.

Result: ITA, GER, IRL, POR, FRA, LTU

Marvuvic said: “We knew before the race that it was very tough because all the crews were very tight. We decided at the 1000m mark to keep pushing to try to avoid all the crews.”

No mistakes for British women’s four

There was no doubt about the women’s four champions, as Great Britain stormed out of the blocks to take an early lead which they never let go, to make it two wins in a row in this boat class. The race for silver and bronze was very good; last year’s silver medallists New Zealand looked strong early on, but Romania had a better second half and were comfortably in second at the line. Meanwhile the Kiwis had to hold off a charge by Spain, which they succeeded in doing. It was a second gold medal in this event in a row for Britain’s Jessica Martin, while New Zealander Madeleine Parker added bronze to the silver she won last year.

Result: GBR, ROU, NZL, ESP, USA, FRA

Martin said: “It’s just teamwork. It’s about enjoying it, working together, and that’s what you need. Hard work and teamwork.”

First fours gold for USA, Romania deny British

The men’s four final finished off the day’s racing in style with a classic. Great Britain and the USA were the first to get their bows in front, but Britain could not respond to the halfway push by the USA crew and found themselves slipping back. Meanwhile Spain, rowing strongly from lane 6, were moving back on the British and then through. Romania looked off the pace early on but, from being nearly three seconds off the medals at 1500m, clawed back into contention and it was their bows which surged past the British in the last 100m to take bronze by 0.12 seconds. However the USA were the clear victors, winning their first-ever title in this event.

Result: USA, ESP, ROU, GBR, AUS, GER

The USA’s Ryan Martin said: “I’m still processing it, it was a lot. It went by quick, but it was a challenge for sure.”

Sprint finishes set tone in semifinals

The three sets of semifinals raced on Saturday all produced exciting sprint finishes, with crews racing every inch of the course in a bid to make the medal races. In the men’s single sculls, there were four boats across the line in semifinal 1, where Sweden’s Erik Kallstrom claimed the win. Nikolaos Cholopoulos (Greece) sprinted through for second place with Oliver Holtz (Germany) hanging on for third, and Italian Marco Selva, first at 1500m, pushed into the B-final. In semifinal 2 August Wisholm (Denmark) came through from sixth at halfway to take third on the line.

The AIN men’s quadruple scull crew were almost caught by Australia in the second semifinal, but held on to take the third qualifying spot behind defending champions Poland and Germany. Great Britain, Czechia and Switzerland progressed from the other semifinal.

In the men’s eights – the first time there has ever been a semifinal in this event at under 23 level – Italy’s second half took them past Romania and into the final, behind Germany and the USA. Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand were the three finalists from the first semifinal.