Successful title defences mark Sunday racing in Poznan

Great Britain ended the 2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships on top of the medal table after defending both their men’s and women’s eights titles, and adding women’s quadruple sculls gold to the women’s four title won on Saturday.

The Italian and Greek lightweight men’s and women’s double sculls also defended 2024 titles on Sunday, while Switzerland’s Aurelia-Maxima Janzen won a fifth world under 23 medal, and her second gold, in the women’s single sculls.

But Germany finished the regatta with the most medals, picking up five silver and five bronze medals. That included six podium finishes out of the eight finals contested on Sunday.

Great Britain take women’s quad gold

After posting the fastest time in the heats, Great Britain rowed a perfect race to win gold in the women’s quadruple sculls. Ellie Cooke and Finnola Stratton had won bronze in 2024 but together with Poppy Baker and Olivia Cheesmur upgraded to gold, moving on Poland in the second 500m and stretching out in the second half of the race. Meanwhile the fast start took its toll on the home nation in the second 1000m, as they found themselves rowed down by Germany – while still hanging on for bronze.

Result: GBR, GER, POL, ITA, CZE, AUS

Cooke said: “It feels amazing, it feels like a dream come true. We’ve put so much work in.”

Czechs turn tables on Polish men’s quad

With several returners from last year’s men’s quadruple sculls final, there was lots of history between the finalists. Home favourites Poland were determined to reclaim their title, but Czechia were equally determined to improve from silver to gold. They let Poland lead out, but stayed well in touch and the 1500m move from the Czechs was key, taking them through the Polish and to a 0.66 second victory. Germany took bronze, with Great Britain unable to push into the medals after a slow start.

Result: CZE, POL, GER, GBR, AIN, SUI

Czechia’s Michal Zindulka said: “It was incredible. After last year’s silver in Canada, we were hoping to level up, and dreams came true.”

Third consecutive BLW2x title for Greece

Despite fielding an entirely new crew – and a young one, with Paschalina Mouratidou the youngest competitor at the 2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships at 16 years old – Greece defended their lightweight women’s double sculls title in style. They were never troubled as they led from start to finish. France won silver, moving through from third at 500m behind Italy to second by halfway, Rose Gallen improving from last year’s bronze medal together with new partner Justine Dias. Germany’s Carolin Oldenknott and Nathalie Sendjuk won bronze, after an initially close race with Poland and Italy.

Result: GRE, FRA, GER, POL, ITA

Lioliou said: “We are very happy to continue the win in this category. The other girls were very very good, we have the honour to train with them, and we are following their steps.”

Formbook shaken up in lightweight men’s doubles

The lightweight men’s double sculls final did not play out as the heats would have suggested, with the slower-qualifying crews – Italy and France – in the top two positions at 500m and the faster crews in the middle off the pace. It was Italy who had found the best speed, and they stretched out to a good lead by 1500m ahead of Austria and Poland. Austria, however, faded in the last quarter and allowed Germany to charge into the silver-medal position, with Poland taking bronze. Italy’s Tito Christoforakis later revealed he had been suffering from illness through the week, making the win extra special.

Result: ITA, GER, POL, AUT, FRA, NOR

Christoforakis said: “It means everything for us. At the beginning of the week I had a 30.7 fever and I’ve still got a really bad cough, so we can’t believe we actually did it.”

Mutlu secures third gold for Türkiye

Reigning European under 23 champion Cevdet Ege Mutlu is definitely marking himself as a talent to watch. The 20-year-old posted the quickest times in the men’s single sculls throughout the regatta in Poznan, and in the final he stayed calm as Germany’s Oliver Holtz led out the race to 1500m. Mutlu’s charge was decisive, however, and he won by a convincing margin of almost three seconds in the end. Holtz took a deserved silver medal, with Diogo Goncalves of Portugal holding off a final surge from Greece’s Nikolaos Cholopoulos for bronze.

Result: TUR, GER, POR, GRE, SWE, DEN

Mutlu said: “I’m just so emotional right now, I’m so happy.”

Women’s eight title returns to Great Britain

Great Britain completed a clean sweep of the women’s ‘big boats’ with a stylish title defence in the women’s eight. A fast start took their bows ahead very early on, and they had a half-length advantage at 500m which they were then able to stretch out to a length, a margin they held on to until the closing metres. The USA and Canada were the best of the pack, with not much between them until halfway when the USA pushed on to ensure they would continue an unbroken streak of medals in this event. Canada took a good bronze.

Result: GBR, USA, CAN, GER, FRA, CZE

British coxswain Nikita Jacobs said: “It was a great race. The girls did an amazing job, just going out and executing what we talked about the whole time.”

Janzen reclaims singles title

Switzerland’s Aurelia-Maxima Janzen is one of the most successful under 23 rowers of all time. With her second women’s single sculls gold medal, after 2023, and her fifth consecutive medal, she is now tied in second place in the rankings of individual under 23 medal winners. But Janzen did not have things all her own way in the final; Greece’s Eleni Diavati led to 500m before Janzen pushed level just before halfway. However, the Swiss sculler eventually won by a huge margin of 10 seconds. Australia’s Romy Cantwell won bronze, challenging Diavati hard in the last 500m.

Result: SUI, GRE, AUS, PAR, GER, IRL

Cantwell said: “I didn’t have the best 500m but I really tried to stick with Aurelia in the middle. It was a great competition.”

Six in a row for British men’s eight

The British stranglehold on the under 23 men’s eight remains strong – they won the event for a sixth year in a row, and have not been beaten since 2018. The first 500m was close, with Australia crossing the marker less than half a second down on the British, but after that the defending champions stretched out their advantage. In the race for silver and bronze Australia moved back to fourth at halfway as Germany and New Zealand started to press on. It was the Kiwis who had taken second with 500m to go, and they hung on to silver to the line. Germany took bronze.

Result: GBR, NZL, GER, AUS, GER, ITA

Britain’s Gabriel Obholzer said: “Each year’s had different challenges, but I think this year was our best year, our best run-in, we came in with a lot of confidence having done it before.”