World Beach Sprints party throws off in Antalya

The 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals got underway in Antalya, Türkiye, on Thursday with timetrials in the majority of events paving the way for the knockout rounds. A second wave of timetrials will decide the remaining places on Friday.

Under 19 men’s solos kick off racing

Racing got underway with the timetrials for the coastal under 10 men’s solos, an event featuring debut appearances for several nations. However, the fastest eight solos – progressing directly to the knockout rounds – were all experienced competitors. Spain’s Ignacio Ramon-Borja, fourth at the recent European Rowing Beach Sprint Finals, was the fastest, ahead of Felix Krones of Germany and European champion Sol Chamberlain-Hyde (Great Britain) in third. Dinis Oliveira of Portugal squeezed into the top eight just over a second ahead of Poland’s Adam Kowalczyk.

Challenging conditions for under 19 women

Conditions changed through the coastal under 19 women’s solos, and the eight athletes qualifying directly for the knockouts came from across the starting order. France’s Lou Phillipe, starting 16th, was the quickest over the course, almost three seconds ahead of Mia Tetiwa of Germany. Both rowers also raced at the World Rowing Under 19 Championships in Lithuania earlier this summer. Derin Kumuk became the first Turkish competitor through to the knockout rounds, finishing eighth, just over half a second ahead of Agustina Lopez of Paraguay.

Germany ahead in under 19 doubles

Both the coastal under 19 men’s and women’s double sculls had nine entrants, with seven going through to the quarterfinals and the remaining two boats racing a side-by-side repechage later in the day. Germany’s Julius Schueller and Julius Bluemel were comfortably the fastest in the men’s event, and their teammates Selma Ritter and Mia Tetiwa narrowly won the women’s timetrial ahead of Spain. Ireland and the USA contested both repechages; Ireland won the men’s repechage quite comfortably, while the USA took the women’s repechage but in a much closer contest.

Home champions looking strong

Türkiye’s Ali Asrin Oz and Efnan Sezgin won the 2025 European Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in the coastal under 19 mixed double sculls, and have carried that form into the world event too. They were fastest in the timetrial, edging Spain into second place. Great Britain, who won this event last year with a different crew, claimed the eighth and final direct qualifying spot into the knockout rounds with France missing out by 0.25 seconds.

A Wolff at Bak’s door

Moritz Wolff, a German Olympian, raced at the 2025 European Rowing Beach Sprint Finals but was knocked out in the quarterfinals. He had a storming timetrial on Thursday and finished ahead of defending coastal men’s solo champion Christopher Bak (USA). But with less than half a second separating them, Bak’s experience may show in the knockout stages. However European champion James Cox (Great Britain) fared less well, finishing 12th, and must race again in the second timetrial on Friday.

Twigg on top

Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Emma Twigg won the 2022 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals based on her timetrial result after racing had to be cancelled; last year she missed out on the medals. Twigg has again arrived in excellent form, and won the timetrial almost 2.5 seconds clear of second-placed Julia Tertuente (Germany). Defending world and European champion Magdalena Lobnig (Austria) was sixth. Teresa Diaz Moreno (Spain), a two-time beach sprint champion in the mixed quadruple sculls, missed out on direct progression by 0.09 seconds and must race the second timetrial with the rest of the field.

Spain and USA show speed in quads

The top two crews in the coastal mixed quadruple sculls would progress directly to the quarterfinals, and those two boats proved to be Spain and the USA – posting times of 2:12.13 and 2:12.76 respectively. Defending champions Great Britain, adopting a strategy of going broadly straight on the slalom leg with their blades clattering into the buoys, were third in 2:15.45 and must race knockout repechages along with the rest of the field.

Lithuania lead mixed doubles

Lithuania’s Dominykas Jancionis and Martyna Kazlauskaite won a great gold medal in Genoa at the 2024 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals and were the leaders of the pack in Thursday’s timetrial in Antalya. Portuguese European champions Afonso Duarte and Patricia Batista were second fastest. Spain, Germany, Italy, the USA, Canada and Poland complete the lineup of crews qualifying automatically for the knockout round. New Zealand were ninth, but with a gap of only 5.13 seconds to Lithuania.