Rowers to watch at the 2026 World Rowing Virtual Indoor Championships, presented by Concept2

The 2026 World Rowing Virtual Indoor Championships, presented by Concept2 is here! The heats will take place over the weekend of 21 and 22 February followed by the finals on 28 February. Over 2300 entries are in from around the globe, stretching from Iran to India and Australia to Austria. A live blog will follow the heats, with the finals being live streamed.

Men’s 1 minute

Number of entries: 526
World Record: Cameron Wharram, Canada, 435m

The 23-39 age group is the biggest in this fleet of men competing in the 1 minute sprint for metres.  Entered in the lightweight race is Giovanni Ficarra of Italy who is the first in the world to conquer and own the triple crown. This is winning gold in the three disciplines of rowing – classic, indoor and coastal (beach sprints). Going up against Ficarra will be Justin Stevens of the United States. Stevens has competed on the US national team for both classic and coastal rowing.

Competing for South Africa, Jake Green is in the open 23-39 category.  Green went to the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games and recently moved to Singapore as their first full time coach. Green will race against Andrea Panizza of Italy. Panizza was recently named as part of the World Rowing Men’s Crew of the Year (quadruple sculls) after the crew finished first at the 2025 World Rowing Championships. He is also the World Rowing Rower of the Month for February.

In the 40–44-year-old division Matt Snare of the United States comes into the 1 minute event from a silver medal finish in last year’s open 500m. Snare is up against Egypt’s Taimur Cantoni an on-water rower who now focuses more on indoor rowing.

Going up an age group, Anders Edquist of Sweden had a fabulous 2025. He finished first last year in the four-month World Rowing Virtual Series, won the World Rowing Versa Challenge in Singapore and took out the 1000m at the British Rowing Indoor Championships. Then there’s Stefanie Preiksa of Australia who won the 500m at the 2025 World Rowing Indoor Championships. She then went faster at the Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games clocking 1:24.7.

Women’s 1 minute

Number of entries: 265
World Record: Vár Guriardóttir Hansen, Faroe Islands, 366m (2026)

At the 2024 World Rowing Indoor Championships, Merete Boldt of Denmark won the 75-79 age group in 1:55.1. She’s back to race the 1 minute and just a couple of years older. Benita Clausen of Norway is a regular indoor competitor. At 55 years old, she is in her first year of the 55-59 category.  Clausen will face off against Catriona Fallon of the United States. Fallon raced at the 1996 Olympic Games.

The very popular 23-39 category includes a host of top performers, but non perhaps better than the current World Record holder in the 1 minute, Vár Guriardóttir Hansen of Denmark’s Faroe Islands. As an indoor rowing specialist, Hansen won the 2025 World Rowing Virtual Series, finished second in the World Rowing Versa Challenge in Singapore and then set world records in the 1 minute and 100m. Liisa-Marie Lääne of Estonia, at 24 years old, has a wide rowing portfolio including the Estonian national team for under-23s, two years of Beach Sprints and world and European indoor championship medals. From the UK, Rachel Fisher is an erg specialist with top results in the 2000m as well as other events.

Men’s 1000m

Number of entries: 565
World Record: Logan Ullrich, New Zealand 2:38.1 (2026)

The men’s 1000m hit the headlines just this week when Logan Ullrich set a new World Record, breaking Great Britain’s indoor rowing phenomenon, Phil Clapp’s record by 0.1 second. That’s sitting on a split of 1:19.0! What can we expect at these championships?

Not one to shy away from multiple challenges, Anders Edquist of Sweden is doing the 1000m as well as 1 minute. Edquist had a stellar 2025 year and being relatively new to indoor rowing, his potential could be untapped. Edquist will be competing in the 45-49 category. Going to Singapore, Jeremy Tan is competing in the 40-44 category. He has developed into a local indoor rowing expert, a bodybuilder and is a regular at indoor rowing events.

In the large 23 – 39 year-old age group, there are some repeats from the 1 minute event with Andrea Panizza entered and ready along with Jake Green. There’s also Loïc Schalbetter of Sweden. Schalbetter is known for is ‘Elimination Race’ effort at the 2024 British Indoor Rowing Championships. He was the only open event competitor to make it to the end. Earlier this year, did the 100m challenge in just 12.1 seconds. But perhaps the one to beat will be Joel Naukkarinen of Finland. He has set himself the task of breaking as many indoor rowing records as possible and has stacked up 12 on both static and slides. His 1000m record on slides is 2:42.9.

Women’s 1000m

Number of entries: 285
World Record: Olena Buryak, Ukraine, 3:04.9 (2018)

The record in this event has stook for eight years and was set by the formidable Olena Buryak who helped pave the way for competitive indoor rowing popularity. Is this the time for that record to be broken? Competing for Estonia, Doris Meinbek will race in the 21-22 category. Despite her young age, Meinbek already has a slew of titles including seven World Rowing Indoor Championship titles. She will be difficult to beat.

The lightweight women’s 23-39 category is stacked with talent. Valeria Palacios Carrillo of Peru competed at the Paris Olympics in the lightweight double and she could well be using this race to boost her training.  Palacios’s twin sister, Alessia is also competing.

From Portugal, Inês Oliveira mixes indoor rowing into her on-water training. Martyna Radosz of Poland is also an on-water racer with two Olympic Games to her name. Radosz will have the stamina. She won the 2000m distance at the 2024 and 2024 Indoor Rowing Championships. There is also Sarita Kristina Hansen of Denmark with seven world indoor titles and nine European Indoor Rowing Championship titles.

Olympic rower Sophie Souwer, formerly of the Netherlands and now competing for Italy, will race in the 23-39 category. She will face the formidable Vár Guriardóttir Hansen of Denmark in Hansen’s second event of this competition.

Men’s 1000m relay

Number of entries: 29

Two-person teams will race from around the world and the top contenders are likely to be the Finnish duo of Joel Naukkarinen and Ilmari Kesti. Both are seasoned indoor rowers. Their strongest competition could well come from their own country with Joonas Kuivalainen and Olli-Pekka Karppinen teamed up.

Women’s 1000m relay

Number of entries: 22

The top pick here are the Hungarians of Janka Zsiros and Vivien Preil. Both compete for the on-water Hungarian national team .

Mixed 1000m relay

Number of entries: 88

There’s no chance of looking past the Swiss and Denmark combination of Loïc Schalbetter and Vár Guriardóttir Hansen. Both are incredible indoor rowers in their own right. But they’ll have to keep an eye out for the very seasoned Canadians of Aubrey Oldham and Sarah Pidgen.

Men’s 5000m

Number of entries: 376
World Record: Tom George, Great Britain, 14:53.9 (2022)

Tamás Bence of Hungary is likely to be showing the way in the lightweight 23-39 category. He’s in the Guinness book of world records for the greatest distance rowed by a male team in 24 hours. He also rows on the water and has been at the indoor rowing game for a decade.

Adding another race to his tally, Joel Naukkarinen of Finland will be jumping on and off the erg numerous times over the two days of heats. This could mean that Daniel Viger of Canada may have a chance to show what he’s got. Viger competed in the Versa Challenge a couple of years ago. Then there’s Ward Lemmelijn of Belgium. The indoor rowing pin-up man is an indoor powerhouse that will certainly be doing this heat with a crowd of supporters on hand.

In the 45-49 category the one to beat could well be Anders Meskestad Jacobsen of Norway. Jacobsen is a regular on the indoor rowing circuit and has competed in the Versa Challenge.

Women’s 5000m

Number of entries: 127
World Record: Georgie Rowe, Australia, 16:49.4 (2026)

Watch out for Nicola Goss of New Zealand. An indoor rowing specialist, Goss has been competing for well over a decade including trying her hand at the World Rowing Versa Challenge. She will compete in the 23-39 category. In the 40-44 age group Lina Bélanger of Canada also and indoor rowing specialist and a two-time Versa competitor. Bélanger is definitely suited to the longer race categories.