Daily digest: Sunny Seville kicks off World Rowing Cup season

The World Rowing Cup season has finally begun, with a return to Seville after 22 years producing plenty of close racing in hot – but slow – conditions.

Friday’s racing set the stage for Saturday’s semifinals, as well as confirming the first crews for Sunday’s A-finals.

Henry and Zeidler set the singles standards

The women’s single sculls started Friday’s racing, and the first heat was the closest with all five scullers progressing to the semifinals. World champion Fiona Murtagh (IRL) took the win after rowing through fast starter Aurelia-Maxima Janzen (SUI1). The fastest heat time was set by Lauren Henry (GBR) in the last heat, with the European champion not content to simply paddle it home. Olympic champion Karolien Florijn’s return to international racing did not go so smoothly; a technical problem caused Florijn to capsize early in her race.

Many of the men’s single scullers had two races, with the heats determining the quarterfinals in the afternoon session. Olympic champion Oliver Zeidler was the fastest in the afternoon, dominating his race ahead of Nordic duo Jonas Slettemark Juel (NOR) and Bastian Secher (DEN). In the same race, Greek world champion Stefanos Ntouskos was off the pace, finishing fifth, and will race the D-final on Saturday.

The second quarterfinal had four boats charging together for the line: Bendeguz Pal Petervari Molnar (HUN) missed out, while Dovydas Nemeravicius (LTU) beat Aleix Garcia (ESP) for first. Yauheni Zalaty (AIN) and Filip-Matej Pfeifer (SLO) were the other quarterfinal victors.

Kiwi pair back on top

New Zealand’s Oliver Welch and Benjamin Taylor won the men’s pair at the 2025 World Rowing Championships and have put in some good miles over the Kiwi summer, earning themselves a solid heat win and an automatic place in the semifinals. They were nearly two seconds faster than heat 1 winners Romania 1, with world silver medallist Florin Lehaci now teaming up with Stefan Berariu. Spain took a popular home win in heat 3.

On the women’s side, Antonia and Melita Abraham of Chile came out on top of a tussle with Czechia in heat 1, the fastest of the three heats. France’s world silver medallists took the heat 2 victory, and Australia bested Lithuania by 0.01 seconds for the closest finish of the day in heat 3.

Sinkovics miss out in double sculls

Rio 2016 Olympic Games men’s double sculls champions Martin and Valent Sinkovic (CRO) have spent most of the last two Olympiads sweeping, winning the men’s pair in both Tokyo and Paris. Their return to the double, three years on from last racing it at the 2023 World Rowing Championships, was not up to their own high standards – the brothers missed the semifinals by less than 0.5 seconds, finishing fourth in their heat. The field at the top is tightly packed, with only 1.35 seconds splitting the four heat winners on time; world silver medallists Martin Mackovic and Nikolaj Pimenov (SRB) were the quickest.

Ireland, Romania and the Netherlands all got both their women’s double sculls crews into the semifinals. Netherlands 1 was the quickest qualifier for the semifinal, narrowly ahead of Ireland 1. Their race was also faster than both the other races by some margin, with the five fastest times all from heat 3.

Australia in flying form in women’s fours

Australia was the form crew in the women’s fours heats, winning heat 2 as New Zealand and Great Britain fought it out for the second automatic qualifying spot. The Kiwis grabbed second in the end, but Great Britain will also race again in the final alongside Poland. The Netherlands and Ireland took the two spots from heat 1.

Great Britain’s world champion men’s four is unchanged this season and were imperious in winning their heat seven seconds up on the second-placed New Zealanders. Romania and the Netherlands were a fraction faster in winning heats 1 and 2, albeit with far closer margins to the rest of the pack.

Martin makes winning return

Damir Martin spent a decade racing the men’s single sculls, but after a year out has returned to the boat class in which he won two world championships (2010 and 2013). And the new Croatian quad raced a fantastic heat to beat a British crew containing two world silver medallists, an experience Martin described as “joyful”. But with only six seconds splitting the 12 semifinalists, a place in the medal race is far from guaranteed. Germany and the Netherlands were the other two heat winners.

Great Britain has three world silver medallists and two Olympic champions on board its 2026 women’s quadruple sculls crew, and they secured a good heat win ahead of Germany. Romania were delighted to win heat 1 over New Zealand. Canada and Switzerland complete the A-final line-up.

Great Britain and Netherlands lead out eights

The women’s eights preliminary turned into a clash between world champions the Netherlands and world bronze medallists Great Britain, both with a few changes from the crews which raced in Shanghai. The Dutch had the lead for the first half, but never by much, before the British got their bows in front and managed to keep things that way. Australia were third.

In the men’s eight the Dutch were again the fastest starters, but this time managed to hold on to their advantage. Romania had a storming row for second, producing the quickest 500m of any boat in the race in their closing quarter, and Great Britain were third.

Stunning debut for Veloso

Portugal’s Joao Veloso made an excellent World Rowing Cup debut at the age of 18, winning his heat of the lightweight men’s single sculls in the fastest of the two races. He will meet Hiu Chin Chiu (HKG), now a three-time World Rowing Cup medallist, in the final, as well as scullers from Venezuela, Argentina, the USA and neutral athlete Mikita Karneyeu.

Kenia Lechuga (MEX) has been training in Seville ahead of the World Rowing Cup and she and her pink boat are clearly familiar with the course now. Lechuga won heat 1 comfortably over Isobel Clements (IRL), but will know Femke van de Vliet (NED) is also in good form, after the Dutchwoman took the heat 2 victory.

Venezuela won the lightweight women’s double sculls preliminary, while Hong Kong, China, took the win in the lightweight men’s double sculls preliminary.