Tailwind sends World Cup best times falling in Plovdiv

The USA left World Rowing Cup II in Plovdiv top of the medal table with six gold and five silver medals, after a day of fast racing with four World Rowing Cup best times set.

USA overcome Chile for women’s pair victory

Seville World Rowing Cup winners Anna Santruckova and Pavlina Flamikova (CZE) set the early pace in the women’s pair final, but it was Melita and Antonia Abraham (CHI) who had moved into the lead by halfway with Teal Cohen and Kate Knifton (USA1) now challenging Czechia. As the Czechs slipped back, the USA charged and claimed victory in the last 500m. Chile improved from Seville bronze to take silver.

Ren Wanning and Zhu Hongshan (CHN1) won the B-final ahead of CHN2 and Brazil.

Results: USA1, CHI, CZE, USA2, NZL, ITA

Knifton said: “It was super-exciting. We’ve been kind of rowing together for a while now and putting in a lot of hard work at practice, so we were just excited to go out there and see how everything was paying off. It was really really fun to do.”

Welch and Taylor dominant in men’s pairs

New Zealand’s Oliver Welch and Benjamin Taylor guaranteed themselves the 2026 World Rowing Cup win in the men’s pair with their second gold of the season, winning by a good margin in the final. They took a lead of 1.5 seconds by 500m and stretched that out down the track. Their time of 6:09.04 was only 0.54 seconds slower than the world best time, set at the London 2012 Olympic Games by the legendary Kiwi pair of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray – but was a World Rowing Cup best time. Behind them, the race was all for silver and bronze. Augustine Rodriguez and Peter Chatain (USA2) came through well ahead of Italy’s Matteo Lodo and Giovanni Codato (ITA). The USA crew produced a storming second 1000m to move clear of Italy.

Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Karimov and Dilshodjon Khudoyberdiev were seventh overall with a good win over Croatia in the B-final.

Results: NZL, USA2, ITA, SRB, USA1, CHN

Taylor said: “To be fair, the last 500 I didn’t think we were going to get it. We were still trying our best, we couldn’t have given it any more, but it’s pretty special to get close to our idols and some of the world’s best ever. [The world best time] is definitely something we want to strive for one day.”

Italy surprise China for women’s doubles victory

China’s Zhang Xinyu and Shen Shuangmei looked in control at halfway in the women’s double sculls final, leading Italy by a couple of seconds. But Italy’s push through the middle of the race was decisive and they had closed up to be almost level by 1500m. In the last 500m, Clara Guerra and Alice Gnatta, in their first regatta in this combination, found an impressive turn of speed and took a length’s lead over the field. Meanwhile Kristi Wagner and Lauren O’Connor (USA) were moving on China, and claimed silver by 0.01 seconds in a thrilling photofinish.

Results: ITA, USA, CHN, AUT, NZL, CHN2

Guerra said: “We were very relaxed. We knew that we had to do something. In the heat it doesn’t go very well, but in the final we are very very focused and we think only about us. In the last 500 we think OK, it’s ours, now we can win.”

Sinkovics find their form again

After 13th in Seville, and sub-standard heat and semifinal performances, Martin and Valent Sinkovic (CRO) are back in the middle of the men’s double sculls podium once more. As in the women’s double sculls, China led the race out with Croatia the only crew that could stick with them. There was about half a length between the Sinkovics and Yi Xudi and Deng Zhiwei at halfway, but then the Croatians moved – and kept moving. Half a length at 1500m turned into a win of almost five seconds on the line. Their time of 6:00.97 was a World Rowing Cup best time, and about a second shy of their own world best time. Meanwhile Finlay Hamill and Benjamin Mason (NZL) produced a very strong closing 500m to overhaul the fading Chinese, and take silver.

Ignacio and Alfredo Abraham (CHI) won the B-final after a good race against the fast-starting Uzbek double.

Results: CRO, NZL, CHN1, ITA1, USA, ROU

Martin Sinkovic said: “We are not dead. We can still manage a good race. It was close to a world record, but we’ll leave it for another time. I’m happy and sad; as the guy who owns the world record, I’m happy. As the guy who tried to steal it … that’s OK.”

USA storm women’s fours

 

The USA are women’s fours world champions, but Azja Czajkowski is the only returning member of that crew. However, the new combination were utterly dominant in the final in Plovdiv, leading by a length at halfway and moving away. New Zealand managed to stick with them and left the rest of the pack behind, while Italy were the best of the chasers, and secured bronze. The USA’s time of 6:15.75 is a World Rowing Cup best time.

Results: USA, NZL, ITA, ROU, CHN1, AUT

The USA’s Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson said: “It was really fun to go down the course again, it’s a great group of girls. We knew the course was going to be fast, a little bit faster than it was on Friday. We knew we wanted to push on in the second half of the race this time, a little more than Friday, so having the lead again just gave us more confidence to be more relaxed.”

Chinese men’s four shine

China’s young men’s four had looked dangerous in the heats, setting the fastest time to progress to the final, and they were dangerous on Sunday too, leading out the field and holding on right to the line. It became all about the race for silver and bronze – and Romania grabbed silver, coming through from fourth with 500m to go to take the medal from New Zealand. The Kiwis were third. Less than half a second split bronze from fifth place, with Uzbekistan fourth and Ukraine fifth; only Italy were off the pace.

Canada won the B-final, with the USA second and China 2 third.

Results: CHN1, ROU, NZL, UZB, UKR, ITA

China’s Li Chun said: “Trust the process. We didn’t think about this, we just wanted to do our best.”

Uzbek youngsters win PR3 mixed double sculls

The youngest competitors in Plovdiv, Dinara Belyanina and Akbarali Abduvaliev (UZB), followed up their preliminary race victory with another comfortable win in the final of the PR3 mixed double sculls ahead of Türkiye. Just 17 and 16 years old respectively, the Ubzeks looked dominant from the start.

Results: UZB, TUR

Abduvaliev said: “This race was amazing, because we are the youngest competitors in the regatta. Thank you to my coaches and my partner for supporting me, this is a big win for the Uzbekistan team.”

USA dominate women’s quads

The USA took an enormous win of over eight seconds in the women’s quadruple sculls, just setting a World Rowing Cup best time of 6:08.83 in the process. There was no challenging them, as they stretched out their advantage at every marker and crosse the line lengths ahead of New Zealand. The Kiwis were third to 500m but had overhauled China by halfway, and finished about a length ahead of the Chinese quad.

Results: USA, NZL, CHN, CZE, ROU

The USA’s Isa Darvin said: “We executed our race exactly as we planned and as we’ve been talking about all week. The plan was to stay really locked in until the 750 and kind of see how the race played out, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Experience shows for Italy in men’s quads

Italy’s world champion men’s quadruple sculls crew found themselves rattled by China in the first half of the final, with the Chinese leading to 1000m and putting Italy under significant pressure. However, the Italians turned around the result with a big third 500m and were able to cross the line with an open-water lead on China. Ukraine were the best of the pack, closing in on second place in the final sprint but having to settle for bronze.

Results: ITA, CHN, UKR, CZE, NZL

Italy’s Luca Chiumento said: “We had to work a lot; we are world champions in charge, so we had to stay focused because everyone wants to push on us. It’s another step, and we’re looking forward to the next race.”

Arsic wins first World Rowing Cup gold

Back in the single scull after two years in a pair, the 2024 European champion Jovana Arsic (SRB) claimed her first-ever World Rowing Cup victory with an assured performance in Plovdiv. Arsic patiently tracked fast starter Wang Sixuan (CHN) and took the lead in the second 500m. With Wang fading, the window opened for other scullers to move into medal position. Grace Joyce (USA) finished second, producing a very good second 1000m, while Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games silver medallist Anna Prakaten reached her first podium since that race with bronze.

Brazil’s Beatriz Tavares took a comfortable win in the B-final, with Anna Aksenova (UZB2) second.

Results: SRB, USA, UZB1, UKR1, CZE, CHN

Arsic said: “It’s great when you win, always it’s great, because you know what you work before this. I can be better, because I change system and everything, and I see this works. Also the energy in my team is new energy. I never had this in my life, now with 33 years old, for the first time I have the feeling that I work something with happiness.”

USA complete clean sweep of sweep

The USA secure gold in the women’s eights, taking a straightforward win over China in a two-boat race. It was a second gold medal for six of the USA women, after they had previously won the women’s pair and women’s four.

Results: USA, CHN

Melvin and Plihal go one-two in men’s singles

It was Shakhboz Kholmurzaev (UZB2) who was quickest out of the blocks in the men’s single sculls final, taking a lead of a length by 500m over the two USA boats, Jacob Plihal and Samuel Melvin. Mihai Chiruta (ROU) was also very much in the mix. Kholmurzaev held his advantage into the halfway mark, but Melvin (USA1) was pushing on to the Uzbek bows and his momentum took him through by 1500m. Plihal (USA2) was not content to let Melvin have things all his own way, and came through the Uzbek too. But Melvin had done enough, and took gold with Plihal second and Kholmurzaev third.

Lucas Verthein (BRA) claimed seventh overall, beating Pavel Sorin (UZB1) in the B-final.

Results: USA1, USA2, UZB2, ITA, TUR, ROU1

Melvin said: “It feels great. I used to be a lightweight, so this is my first time racing the open single at any international competition. I really just had my own plan that I wanted to execute, and I wasn’t really trying to make predictions or think about anything past that. I really just wanted to do my thing.”

Italy beat USA to men’s eight win

Italy won the men’s eights, beating the USA with China trailing in third. It was close to halfway, before Italy were able to stretch out their advantage, ultimately winning by five seconds.

Results: ITA, USA, CHN

Italy’s Matteo Sartori said: “We had a good race today. The Americans had two races today, in the men’s pair and the eight, but it’s a good start for us and we return home with a good feeling, good vibes and we want to work hard to stay there.”

USA cap things off with final gold

Sophia Vitas and Cedar Cunningham were the winners of the mixed double sculls, leading at every marker and making no mistakes down the track. Shakhboz Kholmurzaev and Anna Aksenova (UZB) were level with Venezuela 2 – Kimberlin Menese and Jose Guipe – through the 500m before extending an advantage over the Venezuelans, and staying there to take silver.

Results: USA, UZB, VEN2, VEN1, MDA