Entries Published for 2026 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Duisburg

The next generation of rowing stars is preparing to take centre stage after the publication of the entries for the 2026 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, which will be held from 23–26 July in Duisburg, Germany. The championship is the premier annual event for Under 23 athletes competing in World Rowing’s Classic Discipline and provides a crucial stepping stone between Under 19 and senior international competition.

Over 600 athletes from across the globe will race for world titles in a comprehensive programme featuring men’s and women’s single sculls, double sculls, pairs, quadruple sculls, fours and eights, alongside lightweight men’s and women’s single and double sculls. The event also includes Para Rowing races in the PR3 men’s and women’s single sculls, as well as mixed double sculls and mixed eights, highlighting the growing diversity of international rowing competition.

The entry lists reveal a field packed with athletes who have already made their mark on the international stage at Under 19 and Under 23 level. Among the standout names is Türkiye’s Cevdet Ege Mutlu, the reigning Under 23 men’s single sculls champion, who returns looking to defend the title he won in 2025.

Greece also arrives in Duisburg with proven performers, including Nikolaos Cholopoulos, a World Rowing Under 19 Championships gold medallist in the men’s double sculls who has since progressed successfully through the Under 23 ranks. The Greek squad also features Dimitra Eleni Kontou, one of the most accomplished athletes in the field, whose résumé includes victories at both Under 19 and Under 23 level as well as senior international success.

Italy’s entries include several athletes with impressive junior records. Marco Prati and Josf Giorgia Marvucic arrives as defending champions in the U23 men’s double sculls, while Noemi De Vincenzi and Aurora Spirito, both in the women’s quadruple sculls, have both collected multiple World Rowing Under 19 Championship gold medals in crew boats.

Romania, traditionally one of the strongest nations in age-group rowing, will feature athletes such as Bianca-Camelia Ifteni, a multiple time U19 world champion who captured successive Under 19 women’s single sculls titles before moving into the Under 23 category.

The men’s field is similarly stacked with established young talent. Turkiye’s Cevdet Ege Mutlu returns as a former Under 23 world champion in the men’s single sculls, while compatriot Halil Kaan Koroglu (BM2x) boasts victories in both lightweight Under 23 and Under 19 events.

Host nation Germany will also be hoping to challenge for medals across the programme. With entries in nineteen of the twenty boat classes offered, racing on home water could provide an additional boost as Germany seeks a successful championship in Duisburg.

The venue itself is one of the most experienced international regatta centres in Europe. Located in the city of Duisburg in North Rhine-Westphalia, where the Rhine and Ruhr rivers meet, the regatta course has undergone regular modernisation over the last 15 years. Enhancements have included the addition of a side channel connecting the finish area to the start, upgrades to athlete and boathouse facilities, and the ongoing redevelopment of the regatta office building and finish tower.

Duisburg has a longstanding reputation for hosting major rowing and canoeing events. In addition to the biennial International Wedau Regatta, the venue has welcomed the 1983 World Rowing Championships, the 2001 World Rowing Junior Championships, the 2012 World Rowing Masters Regatta and the 2020 European Rowing Under 23 Championships, among numerous World Rowing Cup events.

With world champions, U19 stars and future Olympians all set to compete, the 2026 World Rowing Under 23 Championships promise four days of high-quality racing and an early glimpse at the athletes who may shape international rowing in the years ahead. When racing begins on 23 July, Duisburg will once again provide the stage where rowing’s next generation can announce itself to the world.