Crews to Watch | 2026 World Rowing Under 19 Championships Edition

Every Olympic champion starts somewhere. From 6 to 9 August, 660 athletes (367 men and 293 women) representing 55 nations will arrive in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, for the 2026 World Rowing Under 19 Championships, where the sport’s next generation will race for world medals across 14 boat classes.

These athletes competing represent the future hope of their nations and have enjoyed a steep learning curve, with most having learned their craft while juggling school commitments.

Given how new many of the crews are, we have drawn from the recent European Rowing Under 19 Championships as well as previous World Rowing appearances (which for this age group provides a significant experience advantage), however there is still an unpredictability of crews who may have mainly won at domestic level, which is why the 2026 World Rowing Under 19 Championships are so compelling.

Here are a few crews to watch:

Under 19 Women’s Single Sculls (JW1x)

28 entries

With a large field, this technical category is ripe for an upset, however a likely front runner is European Rowing Under 19 Champion Alizee Ribolzi of Italy, who also holds previous World Rowing level experience in the quad in 2025. Greece’s Paschalina Mouratidou, who finished third at the European Rowing Under 19 Championships, will also be looking forward to a competitive rematch.

Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Viktoryia Halaskok and Switzerland’s Olivia Leunig are expected to also perform well, after reaching the beforementioned European Rowing final, with Halaskok additionally bringing in rare Under 23 international experience.

Under 19 Men’s Single Sculls (JM1x)

25 entries

Greece’s Iason Mouselimis will be looking imposing in the Under 19 Men’s Single Sculls, as the current European Rowing Under 19 Champion. He also brings Coastal Rowing experience, having competed at the 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals. He will hope the wind conditions are kinder in Plovdiv!

Norway’s Raphael Arkadius Pintsch was not far behind Mouselimis at the European Championships and will hope to go faster in Bulgaria, as will Switzerland’s Remy Christ, the European bronze medallist. Look out for US’s highly rated Porter Collins, who was made it to the 2025 World Rowing U-19 US Team as the spare.

Under 19 Women’s Pair (JW2-)

13 entries

The front runners include the experienced Italian pair of Carolina Cassani and Letizia Martorana, who can draw on both their bronze medal in the women’s four at the 2025 World Rowing Under 19 Championships and their more recent European Rowing Under 19 title.

Austria’s Esther Schoeberl and Ella Nader will also hope to impress. Schoeberl returns after reaching the final at last year’s World Rowing Under 19 Championships, while both athletes claimed bronze at the European Rowing Under 19 Championships.

Under 19 Men’s Pair (JM2-)

18 entries

Romania’s Radu-Andrei Enescu and Dumitru Cristian Pascari are looking strong after winning silver at the European Rowing Under 19 Championships. Narrowly behind them were Greece’s Georgios Chiotis and Apostolos Stavro Alexiou, who claimed bronze and also carry strong momentum into Plovdiv.

Italy’s Novak Mitrovic and Pietro Blasig bring valuable World Championship experience after competing in the 2025 edition, although both the Hungarian pair of Samu Makai and Marton Mezosi and the Irish duo of Evan O’Byrne and Mattias Cogan finished ahead of them at the recent European Rowing Under 19 Championships.

Under 19 Women’s Double Sculls (JW2x)

22 entries

The dominant women’s double may be Individual Neutral Athletes Tatiana Cherkasova and Anastasiia Burovtseva, who won the European title by more than seven seconds and arrive in exceptional form. However, with a large and competitive international field, they will not take anything for granted.

Greece’s Marina Adam and Freideriki Amali Ntani, who claimed European bronze, will be looking to close the gap once again.

Under 19 Men’s Double Sculls (JM2x)

33 entries

The men’s double sculls promises to be one of the most competitive events of the regatta with a huge field. Italy’s Eduardo Moschella Primicerio and Elia Bressan come with heft as European Rowing Under 19 Champions after a commanding victory. The pair also have precious World Championship experience, having helped Italy win silver in the quadruple sculls at the 2025 World Rowing Under 19 Championships.

Germany’s Jan Bornemann and Aron Schaefer claimed silver at the European Championships and will be determined to close the gap in Plovdiv. Slovenia’s Marko Kosmac and Svit Kobler also have big plans after winning European bronze.

The United States could be a crew to watch with Andrew Vizecky, who raced in the quadruple sculls at last year’s World Rowing Under 19 Championships, bringing in valuable championship experience.

Under 19 Women’s Four (JW4-)

14 entries

Romania enter as favourites despite USA being defending World Rowing champions, given they arrive with a new line-up. Romania have looked very fast after winning the European Rowing Under 19 Championships and have kept an unchanged crew. Alexandra Daria Craciun and Ana-Maria Bordanc also return with experience from last year’s Romanian four, bringing world-level pedigree.

Serbia look in form after taking silver at the European Championships with the same line up that finished just over three seconds behind Romania, while Greece, the European bronze medallists, have changed their bow pair in search of extra speed.

Great Britain did not contest the European Championships but welcomes back Ottilie Campbell-Reide, who helped secure bronze in the women’s four at the 2025 World Rowing Under 19 Championships, so could muscle in on the podium.

Under 19 Men’s Four (JM4-)

16 entries

Germany claimed the European title earlier this season but have made significant changes to their winning crew, with just one athlete returning for Plovdiv.

Would a more consistent line up open the door for Italy? They finished only around two seconds behind Germany at the European Championships and arrive with the same crew that claimed silver.

France were also narrowly behind at the Europeans and retain three members of that bronze medal-winning boat. With the USA’s crew coming in with ambition after coming fourth in 2025, and a Great Britain crew filled with talent, including with Nicholas Conway, a 2025 World Rowing Junior Champion in their victorious eight, the Junior Men’s Four could be one of the most open sweep events of the regatta.

Under 19 Women’s Quadruple Sculls (JW4x)

16 entries

Poland ride into the World Championships as European champions with an unchanged crew, while Czechia also retain the same quartet that won silver at the European Championships.

Romania likewise maintains the same line-up that claimed European bronze and will look to build on that result. Their crew includes the experienced Sonia Teodora Bita, who was part of Romania’s bronze medal-winning quadruple sculls at the 2025 World Rowing Under 19 Championships.

Germany could also challenge for the podium through the experienced pairing of Greta Amort and Elena Schweisthal, both of whom are veterans of last year’s World Rowing Under 19 Championships.

Under 19 Men’s Quadruple Sculls (JM4x)

18 entries

Germany head to Plovdiv as European champions in Brandenburg but have continued the theme of experimenting with new line-ups, having made two changes to their victorious crew since.

Poland, who finished second at the European Championships, retain the same line-up and will hope continuity can help overturn the deficit. Denmark are also fielding the same four rowers that claimed European bronze, setting up another closely contested battle for the men’s junior quadruple sculls.

Under 19 Women’s Eight (JW8+)

5 entries

With only five crews entered, the women’s eight is likely to produce close racing from the outset.

That is, unless Romania maintains their current run, having arrived as the European Champions after producing an emphatic performance to win by clear water with more than seven seconds, a huge margin for an eight. They have retained the same crew and can also draw on the experience of three members of a podium earning crew at last year’s World Rowing U-19 Championships.

Great Britain skipped the European Rowing Under 19 Championships and will be a major threat to Romania as defending World Under 19 champions, boasting two members of last year’s victorious crew in Freya Coupe and Elayna Yap.

Italy, who finished second at the European Championships with just one crew change for Plovdiv, will also expect to feature well, while the United States can call upon Caitlin Cecere, who won silver in the women’s eight at the 2025 World Rowing Under 19 Championships.

Under 19 Men’s Eight (JM8+)

9 entries

Czechia will feel ambitious as European champions despite making three changes to their winning crew since Brandenburg. Great Britain have won this title in 2024 and 2025 and come with a new crew, could they be inspired to emulate their predecessors?

Italy meanwhile finished second at the Europeans and have made two crew changes and can draw on the experience of Pietro Gozzi, who raced in the men’s eight at the 2025 World Rowing Under 19 Championships. Austria also remain firmly in contention after taking European bronze with just one change to their line up. Team USA, as the only crew to cross the Atlantic to compete, will try and shake the narrative with a highly reputable crew.

Predicting the winners of the 2026 World Rowing Under 19 Championships can be highly uncertain, but we can guarantee not only great racing at Plovdiv, but also witnessing many taking their first steps to being future Olympic Champions!