Daily Digest | Day 2: A Finals Take Shape

With places in the A Finals on the line, Day 2 of the 2026 World Rowing Under 19 Championships delivered some of the closest racing of the regatta so far. The quarter-finals and semi-finals featured thrilling finishes across multiple boat classes, while the first finals of the championships were also held in Plovdiv.

First Finals Complete

We began the day by completing the E, D and C Finals in several of the larger boat classes, including the Under 19 Women’s Single Sculls, Double Sculls, Quadruple Sculls and Four, as well as the Under 19 Men’s Double Sculls, Quadruple Sculls, Pair and Four.

Quarter-Finals

We were treated to our first quarter-finals in both the Under 19 Women’s and Men’s Single Sculls.

Women’s Single Sculls

In the Under 19 Women’s Single Sculls, Individual Neutral Athlete Aleksandra Grigoreva showed her deep experience, having already raced at U23 level, to dominate Quarter-final 1 with the fastest time of the day. Switzerland’s Olivia Leunig came second despite recording the fastest heat time. The Italian European champion Alizee Ribolzi put in a fine performance to win Quarter-final 2, while Quarter-final 4 was much closer, with China’s Yufei Guan narrowly defeating AIN rower Viktoryia Halaskok and Denmark’s Mejse Oestergaard Nielsen by just 0.20 and 0.27 seconds respectively.

However, the loudest cheers were reserved for the home crowd, with Bulgaria’s Rumyana Stoyanova taking victory in her quarter-final. We look set for highly competitive semi-finals.

Men’s Single Sculls

On the Men’s side, some real standouts emerged in the quarter-finals, with Norway’s Raphael Arkadiusz Pintsch, Belgium’s Sepp Driesen and Germany’s Oskar Mueller all winning their races with clear water, making a serious statement as they head into the semi-finals. Greece’s Iason Mouselimis, the current European champion, also impressed by winning his quarter-final.

Semi-Finals

The bulk of the high-stakes racing came in the semi-finals, with some highlights below.

In the Under 19 Women’s Pair, a very fast second semi-final was won by Romania, but the tightest battle came behind them, with Australia having to withstand a strong late challenge from Lithuania. All three crews will progress to the A Final. Meanwhile, in the Under 19 Men’s Pair, the Romanian crew rowed a phenomenal race to pull ahead and win their semi-final with the fastest time of the day, overhauling early leaders Italy. Germany also looked impressive as the reigning European champions, winning the other semi-final by over a length.

Poland seemed in fine form to win their semi-final, leading from start to finish with a comfortable stroke rate to record the fastest time across both semi-finals in the Under 19 Women’s Double Sculls. In the Under 19 Men’s Double Sculls, both semi-final winners, Türkiye and Slovenia, recorded almost identical times, setting up a fascinating A Final.

In the bigger boats, the Under 19 Women’s Four showcased some of the tightest racing of the day. In the second semi-final, all six crews were barely a length apart as they reached the red buoys. USA fans whooped with delight as their crew took a narrow victory, while Romania won the other semi-final. In the Under 19 Men’s Four, both semi-final winners, New Zealand and Great Britain, once again produced very similar times, although the USA and Italy were close behind, suggesting a highly competitive A Final to come.

In the second-fastest boat class, the Under 19 Women’s Quadruple Sculls, Romania showcased its strength by maintaining clear water throughout to secure top spot in the A Final. In the Under 19 Men’s Quadruple Sculls, the final race of the day saw Great Britain and Italy become the only crews to break the six-minute barrier, leaving them well placed to challenge Germany, the other semi-final winner, in the A Final.