Race Report| Day 3: First Champions crowned at the World Rowing Under 19 Championships – including a World Best Time!

The first medals have been decided in Plovdiv — and what a day it was! Eight World Champions were crowned, Italy set a World Best Time in the Women’s Pair, and Estonia stormed through from Lane 6 to snatch gold in the Men’s Double Sculls.

We started with a block of Final D, C and B races and two sets of semifinals, before heading into the first medals decided through thrilling races on the third day of the 2026 World Rowing U19 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

There was also the first of the mixed events in the afternoon, with two Heats of the Under 19 Mixed Double, with Italy and Germany winning their respective Heats. Many athletes competing in these Heats have rowed a lot already this week and now deserve a good rest!

Some of today’s competing athletes were also World Rowing Masters Fund for Youth Rowing. Since 2002, Masters Rowers at the World Masters Rowing Regattas have collected one euro for every entered seat to support junior rowers in developing nations. This year, this has helped Honduras’s Villatoro Bouchquareb and Andrea Gabriela Ramos Castro and Uganda’s Marcel Otim.

Medal Races

With both triumph and heartbreak at the finish line, and medal places being exchanged throughout races, spectators were treated to a thrilling series of medal finals this Saturday.

Under 19 Women’s Pair Final A – World Best Time!

Our first A Final started with a bang, with Italy’s Carolina Cassani and Letizia Martorana holding a heroic 42 stroke rate to overhaul race leaders Uzbekistan’s Rayhon Sattorova and Aydana Smetullaeva to become Under 19 Women’s Pair World Rowing Champions and achieve a World Best Time! Uzbekistan had to settle for Silver, with Bronze going to Australia’s determined row Piper Hallam and Emma Peele, who pushed Romania to fourth, followed by Croatia fifth and Lithuania 6th.

Results: ITA, UZB, AUS, ROU, CRO, LTU

Under 19 Men’s Pair

With 19 crews entered, the final six entered the A finals having already been tested at a very high level. Four boats bunched close together throughout the course for the three medal places.

Romania’s Radu-Andrei Enescu and Dumitru Cristian Pascari emerged victorious to become World Rowing Under 19 Men’s Champions, punching the air in celebration as they crossed the finish line. Greece’s Georgios Chiotis and Apostolos Straro Alexiou took silver, finishing just 0.61 seconds behind Romania after relentless pressure. Germany’s Jan Kohlbach and Niclas Brell took the final podium spot after switching on a stunning late performance to push Italy out of the medals. Ireland came fifth and Spain sixth.

Results: ROU, GRE, GER, ITA, IRL, ESP

Under 19 Women’s Double Sculls

For a while, the Women’s Double Sculls became a two-way fight for gold! Individual Neutral Athletes Tatiana Cherkasova and Anastasiia Burovtseva held their nerve to become World Rowing Under 19 Champions, taking the gold medal after a fiercely contested race. Poland’s Daria Dolna and Natalia Chodulska took silver after a spirited row, while Romania’s Costinela Gabriela Ursu and Andreea Mariuca Dumitrascu secured bronze. Greece finished fourth, Germany fifth and Ireland sixth.

Results: AIN, POL, ROU, GRE, GER, IRL

Under 19 Men’s Double Sculls

A huge surprise came in the Under 19 Men’s Double Sculls as Estonia’s Endrik Hansen and Riko Raimon Kubja stormed through from Lane 6 with a phenomenal final 100 metres to snatch gold. They looked almost as stunned as everybody else as they crossed the line as World Rowing Under 19 Champions!

Great Britain’s Alfie Webb and Quinn Mosley had to make do with silver, while AIN’s Vladislav Makarov and Kirill Kozitsin took bronze. Türkiye finished fourth, Slovenia fifth and New Zealand sixth.

Results: EST, GBR, AIN, TUR, SLO, NZL

Under 19 Women’s Four

Romania collected the gold medal at World level to match their European title, producing a dominant display from almost the start to finish. They even brought their flag with them, showcasing their confidence as they whipped it out at the finish line to celebrate their triumph.

Great Britain safely secured silver for their strong efforts, while Australia claimed bronze, much to their delight. There was then a huge gap to the rest of the field, with the USA perhaps a little frustrated by some wayward steering on their way to fourth. France finished fifth and Poland sixth.

Results: ROU, GBR, AUS, USA, FRA, POL

Under 19 Men’s Four

Spain held the lead from 700m with a strong start and kept away from Great Britain to become World Rowing Champions in a thrilling Under 19 Men’s Four final. Great Britain therefore earned silver, while France produced a composed row to secure their place on the podium with bronze. Italy, New Zealand and USA made up the rest of the line-up.

Results: ESP, GBR, FRA, ITA, NZL, USA

Under 19 Women’s Quadruple Sculls

Germany made an ambitious, aggressive start to hold the lead until just over halfway; thereafter, Poland took the lead and refused to relinquish it, thereby winning an impressive Gold. In the final 500m, both Czechia and Romania caught up with a rapidly fading Germany to take Silver and Bronze respectively. Germany managed to survive long enough to hold out for fourth place, ahead of Great Britain, which finished fifth, with France sixth.

Results: POL, CZE, ROU, GER, GBR, FRA

Under 19 Men’s Quadruple Sculls

Germany looked in control for much of the race to claim gold after taking the lead shortly after 500m. However, over the final 200 metres, Poland and Denmark surged back, making it look rather closer. Poland lost out by just 0.3 seconds but seemed pleased enough with silver. Denmark takes bronze to push Great Britain into fourth. Italy finished fifth, just behind France, who came sixth.

Results: GER, POL, DEN, GBR, ITA, FRA