European Rowing Coastal and Beach Sprint Championships begin in La Línea

The 2026 European Rowing Coastal and Beach Sprint Championships got underway today in La Línea de la Concepción, Spain, with athletes battling through time trials and knockout rounds to secure their places in tomorrow’s Last 8.

Competition opened with time trials across all boat classes, with crews racing individually against the clock to determine the seeding for the knockout stages. As the day progressed, the focus shifted to head-to-head racing, where athletes faced elimination in every round as they fought for a place in the quarter-finals.

Among those safely advancing was Greece’s Iason Mouselimis. The reigning World Rowing Under 19 Championships men’s single sculls champion showed his versatility by transitioning successfully from flat-water racing to the demands of coastal rowing, progressing to the Last 8 and continuing his impressive season.

Another athlete to advance was Czechia’s Magdalena Vlastnikova. The silver medallist in the Under 19 women’s solo at the 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals produced a composed performance to move through the early rounds and will be aiming to challenge for the medals as racing continues.

The women’s solo event featured several of the discipline’s leading names. Austria’s Magdalena Lobnig, the reigning European champion, and Great Britain’s Laura Mackenzie, last year’s silver medallist, safely progressed through both the time trial and the Last 16 knockout round. However, it was Spain’s Esther Briz Zamorano who set the benchmark in the time trial, posting the fastest time of the field ahead of Lithuania’s Rominta Morkunaite and giving the home crowd plenty to cheer about.

The men’s single sculls provided several closely contested races throughout the knockout stages. Home favourite Ander Martin of Spain, silver medallist at last year’s championships, entered the Last 16 as the top-ranked athlete but was pushed hard by Estonia’s Robin Hunt, who came into the round ranked 16th. Martin ultimately progressed, but not without being tested.

Another dramatic contest saw Lithuania’s experienced coastal rower Zygimantas Galisanskis take on Italy’s Gabriele Loconsole. Loconsole reached the turning buoy first and held the advantage through much of the race, but Galisanskis produced a strong finish and edged ahead in a sprint for the line to secure his place in the next round.

The championships also represent an important milestone for many of Europe’s leading Under 19 athletes. With the 2026 Youth Olympic Games later this season, the event provides valuable international racing experience and a chance for young competitors to test themselves against the continent’s best beach sprinters.

Following a delay to the schedule, the mixed double sculls Last 16 was postponed and will now be raced tomorrow morning, adding anextra element to an already packed second day of competition.

With the field now narrowed and quarter-final places secured, attention turns to tomorrow’s racing, where athletes will move one step closer to the European titles.