Spain Dominates Beach Sprint Finals Day at European Championships

Spain enjoyed an exceptional day on home waters as medals were decided across the Beach Sprint programme at the 2026 European Rowing Coastal and Beach Sprint Championships. With titles awarded in the solos and mixed double sculls events, the host nation collected medals in six of the seven boat classes contested, including four gold medals.

Drama in the Under 19 Men’s Solo

The Under 19 Men’s Solo final produced one of the most dramatic moments of the championships.

Spain’s Xavier Torres Montoro entered the knockout rounds as the fastest athlete from Thursday’s time trials and continued his impressive form through the elimination races. The Spaniard progressed past Czechia in the quarter-finals and Italy in the semi-finals to set up a gold-medal showdown against Greece’s Iason Mouselimis, the reigning World Rowing Under 19 Men’s Single Sculls champion.

The final appeared finely balanced until disaster struck for Torres Montoro when one of his oars came out of the oarlock. The mishap handed Mouselimis the opportunity he needed, and the Greek athlete surged ahead to claim the European title.

Italy’s Davide Gazzola secured the bronze medal after defeating Hungary’s Adam Moor.

Martin Finally Climbs to the Top in Men’s Solo

After claiming silver in 2025, Spain’s Ander Martin went one better this year to capture the European title in the Men’s Solo.

Martin began his route to the final with a victory over Switzerland’s Yannick Raschle in the quarter-finals before overcoming Germany’s Franz Werner in the semi-finals.

On the opposite side of the draw, Lithuania’s Zygimantas Galisanskis, fourth a year ago, saw his campaign ended by Finland’s Joel Naukkarinen in the quarter-finals. Naukkarinen continued his strong run by defeating Poland’s Fabian Baranski, an Olympic medallist in the men’s quadruple sculls, to earn a place in the final.

The championship race proved a convincing affair for the Spaniard. Martin controlled the contest throughout and crossed the line comfortably ahead of Naukkarinen before celebrating with his boat handler on the beach as he secured his European Beach Sprint crown.

Home Crowd Delight as Briz Zamorano Wins Women’s Solo

Spain’s Esther Briz Zamorano capped another memorable day for the host nation by winning the Women’s Solo title.

Defending champion Magdalena Lobnig of Austria, who has focused increasingly on coastal rowing in recent seasons, looked strong during the early rounds. Lobnig defeated the Netherlands’ Isabel van Opzeeland to reach the semi-finals, where she faced Lithuania’s Raminta Morkunaite. Morkunaite had been the fastest athlete in the round of 16 but was unable to stop the Austrian’s progress.

On the other side of the draw, Briz Zamorano advanced past Portugal’s Bruna Parente in the quarter-finals before eliminating Great Britain’s Laura Mackenzie, the 2025 bronze medallist, in the semi-finals.

The final delivered a high-quality contest between two athletes with backgrounds in Olympic-class rowing. With the home crowd behind her, Briz Zamorano produced a commanding performance from start to finish to defeat Lobnig and claim the European title.

Spain Takes Inclusion Mixed Double Sculls Title

The Inclusion Mixed Double Sculls event featured a direct contest between Spain and Great Britain.

Racing in front of a home crowd, Spain led from start to finish to secure another gold medal for the host nation and further strengthen its remarkable medal tally.

Spain and Austria Reach the Top of the Under 19 Mixed Double Sculls Podium

The Under 19 Mixed Double Sculls competition saw several surprises as the elimination rounds unfolded.

Defending champions Türkiye, albeit with a different crew from their 2025 title-winning boat, were knocked out by Ukraine in the quarter-finals. Ukraine’s challenge continued into the semi-finals against Spain but ended there. The Ukrainians responded well in the bronze-medal race, defeating Croatia to secure a place on the podium.

Austria booked its place in the final after victories over Italy in the quarter-finals and Croatia in the semi-finals. Waiting there was Spain, and the hosts rose to the occasion in front of their supporters, edging a hard-fought final to take gold while Austria settled for silver.

Germany Prevails in Senior Mixed Double Sculls

The Mixed Double Sculls event featured many of the discipline’s biggest names and culminated in a final between Germany and Lithuania.

Lithuania, the reigning world champions, opened their campaign with a victory over Finland, a crew that included Men’s Solo silver medallist Joel Naukkarinen. The Lithuanians then defeated Spain to secure their spot in the title race.

Germany’s Moritz Wolff and Julia Tertuente survived one of the closest races of the day in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands. The contest came down to an intense sprint up the beach between Wolff and Dutch athlete Michiel Mantel, with the Germans narrowly advancing. Germany produced a more comfortable performance in the semi-finals, defeating Poland to reach the gold-medal race.

Spain and Poland met in the bronze-medal contest, where the Polish crew quickly established control. Their lead continued to grow throughout the race, allowing them a smooth landing and comfortable run up the beach to claim bronze.

The championship final then pitted Germany against Lithuania for European gold.

Endurance Racing Still to Come

With the Beach Sprint titles largely decided, attention now turns to the endurance coastal rowing programme.

The 2026 European Rowing Coastal and Beach Sprint Championships continue through Sunday in La Línea de la Concepción, where clubs and national federation crews will contest the endurance races to conclude the championship weekend.