Excitement in Shanghai as Day 1 of the 2026 World Rowing Shanghai Sprints concludes

The first-ever World Rowing Shanghai Sprints winners were crowned on Saturday following a day of dramatic racing on Shanghai’s Suzhou Creek, where tight turns, head-to-head duels and tactical steering added a unique dimension to international rowing competition.

Athletes and crews began the day with time trials to determine seeding for the knockout stages, before progressing through quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal races in a format unlike anything seen on the traditional 2,000m rowing circuit.

By the end of an action-packed day, Germany’s Alexandra Foester, World Team representative Stefanos Ntouskos, Ireland’s Zoe Hyde and Mags Cremen, and the World Team men’s double of Martin Mackovic and Nikolaj Pimenov had earned the honour of standing atop the podium.

Foester battles back to win women’s single sculls title

The women’s single sculls provided some of the most competitive racing of the day. Alexandra Foester set the pace from the outset, topping the morning time trial ahead of the Netherlands’ Linn van Aanholt and World Team representative Viktorija Senkute. The German admitted the new format presented a challenge unlike anything she had experienced before. “I’m pretty delighted that I made it to the semi-final because it’s a different boat and a different type of racing, and the bends in the race course,” Foester said after the morning session. “It’s really a new thing, and we don’t have any experience with it.”

After progressing through the quarter-finals and semi-finals, Foester met van Aanholt in the gold medal race. The Dutch sculler initially held the advantage, but Foester steadily chipped away at the lead. Known for her powerful finishing speed, she surged ahead in the final 100 metres to secure victory in 1:49.73.

Van Aanholt claimed silver while Sophia Vitas of the United States took bronze ahead of Senkute. Despite missing out on the title, van Aanholt summed up the atmosphere around the new event. “Racing here is kind of like a fever dream, but in a good way,” she said. “You don’t know what’s going on, but it’s very enjoyable.”

Ntouskos conquers men’s single field

The men’s single sculls title went to World Team athlete Stefanos Ntouskos after an impressive day of racing. Ntouskos topped the time trial rankings before surviving a challenging quarter-final against Rik Rienks of the Netherlands, during which steering difficulties briefly allowed his opponent back into contention. “It was a better race for me in the time trial but it’s okay, I’m trying to keep the pace,” Ntouskos said after advancing to the semi-finals. “Overall, it’s a nice race, and I enjoy it very much.”

One of the standout performances of the morning came from Ireland’s Konan Pazzaia, who upset Olympic champion Oliver Zeidler of Germany in the quarter-finals. “It’s always nice to get a win for once, over Oliver,” Pazzaia said. “I suppose I just had the better start today and managed to hold him off.”

Ntouskos eventually overcame Pazzaia in the semi-finals before facing Britain’s Callum Dixon in the gold medal race. The two athletes produced nearly identical starts, but Ntouskos found extra speed through the middle part of the course. By halfway he had established a decisive lead and maintained it to the finish, taking gold in 1:37.90. Dixon secured silver, while Pazzaia bounced back to defeat China’s Deng Zhiwei in the bronze medal race.

Ireland’s world champions add another title

The women’s double sculls final featured a rematch of the 2026 World Rowing Championships, with reigning world champions Zoe Hyde and Mags Cremen taking on Dutch duo Roos de Jong and Benthe Boonstra. Both crews had looked strong throughout the morning. The Dutch topped the time trial standings and continued to impress through the knockout rounds. “We’re happy with the results so far,” said de Jong after the quarter-finals. “We really didn’t know what to expect when we came here because it’s such a different race than we normally do.”

Hyde and Cremen, meanwhile, seemed to grow stronger with every race. “This was fun because in the time trial, there’s no one beside you,” Hyde said. “It was really nice to be side by side again, like proper racing.” Cremen added: “It’s nothing like we’ve experienced before. Five hundred metres, it’s such a fast race, so there’s no time for mistakes.”

The final proved closely contested through the opening half of the course. Ireland gained overlap by 150 metres and held a narrow advantage at halfway before the Dutch drifted off course and struck a buoy near the finish. Hyde and Cremen remained composed and powered away to take victory in 1:40.47, adding the inaugural Shanghai Sprints title to their growing list of achievements. World Team duo Fabienne Schweizer and Salome Ulrich claimed bronze ahead of Romania.

World Team prevails in men’s doubles

The men’s double sculls delivered several of the day’s most dramatic moments. World Team crew Martin Mackovic and Nikolaj Pimenov topped the time trials before progressing through the knockout rounds despite multiple steering challenges. “The race course is pretty interesting,” Mackovic said after the quarter-finals. “We’ve done some head-to-head races on rivers before, so we know that we need to be careful with the turn.” Pimenov added: “We’re for sure enjoying the race.”

The Dutch crew of Gert-Jan van Doorn and Mats van Sabben emerged as their strongest rivals. Van Sabben had anticipated a competitive afternoon after another close battle with German rivals in the semi-finals. “It’s going to be an exciting race this afternoon,” he said. “We’re going to try our best and see how far we can make it.”

The final lived up to expectations. The Dutch made a strong start from the inside lane and had drawn level with the World Team by halfway. Facing increasing pressure, Mackovic and Pimenov responded over the closing stages, pulling away in the final 100 metres to secure gold and complete an unbeaten day. The Dutch finished with silver, while Germany edged the United States by just 0.23 seconds in a thrilling bronze medal race.

A new format makes its debut

The inaugural World Rowing Shanghai Sprints are delivering exactly what organisers had hoped for: close racing, dramatic duels and an entirely new challenge for athletes accustomed to traditional 2,000m competition.

Steering through bends, negotiating bridges and racing head-to-head over 500 metres created a different set of demands, with many competitors admitting they were learning and adapting from race to race.

Women’s Single Sculls
🥇 Alexandra Foester (GER)
🥈 Linn van Aanholt (NED)
🥉 Sophia Vitas (USA)

Men’s Single Sculls
🥇 Stefanos Ntouskos (World Team)
🥈 Callum Dixon (GBR)
🥉 Konan Pazzaia (IRL)

Women’s Double Sculls
🥇 Zoe Hyde & Mags Cremen (IRL)
🥈 Roos de Jong & Benthe Boonstra (NED)
🥉 Fabienne Schweizer & Salome Ulrich (World Team)

Men’s Double Sculls
🥇 Martin Mackovic & Nikolaj Pimenov (World Team)
🥈 Gert-Jan van Doorn & Mats van Sabben (NED)
🥉 Tom Graenitz & Felix Heinrich (GER)

 
The action at the inaugural World Rowing Shanghai Sprints is far from over. Racing continues on Sunday with the mixed double sculls and mixed eights, bringing together male and female athletes in two of the most exciting events on the programme. After a day of dramatic head-to-head battles on the Suzhou Creek, crews will once again take on the unique sprint format as the event concludes with two more sets of titles up for grabs. Fans can follow all the racing live on World Rowing’s digital platforms as the final champions of the weekend are crowned in Shanghai.