2026 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals begin with challenging coastal conditions

The 2026 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals got underway in Qingdao, China on Monday with a morning testing athletes’ coastal skills on the Yellow Sea.

Irregular breaking waves made it challenging for rowers to get a clean start off the beach and to land again, and there were a number of capsizes. But the conditions also provided plenty of excitement for the spectators in the stands – including family and friends from around the world as well as local Chinese schoolchildren experiencing the thrills of beach sprints for the first time.

The day predominantly consisted of time trials, whittling down the large number of entrants to the final 16 or eight crews – depending on the event – who will contest the knockout rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday. No defending champion came out on top of the standings, showing the unpredictability of the discipline.

In the Men’s Solo, Germany’s Moritz Wolff was the quickest of the 45 entrants, beating reigning and record world champion Christopher Bak (USA) by 3.3 seconds.

On the women’s side, beach sprints debutante Isabella Scammell (AUS) was comfortably the quickest athlete. Scammell backed up that performance with the time trial win in the coastal mixed double sculls alongside Oscar Scheel Gamborg, pushing defending champions Lithuania into second place.

European champions Ander Martin and Esther Briz (both ESP) had to go through the second time trial to ensure their place in the knockout round of the solos, but both progressed safely.

The day saw the beach sprints debut for eight nations, with plenty of noteworthy performances. Indonesia impressed by beating Egypt in the repechage of the mixed coxed quadruple sculls to qualify for the last eight, and their women’s solo, Parisa Chaempudsa, also reached the last 16.

Colombia’s Alejandro Riccardi qualified for the knockout round of the under 19 men’s solos, losing narrowly to Raphael de Boussac (FRA) in his nation’s first appearance at a World Beach Sprint Finals.

China’s Bu Boren (men) and Zhu Weiwei (women) won the time trials of the under 19 men’s and women’s solos, with both progressing through to the last eight. And Germany, Italy and Great Britain emerged as the time trial winners of the under 19 mixed, men’s and women’s double sculls – but with times close among the top crews, the knockout rounds are likely to be exciting in these events.

Racing continues in Qingdao on Tuesday 20 October from 07:00 local time (23:00 UTC, Monday 19 October). Medals will be won in the under 19 men’s and women’s double sculls, the inclusion mixed double sculls, the men’s and women’s solos and the under 19 men’s and women’s solos.