Tears, broken oars and a 15-year-old out front: Beach Sprints get real in Saly

SALY – There were tears, split-second eliminations and broken oars as the tension mounted in the humid air of Saly Beach West on Sunday.

At the end of it all, Austria’s Lukas Schoenhuber and USA’s Allison Grove  were fastest in the men’s and women’s second solo time trials ahead of the last 16 knockouts at the Rowing Coastal Beach Sprints at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

The day was the equivalent of the cut at a golf major, with the field halved from 32 to 16 in each event. Schoenhuber summed up the intensity after crawling away from the finish line buzzer on his hands and knees.

“I am dead,” he said. “The heat is so crazy. I couldn’t walk. In Austria it is –5°C at the moment. I would normally be skiing at this time. Today I gave so much. I’m really pleased.”

Grove, at 15, the youngest athlete in the field, is taking Dakar 2026 in her stride.

“I’ve always been the youngest in my club,” she said. “I did nationals this year, and I still did pretty well, so it’s something I’m used to. I know what I can do and what I can’t. I’m really good at running, and I’m directionally good, which helps.”

The top duos then raced to set the line-up for Monday’s Rowing Coastal Rowing finals, where the first medal in the discipline at an Olympic event will be awarded tomorrow.

Czechia knocked out Great Britain. “It was more difficult than I’d imagined, but I like the head-to-head way more than the time trials,” said Czechia’s Marie Zavadilova.

Spain also advanced over European rival Italy, and that has Diego Molina Martínez of Spain thinking big.

“We are aiming for the gold,” he said. “We think we can do it. It would be incredible. It is good to be into the head-to-head. With the time trials, there is no other boat to see and race. This is more interesting.”