The winners of the 2024 World Rowing Awards were revealed Saturday night in Seville, Spain, on the occasion of a gala dinner held at the Barcelo Renacimiento Hotel. To re-watch the full gala, click here.

The Olympic gold medallists of The Netherlands in the men’s quadruple sculls were crowned Men’s Crew of the Year, and the Women’s Crew of the Year award went to the Romanian women’s eight. Romania’s success at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games also saw Antonio Colamonici taking the title of Coach of the Year for 2024. Great Britain went home with the Para Crew of the Year award, and the newly-created Rowing Programme and Artistic Contribution to Rowing awards. Gemany’s Richard Schmidt is the recipient of the Thomas Keller Medal.

World Rowing Coach of the Year

Antonio Colamonici, Romania
Antonio Colamonici had a notable career as an athlete for the Italian rowing team before transitioning to coaching. He competed at a high level, achieving success in both national and international competitions. His experiences as a rower shaped his later coaching philosophy, particularly his focus on scientific training methods and team cohesion, which became hallmarks of his coaching career.

World Rowing Para Crew of the Year

Lauren Rowles, Gregg Stevenson, PR2 Mixed Double Sculls, Great Britain

Lauren Rowles and Gregg Stevenson, the 2024 World Rowing Para Crew of the Year, have excelled in the PR2 Mixed Double Sculls category, showcasing resilience and outstanding teamwork. Lauren, a seasoned Paralympian and history-maker, became the first rower to win three Paralympic titles. This crew’s ability to handle intense pressure, especially during their final race against China during their Paris 2024 Paralympic Final, and their sprint finish in the closing strokes reflect their indomitable spirit and teamwork.

World Rowing Men’s Crew of the Year

Lennart Van Lierop, Finn Florijn, Tone Wieten, Koen Metsemakers, Men’s Quadruple Sculls, Netherlands

The Dutch Men’s Quadruple Sculls crew, composed of Koen Metsemakers, Tone Wieten, Finn Florijn, and Lennart Van Lierop, had an outstanding 2024 season. They won the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, defending their title as Olympic champions after a dominant race. Their victory solidified the Netherlands’ stronghold in this boat class, showcasing their consistent excellence.

Metsemakers and Wieten were also part of the crew that won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, further emphasizing their prowess in the sport.

World Rowing Women’s Crew of the Year

Women’s Eight, Romania
The Romanian Women’s Eight earned the title of the 2024 World Rowing Women’s Crew of the Year following their remarkable performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This win gave Romania its tenth Olympic medal in the women’s eight event, tying them with the USA for the most Olympic golds in this boat class (4).

This crew included standout athletes like Ancuta Bodnar, Simona Radis, Roxana Anghel and Ioana Vrinceanu, whom all won another medal at the Paris Olympics, respectively in the women’s double sculls, and women’s pair.

Thomas Keller Medal

Richard Schmidt, Germany

Richard Schmidt, the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Thomas Keller Medal Award, the highest distinction in the Sport of Rowing, is celebrated as one of the most successful and iconic figures in rowing.

Schmidt was a central member of the German men’s eight (Deutschland Achter) for over a decade, contributing to the boat’s dominance at the international level. His career highlights include three Olympic medals, most notably a gold at the 2012 London Olympics, as well as six World Championship titles and nine European Championship victories.

Schmidt is considered one of the greatest rowers of his generation. But beyond his achievements on the water, Schmidt’s career embodies the values of perseverance, teamwork, and sportsmanship. He was so committed in the fight to make sport clean that he took on a role as an athlete representative with the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Distinguished Service to International Rowing

Alain Lacoste (France)
The winner of the 2024 World Rowing Distinguished Service to International Rowing is Dr. Alain Lacoste of St. Etienne-de-Cuines, France.

Dr. Lacoste, a former coxswain that competed at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, grew up in Paris where he graduated in medicine at the University of Paris with a specialty in Biology and Sports Medicine.

His greatest contribution to international rowing happened mostly behind the scenes in the fight against doping in sport. Alain joined the FISA Sports Medicine Commission in 1991 and, in 2000, was elected Chair of the Commission and served 16 years in the position until retirement in 2016. He stepped into the chair position at a time when anti-doping was becoming a huge concern for sport.

Alain led FISA to stage the first broad, pre-event blood testing of rowers in the days prior to the 2001 World Rowing Championships. Out of Competition and Pre-competition blood testing became the norm and Alain led the planning and administration of these tests for many years over many events.

He was instrumental in the creation of the “No Needles” policy at World Rowing events which was later adopted by many other sports federations. This policy required team doctors to request permission in advance before using syringes to treat a medical case.

Rowing Programme of the Year

Fulham Reach Boat Club (Great Britain)

Fulham Reach Boat Club (FRBC) has made tremendous strides in programme development over the past year, highlighted by significant financial, participation, and workforce milestones. To highlight a few examples, their commitment to creating a more inclusive coaching environment not only enhances the quality of their programmes but also sets an important example within the wider sports community. Boats Not Bars, their prison rowing program, has grown from a mostly in-prison initiative, to one that targets the specific needs of the participants.

These achievements reflect their commitment to building a sustainable, inclusive, and impactful rowing programme that will continue to thrive in the years to come.

Artistic Contribution to Rowing

Annabel Eyres (Great Britain)

Annabel Eyres is an Olympian from the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. Largely a figurative artist, and drawing inspiration from British photographer Eadweard Muybridge, best known for his influential photographic studies of people and animals in motion, and from her love of rowing, swimming and yoga, she presented a series of six paper cut and collage works, and two wood reliefs depicting the human form in motion. Having been chosen as one of six Olympian Artists for Paris 2024, her brief was to produce a brand new collection of sport-inspired pieces, which was be exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris during the Games.

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