For the first time since 2016, the World Rowing Senior, U23 and U19 Championships will be combined into one single event to be held in St Catharines, Canada. Yesterday we previewed the U19 boat classes and today it’s the turn of the U23 boat classes. 220 crews will race across 21 boat classes at the U23 level, here’s some of our rowers to watch out for…

Maria Zerboni (b), Samantha Premerl (s), Lightweight Women’s Pair, Italy, Gold, 2022 World Rowing Championships, Racice, Czech Republic / World Rowing/Benedict Tufnell

U23 Women’s Coxed Four (BW4+)

With four crews entered in this boat class, it really will be one not to be last in as nobody will want to be the only crew to miss out on a medal! It’s hard to look beyond Italy, the crew is stacked with previously international experience, particularly Alice Codato who has just returned from Paris where she raced in the Italian Olympic women’s eight. Samantha Premerl is a double U23 World Champion in the lightweight women’s pair, and also won gold at the 2022 Senior World Championships in the same boat class. The remaining medals are to be fought out between Canada, New Zealand and the USA.

U23 Men’s Coxed Four (BM4+)

Italy won gold in this boat class in 2023 and three of the crew are back to defend their title in Canada. However, watch out for the crew from Germany; three of them won silver medals at last year’s World U19 Championships. France tested their crew out at World Rowing Cup III earlier this season in the coxless four, where they finished eighth. Keep an eye out too for the USA in this boat class.

U23 Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls (BLW1x)

Twelve scullers entered in this and a fairly wide open field. Eyes are drawn to Italy’s Giulia Clerici who has won a medal at the last two editions of the World U23 Championships – last year, gold in the lightweight women’s quad. The scullers from Uruguay and Finland have both raced at World Rowing Cups earlier this season so have some international racing experience whilst Portugal’s Bruna Parente attempted to qualify the ligthweight women’s double scull at the European Olympic Qualification Regatta where she finished fourth. Keep an eye out too for Australia’s Grace Sypher who has been in the final of this event at the last two World U23 Championships and only just missed out on the podium last year.

U23 Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls (BLM1x)

Italy’s Giovanni Borgonovo is coming to Canada to defend his title in this boat class! With thirteen entries, he’ll likely face some tough opposition including from Spain’s Caetano Xose Horta Pombo who has just returned from Paris where he raced in the lightweight double sculls. Slovakia’s Peter Strecansky took bronze in the U19 men’s singles at last year’s World Rowing Championships and has been a familiar face in the single scull this season on the senior stage, so it will be interesting to see what the 19 year-old can do.

U23 Lightweight Men’s Coxless Pair (BLM2-)

This event has three entries and the Chilean boat is the only one with notable experience. Bowman Manuel Fernandez Antri won gold in this boat class at the 2021 World Rowing U23 Championships and bronze in 2022. At last year’s World Rowing U23 Championships, he raced in the lightweight single scull. Bow of the boat from Mexico, Emilio Garcia, has also raced in this boat at a previous U23 Championships, finishing seventh in 2022.

U23 Lightweight Women’s Quadruple Sculls (BLW4x)

Just two boats entered in this boat class. Germany has won silver in it at the last two editions of the World Rowing U23 Championships and one member of the crew from each of those years is on board in this year’s Crew. On home waters, Canada will be looking to ensure Germany goes no better than silver this year!

U23 Lightweight Men’s Quadruple Sculls (BLM4x)

Canada and Germany will also go head-to-head in this one. The German boat contains two rowers that won gold in this boat class at last year’s European Rowing U23 Championships whilst the Canadian crew features Connor Dodds who will be looking to better the bronze he won in this event at last year’s World Rowing U23 Championships.

U23 Women’s Single Sculls (BW1x)

Alexandra Foester, Women’s Single Sculls, Germany, 2024 Olympic Games Rowing Regatta, Paris, France / © World Rowing / Detlev Seyb

This is a very competitive field! With two rowers who raced each other in the B final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Regatta just a couple of weeks ago; Germany’s Alexandra Foester and Switzerland’s Aurelia-Maxima Janzen. Janzen won this event last year but Foester won it in 2022 so it’s all to play for this year. They’ll need to keep an eye on Greece’s Evangelia Fragkou who took bronze in the single at last year’s U23s and also Poland’s Wiktoria Kalinowska who won silver in the U23 lightweight women’s double sculls last year and has been racing in the openweight single scull at the World Rowing cups this season.

U23 Men’s Single Sculls (BM1x)

With 23 entries, this is the biggest boat class at U23 level. The only returner from last year’s final is Ireland’s Andrew Sheehan, who won silver – can he go one better this year? Aaron Andries from Belgium is already a familiar name on the international scene. Andries won gold in the U23 double in 2022 and silver in the U19 single in 2021.

Germany’s Timo Strache will be one to keep an eye on too. He took home a bronze last year in the U23 men’s double sculls having previously won gold in the U19 men’s quadruple sculls back in 2021 so he is clearly an accomplished sculler. This will be an interesting boat class to watch unfold throughout the regatta.

U23 Women’s Pair (BW2-)

Eleven entries, but none of the rowers who medals in this boat class from last year. The Chilean boat includes Antonia Pichott who won silver in the U23 women’s four last year whilst Germany’s Lene Meuehrs won silver in the women’s eight. The field is relatively open in this one so it will be interesting to see who make a showing in the early stages of the competition.

U23 Men’s Pair (BM2-)

Great Britain are the defending U23 Champions but field a duo both making their international debut in St Catharines. Meanwhile, the young duo from Germany, Tobias Strangemann and Johannes Benien are no strangers to a World rowing podium, having won silver in the U19 men’s pair last year and gold in the U19 men’s eight in 2022.

Keep an eye too on the Romanian pair. Both rowers were on top of the podium twice at last year’s European Rowing U23 Championships winning gold in both the pair and the eight while the Slovenians both won silver in the pair at that same Championships.

U23 Women’s Double Sculls (BW2x)

Andrada-Maria Morosanu (b), Iulia-Liliana Balauca (s), Women’s Double Sculls, Romania, 2024 World Rowing Cup III, Poznan, Poland © Detlev Seyb / MyRowingPhoto.com

It’s hard to look beyond Romania in this boat class. The exact same duo that won gold in both 2022 and 2023 will return to defend their title. Andrada Maria Morosanu and Iulia Balauca came fourth at World Rowing Cup III a few months ago so have already proved they’re on form this season.

Switzerland’s Olivia Roth won bronze last year and will join forces with new partner Flavia Loetscher to see what they can do in Canada. Watch out too for the Irish boat. Holly Davis won world silver in the U19 single sculls last year and will race in the double with Grace Healy in Canada.

U23 Men’s Double Sculls (BM2x)

In a field of 14 entries, four of the six medal-winning rowers will come to Paris. Ireland won gold last year and Adam Murphy will look to defend his title alongside new partner Brian Colsh. Meanwhile the silver medal-winning crew from Poland will remain unchanged – they came sixth at World Rowing Cup III earlier this season.

Sydney Garbers of Germany will look to see if Jakob Geyer can hep him to improve on the bronze medal from last year. Those three crews will need to watch out for the likes of South Africa, Switzerland and the USA, all of which have former World U19 medalists on board.

U23 Women’s Four (BW4-)

History was made at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games when Denmark competed in the women’s eight. Four of that crew will now come to Canada to race in the U23 women’s four. Poland are the defending U23 Champions and two of last year’s crew will return this year while one of last year’s bronze medal-winning crew from Australia, Rebecca Pretorius, will return.

Three of New Zealand’s crew won silver in the coxless four at last year’s World Rowing U23 Championships, so there is plenty of pedigree there. Again, the French crew has already been tested on the international stage this season, at World Rowing Cup III, where they finished sixth.

U23 Men’s Four (BM4-)

At last year’s World Rowing U23 Championships, Great Britain won gold in the men’s eight, coxless four and pair. Reigning world champions from those three boats will come together in this year’s coxless four. However, the Italian crew also has two reigning World U23 champions on board, from the coxed four last year.

Don’t rule out France either. France won bronze in this boat class last year and three of the crew are back again to try and improve on that position in Canada. Meanwhile, the Australian crew are all medalists from last year’s U23 Championships; two silver medallists from this boat class and two bronze medalists from the coxless pair. The race for medals could be intense!

U23 Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (BLW2x)

Dimitra Eleni Kontou (b), Evangelia Anastasiadou (s), Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls, Greece, 2022 World Rowing Championships, Racice, Czech Republic / Detlev Seyb/MyRowingPhoto.com

Straight from the Podium in Paris to Canada! World Rowing’s Rower of the Month from January this year, Dimitra Kontou won bronze for Greece in this boat class at the Olympic Games just a couple of weeks ago and now will rejoin forces with Evangelia Anastasiadou and look to defend their U23 title.

There’s a couple of other boats to watch out for including the Swiss crew. Marion Heiniger was fifth in the lightweight women’s single at last year’s World U23s and went on to win gold in the same boat class at the European U23s. She’ll team up with Emma Ming in Canada.

Also keep an eye on the Italian boat. Elena Sali won this boat class at the 2022 World Rowing U23 Championships and won bronze last year. Her partner, Alice Ramella is also a 2022 World U23 Champion having raced in the lightweight women’s quadruple sculls.

U23 Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls (BLM2x)

Italians Nicolo Demiliani and Luca Borgonovo made the final of this boat class at last year’s World Rowing U23s and then went on to win gold in the lightweight quad at last years’s World Rowing Championships.

The French duo of Antoine Lefebvre and Cornelus Palsma won bronze in this boat class in 2023 and, like many of the French crews, raced at World Rowing Cup III this season, finishing in third place in the lightweight men’s double sculls.

U23 Women’s Quadruple Sculls (BW4x)

Romania are the defending World U23 Champions and have two returning rowers from last year’s crew – Emanuela Ioana Ciotau and Patricia Cires, who both raced in the Romanian women’s quadruple sculls at the Paris 2024 Olympic Regatta, finish seventh. Those two will also race in the eight in Canada.

Czechia took silver last year and Alzbeta Zavadilova is the only returning member of the crew. Perhaps to be inspired by their women’s quad that recently became Olympic Champions, the crew from Great Britain contains two rowers that won bronze in this boat at last year’s European Rowing U23 Championships. There’s plenty of pedigree in the German boat too, with two rowers who won gold in this boat class at the 2022 U23 Championships. It could be an exciting boat class to watch.

U23 Men’s Quadruple Sculls (BM4x)

Of the fifteen entries, there is only one returning medalists from last year’s podium; Ole Hanack from Germany. Although the Italian boat does contain two gold medalists from back in 2022 in this boat class. Other than that, the field is arguably wide open. Four of the French crew and three of the Polish boat raced at World Rowing Cup III this season, finishing eight and sixth respectively, so have so international racing under their belt already.

U23 Women’s Eight (BW8+)

Klara Kerstan (b), Chiara Saccomando, Ricarda Heuser, Antonia Galland, Emilia Fritz, Olivia Clotten, Lene Muehrs, Michelle Lebahn (s), Annalena Fisch (c), Women’s Eight, Germany, 2023 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria © Detlev Seyb / MyRowingPhoto.com

Seven boats entered and absolutely stacked with talent this could arguably be one of the most competitive boat classes of the Championships. The USA have a title to defend, and they have just one returning member from last year’s gold medal-winning crew, Dahlia Levine. Meanwhile, Germany, who took silver last year, has five returners.

Canada won bronze in 2023 and the three returners in that crew will be looking to improve on their position on home waters. Meanwhile, keep an eye on the crew from Australia, which has two of last year’s World Rowing U23 Champions from the coxed four and a member of the bronze medal winning coxless four. The Italian crew has three U19 World Champions from last year’s coxless four, while the Romanian crew has two medalists from last year’s World Rowing U19 Championships and two from the U23 Championships; the latter two raced in the Romanian women’s quad at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, finishing seventh. We told you it was stacked!

U19 Men’s Eight (BM8+)

With six entries in this boat class, all boats will race a preliminary race on the first day of competition, Sunday 18 August, and then the final on Friday 23 August. Great Britain come in as defending World U23 Champions with five returning members from last year’s crew.

The USA and Germany, silver and bronze medal winning nations from last year respectively, each have two returning members looking to equal or better the 2023 ranking. Several of Romania’s crew raced in the men’s eight at World Rowing Cup III earlier this year, finishing fourth whilst Andrei Mandrila competed in the Romanian coxless four in Paris, claiming fifth place. They’ll certainly be a crew to keep an eye on.

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