Image Credit: World Rowing
With 17 entries vying for the title of fastest individual U23 efmale sculler on the planet, the stage is set for an epic contest. Previous winners of this category have gone on to represent their country at senior level and vie for global titles. Let’s dive in and see who might be contending for top honours.
Romy Cantwell – Australia
As JRN said back in March when previewing the women’s U23 single at the 2025 Australian Rowing Championships, Romy Cantwell is a ‘proven powerhouse in the single scull in the past season‘. She was sixth in the double scull at the 2024 U23 World Rowing Championships. The young Australian is fundraising for her trip to Poland and has been balancing a full-time university degree while training 16–22 hours a week.
Agatha Oudet – France
An athlete with a lot of senior exprience, having already competed at the senior World Rowing Championships in the pair, Agatha Oudet will be a dark horse in this category. She was a bronze medallist in the pair at the 2023 U23 World Rowing Championships and fifth in the four the year prior. Her most recent international exploit was at the 2024 World Rowing Coastal Championships, where she placed sixth in the women’s coxed quads.
Megan Knight – Great Britain
A bronze medallist in the quad at last summer’s U23 World Rowing Championships, Megan Knight is certainly a rising star in the British ranks. She has been part of Reading University’s wildly successful quad this season, which won the national title and also took the championship win at Henley Women’s Regatta. Having risen to prominence in 2021 after winning an indoor world title, Knight will be keen to extend her credentials.
Rianne Lagerpusch – Germany
Rianne Lagerpusch is one of the most experienced U23 athletes in the field, having competed at three championships already. In every previous iteration, she’s competed in the German quad, winning bronze in 2022 before placing fourth in 2023 and 2024.
Eleni Diavati – Greece
Stepping up from U19 level, Eleni Diavati will be looking to make her mark alongside an increasingly competitive Greek team. She won gold at the 2025 U19 European Rowing Championships in the double, so may find the going a little tough at U23 level. Greek scullers tend to race up at an early stage, though, so this could be a formative experience for the young sculler.
Holly Davis – Ireland
A two-time U19 world medallist (bronze in 2021 and silver in 2023), Holly Davis is another talent to roll off the Emerald Isle production line. She raced at this level in 2024, placing fourth in the B-final of the double, so she must have found quite a bit of speed in the last 12 months. She is plying her trade at the University of Texas, contributing to the Longhorn’s win at the 2025 SEC Championship as part of the second Varsity four.
Nicole Martinez – Paraguay
Hailing from a nation not exactly renowned for its rowing heritage, Nicole Martinez is a bright star from La Albirroja. She raced at this event and in this category last summer, placing first in the B-final, so an A-final berth would represent a significant step forward. She also possesses senior experience, having competed at the 2023 World Rowing Championships (third in the C-final of the women’s pair) and two 2024 World Rowing Cups (third in the B-final of the single on both occasions).
Daniela Price-Hughes – South Africa
The silver medallist from last summer’s U19 World Rowing Championships steps up to the U23 level to see if she can mix it with the next age-group. Daniela Price-Hughes is a rising star in the South African ranks and has spent the season at Leander Club, where she most recently raced as part of Leander’s entry into the Borne Cup for championship quads. She also stroked Leander’s Princess Grace Challenge Cup entry at Henley Royal Regatta.
Ruby Cop – Slovenia
The daughter of legendary Slovenian sculler, Iztok Čop, Ruby Čop has big shoes to fill. She’s making excellent progress, though, accumulating significant international experience at a relatively young age. She was fourth in the double at the 2024 U23 European Rowing Championships and finished 11th overall in the lightweight single at the 2022 U23 World Rowing Championships.
Aurelia-Maxima Katharina Janzen – Switzerland
The athlete who has to be considered favourite approaching next week’s racing, Aurelia-Maxima Katharina Janzen is already an established name on the international racing circuit. She won silver in this event last summer, shortly after racing to a third place in the B-final at the Paris Olympic Games. Her use of Swift Racing Shells and Macon blades has attracted significant interest, but it does not appear to have affected the young Swiss sculler, who will now be looking to reclaim the world U23 title that she last held in 2023.
Cloe Callorda – Uruguay
A bronze medallist at the 2023 U19 World Rowing Championships in the single, Cloe Callorda is taking her first bow at this level. She raced at the senior level earlier this season, finishing fifth in the D-final at the Lucerne World Rowing Cup and fifth in the C-final in Varese two weeks prior. If this preparation has helped her, she could be a geniune contender in Poland.
Prediction
With one world title and two silver medals at this level already under her belt, Aurelia-Maxima Katharina Janzen of Switzerland has to be considered the leading contender. I think the scullers from Great Britain, Germany and Ireland will be other names in the fray for medals here.
