Image Credit: World Rowing
With finals only on the Saturday schedule, the World Rowing Championships are nearing their crescendo as champions were crowned in the flagship events in para rowing, lightweight rowing, and the openweight eights. Here’s everything you need to know from the penultimate day in Shanghai.
PR2 Mixed Double Sculls
From the opening stages, the favoured Chinese held the advantage, with the exaggerated lean back of strokeman Jiang Jijian drawing the attention of the commentators. Up only a length after 500 metres, the crew began to sync better through the middle of the race, and the home crew moved away from the field to win comfortably. Behind them was the battle for the minor medals, contested between Israel and Germany. The advantage went to the Israelis throughout much of the race, but the Germans were never far away, rising to sprint first, moving through to claim the silver medal by half a length over the experienced combination of Milfelder and Shahin.
JRN Prediction: CHN, GER, UKR
Result: CHN, GER, ISR
PR3 Mixed Coxed Four
With the dominance of the British crew across several generations, if any crew wanted to upset them, they had to try something different. The Italians went out very hard, taking the early lead, but were quickly overturned. By the halfway point, the Chinese crew was the only one that could challenge the British, sitting just a length down. Ultimately, they paid for these efforts as Great Britain comfortably won, with the Chinese in silver medal, while the Italians finished fifth. The late charge from the United States was not enough for bronze as they finished a canvas behind the German crew.
JRN Prediction: GBR, USA, CHN
Result: GBR, CHN, GER
Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls
This was a race for the experienced athletes as triple-Olympian Kenia Lechuga Alanis of Mexico was the early leader, using a high rate and a strong back end to establish a strong lead. But it was not to last, as double-Olympian Michelle Sechser moved through to claim the lead in the middle of the race. Upsetting this party of the North American Olympians was the home favourite Pan Dandan, who gradually moved back before unleashing a phenomenal sprint, claiming the silver medal and coming up just short of an unexpected gold medal, with Sechser having just enough to hold her off.
JRN Prediction: GRE, IRL, MEX
Result: USA, CHN, MEX
Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls
From the start, the 20-year-old Turkish sculler Halil Kaan Koroglu was the first protagonist. The U23 world champion searched for the senior title, leading across the first 1000 metres. However, he could not hold on, as just before the halfway mark, the impressive Julian Schoeberl of Austria moved through. But looming in the background was the Uruguayan Felipe Kluver Ferreira, as the Tokyo Olympian underrated the field. Sitting deep in the field, he moved methodically through the field, coming into the conversation late in the race. The Austrian began his sprint early in an attempt to hold off the Uruguayan’s momentum, but with 250 metres to go, Schoeberl was spent, and the Uruguayan took the lead as Uruguay’s first-ever U23 champion from 2022 became the South American nation’s first-ever senior world champion. Behind, the Austrian needed to hold his speed, narrowly holding off the Irish Jacob McCarthy, who won a bronze to match his brother in the openweight double.
JRN Prediction: GER, URU, TUR
Result: URU, AUT, IRL
Women’s Eight
The last Dutch women’s boat of the regatta followed the trend of their other crews, jumping out to the early lead and holding off the field. This technique was successful, taking most of a length over the much-fancied Romanians in the first quarter. As the race progressed, they continued to move away, with only the Romanians able to hold on, as the Dutch never allowed their rate to drop below 40 strokes per minute. Behind, there was a tight battle for bronze. The German crew had control of this position through much of the race, fending off a challenge from the United States, but a late charge from the British allowed them to claim the medal in the final moments, overcoming a sluggish start to win their first World Rowing Championship medal in the women’s eight since 2011.
JRN Prediction: GBR, ROU, NED
Result: NED, ROU, GBR
Men’s Eight
As if the tension in the men’s eight was insufficient, a technical issue with the start line forced a restart, as the blue ribband event was delayed in the brutal heat of the Shanghai sun. However, after the belated start, the Dutch got the best of the start, mirroring their women’s crew to jump ahead of the favourites, having a clear water lead, relatively unchallenged down the course to win their first ever World Rowing Championship title in the men’s eight, just as their women had done 15 minutes earlier. Behind, it quickly became a race for silver, and the United States led that race for the opening 1999 metres. Behind them, Great Britain and the Australians gave chase, and while the Australians dropped back to finish fourth in the second kilometre, the favoured British crew remained steadfast in their chase of the silver medal. Ultimately, in the final sprint, their relentless charge paid dividends, claiming the silver medal in a photo finish, a consolation as the nation lost in a men’s eight at a World Rowing event for the first time since 2021.
JRN Prediction: GBR, NED, GER
Result: NED, GBR, USA
