Image Credit: World Rowing
The first World Rowing Championships of a new Olympic cycle are always fascinating to watch, with new formations getting established and new names emerging to battle with the “old stagers” returning for another cycle. This year is no different, and added to the interest is that this year’s World Rowing Championships are being held in China, the first for World Rowing and the first senior World Rowing event to be held in China since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. So, as always, here’s my look at the ones to watch in the men’s single sculls.
2023 Champion: Ollie Zeidler (Germany)
Entries: 36
Ollie Zeidler of Germany returns to try and win his fourth straight World Rowing Championship title, but it won’t be plain sailing (or sculling) for the 29-year-old from Frankfurt. He didn’t race at any of the World Rowing Cups or the European Rowing Championships this season; his only appearance since winning the Olympic title was at Henley Royal Regatta, where New Zealand’s Finn Hamill soundly beat him in the semifinals. It’s a dangerous game to bet against such a talented athlete, but you do have to question how “race-ready” the big German will be, especially against such a strong field.
The athlete who has emerged as one of the ones to beat this season is Logan Ulrich of New Zealand. The 25-year-old from the Waiariki Rowing Club was an U23 silver medallist in the coxless four in 2022 and moved into the senior NZ sweep team the following year, winning a bronze medal in the four in 2023, and followed that with a silver at the Paris Olympic Games. He moved into the single at the start of the 2025 season and made an immediate impact, winning the B-final in Varese and then taking gold in Lucerne. He also raced in The Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta, losing in the semifinals to Melvin Twellaar of the Netherlands.
Remarkably, a Dutchman has never won the world men’s single title, but this year, Simon Van Dorp may start as the favourite to take the title. He was runner-up to Zeidler at the 2023 World Rowing Championships, and in Paris, he took bronze, the Netherlands’ first men’s single Olympic medal since Jan Wienese won gold in Mexico in 1968. This season, Van Dorp started in the quad, winning silver at the European Rowing Championships before moving into the single for the Varese World Rowing Cup, where he won gold. He also raced in the single at Henley Royal Regatta, but was somewhat surprisingly beaten by Hamil of New Zealand, despite leading through to the start of the enclosures.
So far this season, one of the most consistent performers has been the Neutral Athlete, Yauheni Zalaty. The Belarusian won the European Rowing Championships at the start of the season and followed that up with silver in Lucerne. Last year, he was the Olympic silver medallist behind Zeidler and in 2023 won the B-final at the World Rowing Championships. Belarus has never won a medal in the men’s single at the World Rowing Championships, and if Zalaty makes the podium, it won’t be counted as a medal for them either, but it probably won’t stop the Belarussians from claiming it.
An athlete who seems to struggle with consistency is the Tokyo Olympic champion, Stefanos Ntouskos of Greece. When he’s on form, he can challenge for the medals and has won silver at the last four European Rowing Championships, but when he’s off his game, he struggles even to make the A-final. In 2024, he was 23rd at the second World Rowing Cup (but followed that up with an A-final finish in Paris), and this season, after taking silver at the European Rowing Championships, he could only manage 11th in Lucerne. He also raced at Henley Royal Regatta, losing to Ulrich on Friday. It remains to be seen which Ntouskos turns up in Shanghai; if it’s the “on-form” version, he could be in the battle for a podium place.
Tom Barras represents Great Britain. He last raced the single at the World Rowing Championships in 2019 when he finished 14th. Since then, he has been a regular fixture in the GB quad, winning Olympic silver in Tokyo and World Rowing Championship silver in 2022. He stayed in the quad for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, placing fourth at both the World Rowing Championships and Olympic Games. This season, he lost his seat in the quad and raced in the double with James Cartwright in Varese. However, injury to Callum Dixon saw Barras sub back into the quad in Varese, coming away with a bronze medal. In Lucerne, Barras moved to the single, placing tenth. An A-final placing would be a great result for the man from Burway Rowing Club.
The oldest competitor in the event is Croatia’s David Sain. The 37-year-old started his senior international career in 2007 and was part of the outstanding Croatian quad that won Olympic silver in London (along with Damir Martin and the Sinkovic brothers). Of the four members of that silver medal quad, Sain has had the least successful career. Injury meant he missed the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons, and he’s only raced intermittently in the last few seasons. This year, he raced in the quad at the European Rowing Championships, placing eighth, and at the Lucerne World Rowing Cup, placing ninth. Shanghai will be his first World Rowing Championships since 2015.
At the other end of the age spectrum is the youngest competitor in the field, 21-year-old Cevdet Ege Mutlu from Turkey. He’s a real one to watch for the future. The reigning U23 world champion raced at the senior World Rowing Championships in 2023 and this season raced at the European Rowing Championships, winning the B-final, a best-ever result for a Turkish men’s single sculler. He may struggle to get to the medal final, but he is one to keep an eye on as the LA Olympiad progresses.
Another athlete who has really stepped on this season is Norway’s Jonas Juel. The 25-year-old was U23 world bronze medallist in 2021 and raced in the quad from 2022 to 2024, culminating in an eighth place at the Paris Olympic Games. This season, he had a brief dalliance in the double at the European Rowing Championships before ditching crew sculling boats and returning to the single for the two World Rowing Cups. This was an inspired decision as he won bronze in both Varese and Lucerne. He will definitely be targeting a medal placing in China.
Another athlete looking to get into the medal final is Ireland’s Konan Pazzaia. He was U23 world champion in 2023 in the double and in 2024 raced the single at the first and third World Rowing Cups. This season, he raced in the double with Olympic lightweight champion Fintan McCarthy, taking bronze at the European Rowing Championships and the Lucerne World Rowing Cup. But, with the Irish deciding to select Philip Doyle to partner McCarthy in the double, Pazzaia moves to the single. An A-final placing is within his reach, and if he is lucky enough to make the podium, it’ll be Ireland’s first men’s single medal since the legendary Sean Drea back in 1975.
Eighth at the last World Rowing Championships was Japan’s Ryuta Arakawa. He is by far and away Japan’s most successful male oarsman. He placed 11th at his home Olympic Games and in 2022 won the World Rowing Championship B-final (a best for a Japanese men’s single). Last season, he again reached the Olympic B-Final, although he slipped back to ninth overall. This season, he made a disappointing start at the Varese World Rowing Cup, only managing 24th, but in Lucerne, he showed medal potential, reaching the A-final and finishing fifth overall.
Romania isn’t renowned for its single scullers; indeed, the nation has never won a World Rowing Championship men’s single medal (about the only boat class they haven’t), with their best result coming in 1993 with a fourth place by Neculai Taga. This year, they probably won’t improve on that result, but their representative, Mihai Chiruta, could well make the A-final. He was in the quad that finished sixth and seventh in 2022 and 2023 and then moved to the single for the Paris Olympic Games, where he delivered a B-final win (an Olympic best result for Romania). This season, he opened his account with a bronze medal at the European Rowing Championships (Romania’s first men’s single championship medal). His performance in Lucerne was less record-breaking; he could only manage 12th place.
Amongst the other scullers to watch out for are Lithuania’s Giedrius Bieliauskas, 2024 European bronze medallist and tenth in Paris, and Uruguay’s Bruno Cetraro Berriolo, 12th in Paris and winner of the B-final in Lucerne this season.
Prediction
So, who do I think will take the medals? My money is on Van Dorp to win the Netherlands’ first-ever men’s single World Rowing Championship title, with Zalaty in silver and Zeidler holding off Ulrich for the bronze (for what it’s worth, I reckon Juel and Barras will round off the top six).
