European Rowing Championships 2025 Review

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Plovdiv Roars: Records Tumble at European Rowing Championships

The 2025 World Rowing calendar kicked off with a spectacular display of power and precision at the European Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, this past weekend. Prevalent tailwind conditions resulted in an astonishing 16 new European Rowing Championship Best Times, signalling a thrilling quadrennial ahead. Notably, all Olympic boat classes, with the exception of the women’s double sculls, saw new European bests established.

Saturday Finals

Para-Rowing Single Sculls (PR1x): Sheremet and Pritchard Shine

In the women’s PR1 single sculls (WPR1 1x), Ukraine’s Anna Sheremet stormed to her first European Rowing Championship gold, setting a blistering new European Best Time of 9:56.60. She was followed by Eva Mol of the Netherlands in second place, with Switzerland’s Claire Ghiringhelli taking home the bronze. The men’s PR1 single sculls (MPR1 1x) saw Great Britain’s Benjamin Pritchard continue his dominant form. Having already set a World Best Time in the heats, Pritchard incredibly lowered it by another seven seconds in the final, crossing the line in a stunning 8:40.38 to claim gold. Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi secured the silver, and Italy’s Giacomo Perini earned the bronze medal.

Para-Rowing Mixed Double Sculls (PR3 Mix2x): Germany Sets World Best

History was made in the PR3 mixed double sculls (PR3 Mix2x) as the German duo of Valentin Luz and Kathrin Marchand not only won gold but also became the first crew to break the seven-minute barrier in this event, establishing a new World Best Time. Great Britain’s Samuel Murray and Annabel Caddick put in a strong performance to take silver, while Ukraine’s Dariaa Kotyk and Stanislav Samoliuk rounded out the podium with bronze.

Pairs (W2- & M2-): Romanian Dominance and New Records

Romania was the nation to beat in the pair, with both their women’s and men’s crews setting new European Best Times. In the women’s pair (W2-), the formidable Romanian crew of Maria Magdalena Rusu and Simona Radis powered to gold, setting a new European Best Time of 6:49.18. This was an exhilarating start to Radis’ venture into a new boat class after a formidable quadrennial in the women’s double. Italy’s Laura Meriano and Alice Codato took a well-deserved silver, with Great Britain’s Eleanor Brinkoff and Megan Slabbert claiming bronze.

The men’s pair (M2-) saw a similar display of Romanian strength, with Florin Lehaci and Florin Arteni dominating the field to win gold and set a new European Best Time of 6:11.57. The Italian crew finished in second place.

Lightweight Single Sculls (LW1x & LM1x): Austrian Gold and German Triumph

Austria’s Lara Tiefenthaler delivered a standout performance in the lightweight women’s single sculls (LW1x), winning gold and setting a new European Best Time of 7:29.38. Norway’s Maia Emilie Lund secured the silver medal, and Mariia Zhovner (AIN) took bronze. In the lightweight men’s single sculls (LM1x), Germany’s Fabio Kress rowed to a commanding victory to take the gold. He was followed by Turkey’s Halil Kaan Koroglu in the silver medal position, with Mikita Karneyeu (AIN) earning bronze.

Double Sculls (W2x & M2x): Dutch Gold and Polish Power

In the women’s double sculls (W2x), the Dutch combination of Roos De Jong and Tessa Dullemans claimed the top spot on the podium. De Jong, returning to the double after a period in the quadruple sculls, showed her versatility. Greece’s Dimitra Kontou and Zoi Fitsiou, a duo with a strong lightweight rowing background, took an impressive silver. Romania’s Andrada-Maria Morosanu and Mariana-Laura Dumitru secured the bronze.

The men’s double sculls (M2x) saw Poland’s Mirosław Zietarski and Mateusz Biskup take gold, a successful transition for the crew from the quadruple sculls. The reigning European and Olympic champions from Romania, Andrei Sebastian Cornea and Marian Florian Enache, earned silver. Ireland celebrated a significant achievement as Fintan McCarthy and Konan Pazzaia took bronze. This marked Pazzaia’s first international senior medal, and a move to the heavyweight double for McCarthy after a successful lightweight career.

Fours (W4- & M4-): Dutch Sprint and Croatian History

In the women’s four (W4-), the Netherlands executed a stunning sprint in the final 500 meters to overtake Romania and claim gold. Romania held on for silver, with Great Britain taking the bronze. The men’s four (M4-) saw Romania cross the line first for gold. Croatia made history as the siblings’ four, including the incredible Sinković brothers paired with Olympians Patrik and Anton Loncaric, won the nation’s first-ever championship medal in this boat class, securing silver. France completed the podium with bronze.

Sunday’s Finals

Para-Rowing Mixed Double Sculls (PR2 Mix2x): German Victory

The para-rowing action continued on Sunday with the PR2 mixed double sculls (PR2 Mix2x). Germany once again showed their strength in para-rowing, taking the gold medal. Ukraine secured the silver, and Israel earned the bronze.

Quadruple Sculls (W4x & M4x): Great Britain’s Double Gold and EChBTs

Great Britain had a stellar day in the quadruple sculls, winning both the men’s and women’s events and setting new European Championship Best Times. The women’s quadruple sculls (W4x) saw Great Britain power to victory in a new European Best Time of 6:11.00. Germany finished in the silver medal position, with the Netherlands taking bronze. Great Britain achieved another remarkable win in the men’s quadruple sculls (M4x), setting a new European Best Time of 5:35.02. This marked their first-ever European Rowing Championship title in the men’s quad. The Netherlands nipped Poland at the line to take silver, with Poland securing bronze.

Single Sculls (W1x & M1x): British and Neutral Athlete Golds

In the women’s single sculls (W1x), Great Britain’s Lauren Henry claimed a fantastic gold, marking the first British win in this event at the European Rowing Championships since 2017. Ireland’s Fiona Murtagh took silver, and Denmark’s Frida Sanggaard Nielsen earned bronze. The men’s single sculls (M1x) saw Yauheni Zalaty (AIN) take the top spot on the podium after finishing second in Paris in this boat class. Greece’s Olympic champion Stefanos Ntouskos secured silver, and Romania’s Mihai Chiruta made history by winning Romania’s first-ever European men’s single sculls medal with his bronze.

Eights (W8+ & M8+): Great Britain’s Historic Double

The regatta concluded with the thrilling eights finals, where Great Britain achieved a historic double. The women’s eight (W8+) saw Great Britain row to a commanding victory, their first European title in this event since 2016. The Netherlands took silver, and Italy claimed bronze. Great Britain continued their dominance in the men’s eight (M8+), securing their fifth consecutive European Rowing Championship title. The Netherlands again finished second, with Italy storming through in the final stages to take bronze over Germany. This remarkable result meant Great Britain became the first country to win the men’s and women’s eights at the same European Rowing Championships. Furthermore, it was the first time since the Barcelona Olympic Games that the same three nations medalled in both the men’s and women’s eight events.

The European Rowing Championships in Plovdiv have certainly set a high bar for the rest of the 2025 season, with athletes demonstrating incredible form and rewriting the record books. Numerous records have been shattered, and new talents have emerged alongside established champions. The regatta is an electrifying starting point for the new quadrennial, promising an exciting journey towards the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

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