The 2024 European Rowing Championships and and the World Rowing European Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta came to a close on Sunday in Szeged, Hungary, as Romania won the women’s eight in style.

The defending champions’ win over Great Britain (silver) and Italy (bronze) was their fourth gold medal of the championships, but it was Britain who finished atop the medal table with a total of eight gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.

Crews from nine nations go home as European rowing champions, including Norway. Adding to Birgit Skarstein’s gold in the PR1 women’s single sculls on Saturday, Thea Helseth and Inger Seim Kavlie won the women’s double sculls on Sunday. Their victory, ahead of world silver medallists Lithuania, and world and Olympic champions Romania, was Norway’s first-ever win for a women’s crew in an Olympic boat class at this level.

Great Britain’s wins included a clean sweep of the men’s sweep events. Adding to victory in the men’s eight yesterday, their men’s pair and men’s four looked dominant in winning their finals on Sunday. Tom George and Ollie Wynne-Griffith in the pair earned European gold on the third time of asking, after two previous silver medals, while the four defended their 2023 title.

The British PR3 mixed coxed four also remained dominant, and are now the boat with the longest winning streak in any boat class – stretching right back to 2010, despite multiple crew changes in that time. France and Italy rounded off the podium.

Among the Romanian victories, women’s pair champions Ioana Vrinceanu and Roxana Anghel made it two gold medals on Sunday as they also doubled up in the eight. Meanwhile Andrei-Sebastian Cornea and Marian Enache stormed to a huge early margin in the men’s double sculls to win their nation’s first gold medal in this boat class.

Other Sunday champions included Serbia’s Jovana Arsic, who won the women’s single sculls with a blistering first 500m, and Germany’s Oliver Zeidler, who will go to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as world and European champion in the men’s single sculls.

In the 2024 World Rowing European Olympic & Paralympic Qualification Regatta, 10 crews booked tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Individual neutral athlete Tatsiana Klimovich, Azerbaijan’s Diana Dymchenko, Ukrainian Yevheniia Dovhodko, Serbian Nikolaj Pimenov, Bulgaria’s Kristian Vasilev, and Belgian Tim Brys earned the nod in the single sculls; Poland and Austria qualified in the lightweight women’s double sculls; and Ukraine and Belgium in the lightweight men’s double sculls.

PITTSFIELD, MA (April 27, 2024) – Top-ranked Tufts University defeated #3 Williams College by two lengths in the first varsity eight race this morning to highlight Jumbo action on Onota Lake.

The Tufts 1V8 had an outstanding time of 6:53.59 for the 2000 meters, well ahead of Williams College’s 7:04.53 mark. The seventh-ranked Hamilton 1V8 was third in the race with a 7:20.78 finish. The Jumbo first varsity lined up coxswain Hannah Jiang, Rose Tinkjian, Janna Moore, Shira Roberts, Emma Mahoney, Summer Maxwell, Samara Haynes, Karen Dooley and Emma Lyle.

The second varsity race came down to the wire with Williams College winning in a 7:00.63 time barely one second ahead of the Jumbos in 7:01.71. Hamilton crossed the finish line in a 7:16.43 mark for third place. Tufts’ team was coxswain Maddie Rosato with Margot Durfee, Reilly Uiterwyk, Amanda Downing, Hadley Keefe, Lucy Howell, Aoife Schmitt, Julia Zipoli and Sydney Barr.

Tufts also won the third Varsity 8+ race with its team of coxswain Shriyaa Srihari, Lecia Sun, Natalie Graham, Alicia Coble, Brooke Thompson, Grace Hamilton, Sophie Cumming, Molly Heeney and Ashna Garikapati rowing a 7:02.98 time. Hamilton College was closest behind, finishing a length away in a 7:07.72 mark. Tufts’ fourth varsity was also in the tightly-contested race and recorded a 7:09.44 finish. Williams College was last (7:13.09).

Tufts’ third varsity sat coxswain Shriyaa Srihari with Lecia Sun, Natalie Graham, Alicia Coble, Brooke Thompson, Grace Hamilton, Sophie Cumming, Molly Heeney and Ashna Garikapati. The Jumbo 4V8 was  coxswain Sophie Novitsky, Ashley Brzezenski, Zenani Himlin-Mayekiso, Stella Shen, Alex Timoney, Fiona Smirl, Sanjana Rao, Alice Wall and Cecelia Wilson.

The Jumbos also had a fifth varsity team entered in a varsity four men’s race today and they placed third with a 7:38.08 time. Tufts’ line-up in this race was not available at the time of this release.

Tufts will begin its championship season next Saturday (May 4) on Lake Quinsigamond with the New England Rowing Championships.

ITHACA – The No. 1 Princeton Men’s Heavyweight Rowing Team took home the Carnegie Cup behind a blazing time on the Cayuga Inlet today.

Yale’s 3V started the racing with a 5:40.56, 2.1 seconds ahead of Princeton (5:42.7).

The 1V set a new course record with a 5:26.6, breaking the mark set by Syracuse last year at 5:33 to secure the Carnegie Cup. Yale was second at 5:31.6 while Cornell had a 5:41.0.

“This race against Yale and Cornell was a big one on the schedule because it’s the only regular season cup we didn’t have in our trophy case,” said Connor Neil. “There is still plenty speed to gain and putting up a course record time today sets the tone for how we are approaching the remainder of the season.”

“It was pretty slippery conditions today and was awesome to get up in the top two boats especially on Wesley’s (Hirschman) birthday,” said Patrick Long. “It was great to be able to take advantage of the quick conditions and get the course record in front of a fast Yale boat. It’s always very fun racing both Yale and Cornell.”

Princeton’s 2V also earned a win, crossing the line at 5:34.1, over five seconds in front of Yale (5:39.5). Cornell was third at 5:48.2.

Yale’s 4V and 5V secured wins to finish the action. The last time Princeton won in Ithaca was 2006.

“All of our boats had strong performances today up in Ithaca and I’m proud of the way our team raced,” said Princeton head coach Greg Hughes. “It has been a while since we won the varsity race in this event and it’s great to see the Carnegie Cup back here in Princeton. Now, it’s time to get back to work.”

Varsity 8
Princeton 5:26.6
Yale 5:31.6
Cornell 5:41.0

2nd Varsity 8
Princeton 5:34.1
Yale 5:39.5
Cornell 5:48.2

3rd Varsity 8
Yale 5:40.6
Princeton 5:42.7
Cornell 5:57.9

4th Varsity 8
Yale 5:42.4
Princeton 5:46.6
Cornell 5:56.2

5th Varsity 8
Yale 5:58.8
Cornell 6:12.7
Princeton 6:22.4

RALEIGH, N.C. – The fifth-ranked Tennessee rowing team swept its five races during Saturday’s third round of the Lake Wheeler Invitational to earn the Pocock Lake Wheeler Invitational Cup in dominant fashion.

On the weekend, Tennessee won each of the 15 races in which it had a boat competing in. That earned the Lady Vols all 99 of the event’s available points. No. 16 Duke finished second with 84 points and UCF posted 75 points, good for third place. No. 10 Syracuse placed fourth with 65 points, while 11th-ranked Pennsylvania tallied 62 points to finish fifth over the two days of rowing.

“I’m proud of our full team’s outstanding performances this weekend,” head coach Kim Cupini said. “It was great to see all of our boats in the different categories go undefeated on the weekend. We will keep pushing hard in training and working together as we gear up for the conference championships in the coming weeks.”

Tennessee’s first varsity eight crew—Sasha Radovanovic (coxswain), Meg Flanagan, Hannah Smith, Sarah Abrams, Alex Pidgeon, Riley Ferdelman, Alice Fahey, Hannah Richardson and Emma Seawright—posted a convincing race victory Saturday by crossing the line in 6:26.432. That time was the fastest of any boat in the field during round three and the second-fastest time overall on the weekend. In addition, that mark was 13.826 seconds faster than 18th-ranked Washington State and 16.316 seconds ahead of Big 12 foe Alabama.

The Lady Vols’ 2V8+ boat Saturday featured Elizabeth Walley (coxswain), Sophie Hill, Megan Hewison, Stella Mirkovic, Paige Reymann, Nicole Campbell, Gracie Condon, Katie Rice and Erin Gifford. That crew put down the fourth-fastest time (6:29.500) of any crew all weekend, behind only three 1V8+ crews, two of which were also Lady Vol boats.

UT outpaced the field in remarkable fashion in that race. Miami (6:47.182) crossed the line 17.682 seconds after Tennessee, with Alabama (6:51.234) placing third, a distant 21.734 seconds behind the Lady Vols. Washington State clocked a time of 6:59.748, which was 30.248 seconds behind Tennessee.

In the first varsity four boat—Laila Irigoyen (coxswain), Maylie Valiquette, Allison Lea, Sheya Lavin and Natalia Loram—Tennessee’s final time of 7:10.435 bested second-place Alabama (7:26.457) by 16.022 seconds. Sixth-place Washington State (7:42.329) was 31.894 seconds back of Tennessee. UT’s winning time served as the fastest time of any fours crew all weekend.

Tennessee’s 2V4+ crew—Audrey Bast (coxswain), Abby Fowler, Beatrice Bernard, Channing Taner and Logan Yates—earned a victory with a final time of 7:25.092. That mark was 8.476 seconds faster than second-place Iowa and 16.154 seconds better than Alabama, who finished third.

Saturday also saw Mykayla Fluster cox the Lady Vols’ third varsity eight crew—Lili Binetti, Paris Thornburg, Kiana Worobey, Casey Chronister, Maiya Birdling, Tiara Dye, Evelyn Hedrick and Alyssa Biernat—to a winning time of 6:58.380, besting Alabama (7:03.996) by 5.616 seconds and fourth-place Miami by 23.044 seconds.

Pocock Cup – Lake Wheeler Invitational
Final points standings
1. Tennessee – 99
2. Duke – 84
3. UCF – 75
4. Syracuse – 65
5. Penn – 62
6. Alabama – 56
7. Iowa – 32
8. Miami – 28
9. Washington State – 26
10. Louisville – 17
11. Tulsa – 13
12. Clemson – 10
13. Navy – 7
14. Kansas – 5
15. Boston University – 2
16. Georgetown – 2
17. North Carolina – 1
18. Boston College – 1

Up next, Tennessee returns to Sarasota, Florida, for the second time in three events to race at the Big 12 Championships on Sunday, May 19.

Race Results
1V8+:
1. #5 Tennessee (6:26.432)
2. #18 Washington State (6:40.258)
3. Miami (6:42.570)
4. Alabama (6:42.748)
5. Iowa (6:47.256)
6. Boston (6:47.478)

2V8+:
1. #5 Tennessee (6:29.500)
2. Miami (6:47.182)
3. Alabama (6:51.234)
4. Iowa (6:51.846)
5. Boston (6:56.998)
6. #18 Washington State (6:59.748)

1V4+:
1. #5 Tennessee (7:10.435)
2. Alabama (7:26.457)
3. Boston (7:30.189)
4. Miami (7:32.425)
5. Iowa (7:32.903)
6. #18 Washington State (7:42.329)

2V4+:
1. #5 Tennessee (7:25.092)
2. Iowa (7:33.568)
3. Alabama (7:41.246)
4. Miami (7:49.892)
5. #18 Washington State (7:55.942)

3V8+:
1. #5 Tennessee (6:58.380)
2. Alabama (7:03.996)
3. Iowa (7:13.840)
4. Miami (7:21.424)

Lineups
1V8+: Sasha Radovanovic (coxswain), Meg Flanagan, Hannah Smith, Sarah Abrams, Alex Pidgeon, Riley Ferdelman, Alice Fahey, Hannah Richardson, Emma Seawright

2V8+: Elizabeth Walley (coxswain), Sophie Hill, Megan Hewison, Stella Mirkovic, Paige Reymann, Nicole Campbell, Gracie Condon, Katie Rice, Erin Gifford

1V4+: Laila Irigoyen (coxswain), Maylie Valiquette, Allison Lea, Sheya Lavin, Natalia Loram

2V4+: Audrey Bast (coxswain), Abby Fowler, Beatrice Bernard, Channing Taner, Logan Yates

3V8+: Mykayla Fluster (coxswain), Lili Binetti, Paris Thornburg, Kiana Worobey, Casey Chronister, Maiya Birdling, Tiara Dye, Evelyn Hedrick, Alyssa Biernat

AUSTIN, Texas – Racing against many of the top programs in the nation, No. 2 Texas Rowing collected three victories in front of a boisterous home crowd at the Longhorn Invite at Lake Walter E. Long on Saturday morning. The Longhorns hosted top-ranked and defending national champion Stanford, No. 12 Virginia and No. 14 Ohio State with Texas tallying wins in the First Eight, Second Eight and Third Eight.

“The atmosphere for the event was terrific, and we really appreciate the effort from all involved. It felt like a championship regatta, and I’m glad we were able to pull it off,” said Texas head coach Dave O’Neill. “We think this was Bevo’s first rowing event, and we wanted to make him proud. Having him here made the day a little more exciting, and we recognize these things matter.”

Racing was impacted by high crosswinds on the course of 10-14 mph with gusts of 20 mph, forcing an adjusted schedule in which the teams’ three NCAA boats – First Eight, Second Eight, First Four – competed in two heats instead of one grand final.

“I really appreciate the work and patience of all the teams and coaches when we had to scrap the original plan,” O’Neill said. “Crosswinds are never fun, but everyone handled it very well. We got fair racing, and that’s what we all wanted even if the course was a little short.”

With the adjusted schedule, Texas raced head-to-head against Stanford in heat one of each event with Ohio State and Virginia racing in heat two. Stake boats were utilized and there were no buoy lines.

Texas came away with the victory in the I Eight, crossing the line in 6:00.969 to win by open water over a Stanford crew that posted a time of 6:03.353. The Cardinal were in front at the midway mark, but Texas surged over the final half of the course to top Stanford. Ohio State was the winner in heat two, posting a time of 6:20.922 with Virginia taking second in 6:26.766.

“The first eight race was absolutely fantastic. Everyone expected a tight race, and we got that and more,” O’Neill said. “I give a lot of credit to Lanie Nitsch, Anna Jensen and Etta Carpender. They’re doing a terrific job in every way, and it’s great to have such skill, power and leadership in the stern four.”

The Longhorns added a second win with a dominating performance by the II Eight. Texas posted a time of 6:13.247 to finish almost six seconds ahead of Stanford’s 6:19.247. Ohio State was the victor in heat two with a time of 6:35.060, followed by Virginia in 6:44.292.

“The second eight was impressive. They have shown some real speed, and it was good for them to show it in a race like that,” O’Neill said. “Sue Holderness has turned herself into a very good stroke, and her leadership helps bring out the best in everyone.”

In the I Four, Texas was in front at the midway point, but Stanford found another gear over in the final half of the race, finishing in 6:52.990 with Texas the runner-up in 6:55.271. The second heat saw Ohio State cross the line first in 7:14.980 and Virginia posting a time of 7:17.805.

“It was a tough race for the first four,” O’Neill said. “We got off to a good start, but Stanford stopped our momentum and rowed through to a well-earned win. We’ll learn from it and get better.

“We managed to finish ahead of Stanford in the two priority races, and that obviously feels good. However, we’re realistic and know those results could easily flip if we had rowed back and done it again. They’re a terrific team, and no doubt they’ll be going fast at NCAAs.”

The Longhorns added a runner-up finish in the II Four, finishing in 7:15.355. Virginia picked up the win 7:11.565, while Ohio State took third in 7:21.940.

Texas closed out the regatta with a come-from-behind victory in the III Eight. The Longhorns were trailed the Cardinal at the midway point by about a boat length, but soon overtook the Stanford boat to win by open water, 6:38.688 to 6:43.362. Virginia placed third with a time of 7:06.697.

The regatta kicked off with Texas and Stanford racing their fourth eight’s. The Cardinal took the win in 6:30.561 to the Longhorns’ 6:45.996.

On deck for Texas is the Big 12 Rowing Championship on Sunday, May 19 in Sarasota, Fla. The regatta will be held at Nathan Benderson Park, the site where the Longhorns won the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Championships.

RESULTS
I Eight –Heat 1
1. TEXAS – 6:00.969
2. Stanford – 6:03.353

I Eight – Heat 2
1. Ohio State – 6:20.922
2. Virginia – 6:26.766

II Eight – Heat 1
1. TEXAS – 6:13.647
2. Stanford – 6:19.247

II Eight – Heat 2
1. Ohio State – 6:35.060
2. Virginia – 6:44.292

I Four – Heat 1
1. Stanford – 6:52.990
2. TEXAS – 6:55.271

I Four – Heat 2
1. Ohio State – 7:14.980
2. Virginia – 7:17.805

II Four
1. Virginia – 7:11.565
2. TEXAS – 7:15.355
3. Ohio State – 7:21.940

III Eight
1. TEXAS – 6:38.688
2. Stanford – 6:43.362
3. Virginia – 7:06.697

IV Eight
1. Stanford – 6:30.561
2. TEXAS – 6:45.996

LINEUPS
I Eight: Carly Legenzowski (c), Mette Nielsen (stroke), Lanie Nitsch, Anna Jensen, Etta Carpender, Marg Van der Wal, Abby Dawson, Cassandre Korvink-Kucinski, Amber Harwood (bow)

II Eight: Amy Werner (c), Sue Holderness (stroke), Paula Becher, Rhiannon Luke, Allie Alton, Phoebe Wise, Parker Illingworth, Taryn Kooyers, Nadja Yaroschuk (bow)

I Four: Paris West (c), Ellie Rodriguez (stroke), Phoebe Robinson, Katherine Nordheim, Lucy Searle (bow)

II Four: Alex Taylor (c), Grace Edgar (stroke), Harriet Wallace, Salma Dessouky, Anna Garrison (bow)

III Eight: Janet Goode (c), Alex Rollins (stroke), Savvy Jerome, Yasmin Howe, Chloe Cooper, Carys Luther, Daniela Thiermann, Jessica Jamieson, Katelyn Semien (bow)

IV Eight: Emma Williams (c), Scarlett Milling (stroke), Meg Vegesena, Hailey Easterly, Jen Dugdale, Alexa Matos, Naomi Geiger, Evan Jaynes, Reagan Whitehouse (bow)

The 2024 European Rowing Championships, and the World Rowing European Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta, are being held at the Szeged National Canoeing and Rowing Olympic Centre from 25 to 28 April.

The first day of finals at the 2024 European Rowing Championships saw crews from seven nations win titles, with Great Britain ending the day on top of the medal table. There was also a surprise for Ukraine’s Dariia Kotyk. Her PR3 mixed double sculls partner Stanislav Samoliuk proposed to her on the podium after they won bronze: she said yes.

In total, 13 nations stood on the podium in Szeged, Hungary, in an exciting day of racing where also tickets for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games were secured by Switzerland and Spain.

British crews won four of the 10 finals – the women’s four and quadruple sculls, men’s eight and PR3 mixed double sculls.

The British men’s eight was the only one of their gold medallist crews to lead through each marker. The women’s four had to work through the fast-starting Romanians, the quadruple sculls crew took more than 1500m to overtake Ukraine, and Sam Murray and Annie Caddick in the PR3 mixed double sculls only emerged at the head of a close race after more than 500m.

But the men’s eight, which closed the day’s racing, almost saw an upset after Germany on the outside challenged hard in the third 500m. The ‘Deutschland-Achter’ has been rebuilding and the crew looks like it is regaining its form just in time for the Olympic Games.

The British men’s eight was one of three crews to retain European titles. The others were the Swiss lightweight men’s double sculls crew and Norway’s Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion Birgit Skarstein in the PR1 women’s single sculls.

Switzerland’s Jan Schaeuble and Raphael Ahumada rowed a strong race to take a good win in the lightweight men’s double sculls. They will be conscious though that the Irish world and Olympic champions are absent, due to Fintan McCarthy being sidelined for medical reasons.

Skarstein was beaten for the first time in more than 30 outings in Thursday’s preliminary race, but she rowed a tactically superb final, working her way through the pack to win her fourth straight European title. In the PR1 men’s single sculls, Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi added European gold to his world and Paralympic titles, overturning last year’s result when he was beaten by Italy’s Giacomo Perini – second on Saturday.

In the World Rowing European Olympic & Paralympic Qualification Regatta, Switzerland’s Claire Ghiringhelli and Spain’s Javier Garcia Martinez took the sole tickets to Paris in the PR1 women’s and men’s single sculls. Ghiringhelli will be the first Swiss rower ever to race at the Paralympic Games.

Racing in Szeged concludes on Sunday, 28 April, with finals in 12 events.

WHAT ARE THE EUROPEAN ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS?

The European Rowing Championships have been staged since 1893, and are one of the longest running sport championships on the international calendar. After a hiatus, they were reinstated in 2007, and for the first time in 2018, were part of a multi-sport event. The European Rowing Championships are open to the 46 European national rowing federations, including Israel.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE EVENT

The programme for the events can be found here, and entries for all the races are available here.

Live race tracker and LIVE audio will be available for ALL races on www.worldrowing.com.

LIVE video streaming will be available on the World Rowing website on Saturday, 27 April, from 13:00 onwards, and Sunday, 28 April from 10:00.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok for behind the scenes interviews, live updates, racing updates, photos and more.

The 2024 European Rowing Championships, and the World Rowing European Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta, are being held at the Szeged National Canoeing and Rowing Olympic Centre from 25 to 28 April.

After two days of heats and repechages, European Rowing Championships medals will be awarded and places booked for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games over the coming two days in Szeged, Hungary.

Finals begin on Saturday with 10 European champions set to be crowned. A further 12 finals take place on Sunday. Saturday also features semifinals in the men’s pair, single sculls and double sculls, ahead of finals in those events the following day.

Three months out from the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Rowing Regatta, the European Rowing Championships have already produced plenty of excitement. Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis in the Romanian women’s double sculls crew had come to Szeged unbeaten since the 2019 World Rowing Championships, but their streak was snapped on Thursday by Thea Helseth and Inger Kavlie of Norway in their first race together. Bodnar and Radis made it safely through the repechage on Friday to keep their European defence alive.

Paralympic Champion in the PR1 women’s single sculls, Birgit Skarstein (Norway) was also beaten for the first time in over 30 races on Thursday, coming in third in the event’s preliminary race, which was won by Israeli Moran Samuel. Skarstein, Samuel, and the rest of the field race again for the medals on Saturday.

In contrast, British dominance in the PR3 mixed coxed four continues, as they cruised to victory in their preliminary race, maintaining a streak that now goes back 14 years.

In the European Olympic & Paralympic Qualification Regatta, heats and repechages determined the boats who will race for the tickets to Paris on Saturday and Sunday. There are three spots available in both the men’s and women’s single sculls, two in the lightweight men’s and women’s double sculls, and one for the PR1 men’s and women’s single sculls. The early rounds produced few surprises, but close racing promises exciting finals in all six events over the weekend.

WHAT ARE THE EUROPEAN ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS?

The European Rowing Championships have been staged since 1893, and are one of the longest running sport championships on the international calendar. After a hiatus, they were reinstated in 2007, and for the first time in 2018, were part of a multi-sport event. The European Rowing Championships are open to the 46 European national rowing federations, including Israel.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE EVENT

The programme for the events can be found here, and entries for all the races are available here.

Live race tracker and LIVE audio will be available for ALL races on www.worldrowing.com.

LIVE video streaming will be available on the World Rowing website on Saturday, 27 April, from 13:00 onwards, and Sunday, 28 April from 10:00.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok for behind the scenes interviews, live updates, racing updates, photos and more.