Image Credit: World Rowing
Held in St. Catharines, Canada one month after the Paris Olympics, the U23 World Rowing Championships provided the first look at the LA quadrennial’s talent pipeline. Each country has a different strategy based on physiology profiles and training philosophies, so measuring U23 success is not as simple as just reading the medal table.
Great Britain produced an incredibly dominant performance, topping the official medal table with five golds and a bronze. They swept the women’s sweep events and won both the men’s eight and four – a whopping 26 British athletes brought home gold medals (more than the following four countries combined). Great Britain’s Paris team was 31% comprised of athletes born in 1998 or later (athletes who were U23 in the leadup quadrennial), and there appears to be plenty of promising athletes already in the queue for LA 2028.
In contrast, the Netherlands was notably low-key at the U23 World Rowing Championships, with only four crews entered and one A-final appearance from the women’s pair. The Dutch had the oldest team in Paris (only 21% born in 1998 or later) and appeared not to rely on developing as many U23s as possible to reach the Olympic level within four years. This may be due to their endurance-focused training approach, which produces results over longer periods. However, it is raising a red flag that the team was so small, and the development crews sent to World Rowing Cup 3 this summer included only one current U23 athlete.
The United States and Australia both showed a similar percentage of 1998+ Olympians to Great Britain, with both at 38%. The United States won five medals, but only two were Olympic class (silver in both eights), a slight decline from their 2022 and 2023 performances. There’s no reason to hit the panic button yet, but the USA is likely hoping for a ramp-up in performance when targeting home Games. Australia won four medals in Olympic class boats, which may improve their outlook for LA 2028 after a disappointing showing in Paris.
Romania were the youngest heavy-hitter team in Paris – a whopping 64% of their racers were born in 1998 or later. Their racing style is very distinctive with a trademark high rating and ability to sprint, which may favor youthful physiology. With that in mind, the 2024 U23 World Rowing Championships were something of an underperformance. Romania came away with only two medals (albeit gold) in women’s sculling, while the men’s team made A-finals in all three men’s sweep boats. Romania likely wanted to find more rising stars from this age group, although with the frequent doubling-up of athletes, they may only need a handful of fresh athletes to make a significant impact.
Italy and Germany also sent young teams to Paris, with 59% and 52% born after 1998. In St. Catharines, Italy won only two Olympic class medals (men’s pair, men’s quad) but had 12 A-final appearances overall compared to Romania’s six. Italy looks to be on track for developing these athletes for LA 2028. Germany won eight medals and had the most A-final appearances with 15. Only four of those medals were Olympic class, but the women’s eight bronze is a fantastic sign of a deepening women’s sweep program.
Overall, Great Britain, Australia, and Germany have had a promising start to the LA 2028 quadrennial. Italy and the USA have had a more measured start but can still be optimistic, while Romania and the Netherlands have a few warning signs.
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