2024 World Rowing Senior Championships – Review

Image Credit: World Rowing

While the focus of the rowing world rightly has sat in Paris this summer, the world championships in the events not in the Olympic or Paralympic programme will be contested for in St Catherine’s. There were insufficient entries to run racing in four of the ten events offered but, in the events contested, there was plenty of exciting racing on offer.

PR3 Men’s Pair

JRN Prediction: Italy

Actual Result: Italy

In the only Para-rowing event to be raced, it was a head-to-head battle between crews from Italy and Japan as the rowers that would likely compete in this event are acting as reserve to the flagship crews in Paris. In this race it was never really close as the Italian crew had open water within the first hundred metres or so, leaving the older Japanese crew in their wake. Across the finish line, the margin had stretched to one hundred metres on the water as the gap was officially recorded as 27.93 seconds.

Lightweight Women’s Single Scull

JRN Prediction: Romania, Ireland, Greece

Actual Result: Romania, Greece, Ireland

In a mixture of those who raced in the double in Paris, Olympic reserves and those from nations who did not qualify in the event, it was a tight start with several athletes being within a length of the lead, but the early advantage went to the Olympic silver medallist Ionela Livia Cozmiuc of Romania, stretching out from the field by the halfway mark. Behind her, the other medals were being traded by the defending champion Siobhan McCrohan of Ireland, Aurelie Morizot of France and Zoi Fitsiou of Greece among others. Through the middle of the race, Morizot dropped back from the medals, with McCrohan establishing herself in silver, though not giving up on the gold. In the ferocity of the final sprint, it was not to be, as the Greek sculler unleashed a strong charge to take the silver medal ahead of Siobhan McCrohan. In the minor final earlier in the day, the British Olympic spare Liv Bates finished nineth overall. 

Lightweight Men’s Single Scull

JRN Prediction: Ireland, Italy, Greece

Actual Result: Ireland, Greece, Italy

The lead into this one was interesting as the European champion Niels Torre of Italy had vociferously announced his intention to fight the Olympians in the field by breaking the World’s Best Time in the heats but finished second in his semi-final to the Greek Antonios Papakonstantinou. In the other semi-final, the three-time Olympic medalist Paul O’Donovan of Ireland, just back from winning in Paris, loomed large.

In the first 500 metres, the entire field was within a second with Papakonstantinou, who had the best of the starts and began to squeeze away from the field through the second quarter with O’Donovan and Sam Melvin of the United States hot on his stern. It was the Olympic champion who had the best third 500 metres, catching the Greek sculler and taking the momentum into the final 500 and using it to secure gold. Behind him, Melvin nearly caught the Greek sculler for silver but ran out of gas too soon, allowing Niels Torre to sneak by him for the bronze medal.

Lightweight Women’s Pair

JRN Prediction: Poland, Peru

Actual Result: Poland, Peru

With only three boats racing in this event, it could have been an uninspiring event but it remained close in the opening stages, with all three boats within a length at the 500 metre mark, as positioning followed the prediction: Poland lead by half a length over Peru, with the home nation Canada in third place, a length off the lead. By halfway, the Polish had moved further away, with the battle for the other medal remaining tight as the Canadians remained in close proximity to their South American rivals. Coming into the finish, they did not have the killer move to overtake the Peruvian twins, leaving the Canadian team without a medal on their home lake entering the final day of these combined championships. As well as the gold medal, the Polish duo were able to set a new World’s Best Time in relatively neutral conditions compared to what we have seen this week.

Lightweight Men’s Pair

JRN Prediction: Austria, Moldova, Georgia

Actual Result: Austria, Paraguay, Moldova

As expected, the Austrian crew took the early lead with the European champions sitting well ahead of the field by the first quarter with the only competition being with the Swiss crew from a decade ago who hold the World’s Best Time. For silver, Moldova, Paraguay and Thailand sat behind them in a tight grouping, rowing within a few feet of each other with the Georgian crew behind all the way to the 1500 metre mark. The Paraguay crew were the fastest of the grouping as the speeds rose to the finish line with this silver being the first medal for the country at a World Rowing championships. The Moldovans managed to keep up with the first stage of the Paraguayan sprint, but this effort nearly cost them a medal as they fell back into reach of the Thai crew, only wining bronze by 0.15 seconds. For the Austrians out front, it was not quick enough to set a new mark in the boat class, but they comfortably won the gold medal and added the world crown to their European title.

Lightweight Men’s Quadruple Scull

JRN Prediction: Germany, Denmark, Mexico

Actual Result: Mexico, USA, Germany

Off the start in this one it was the United States and Germany who had the lead, ahead of Mexico who crossed through the first timing marker just a second behind the near-identical pace of the leaders. They were able to catch the Americans in the next quarter of the race, but the Germans had managed to take a third of a length’s lead with their superior base pace. The charge of the Mexicans was not going to be stopped though; they made a major move at around 1100 metres, claiming the lead whilst entering the most crucial stage of the race. With a later move, the Americans were moving the fastest in the final 500m, overturning the Germans to upgrade on their bronze in this event from 12 months ago, but as they hunted down their neighbours to the south, the Mexicans had just enough to claim the gold medal, their first World championship crown in the sport of rowing.

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