On the penultimate day of racing at the 2024 World Rowing Championships for seniors, U23 and U19, the finals of the senior boat classes took place on Martindale Pond. 11 nations won medals in all six boat classes, with all six titles going to different nations.
The first 2024 World Rowing Champions to be crowned on Saturday 24 August were in the PR3 men’s pairs, as Luca Conti and Igor Zappa of Italy got off to a quick start and extended their lead over Japan.
The final of the lightweight single was really packed – with Olympic participants from Paris 2024 and reigning world champions.
In the women’s lightweight singles, it was a wonderful end to Romania’s Ionela Cozmiuc’s international career. After winning silver in the women’s lightweight double sculls in Paris just a few weeks ago, Cozmiuc announced that this would be her last international race and that she would now retire as world champion. Silver went to Zoi Fitsiou from Greece and last year’s world champion, Siobhan McCrohan from Ireland, took bronze.
The men’s lightweight single was equally epic. Eyes were on Italy’s Niels Torre after he set a new world best earlier in the week, but it was Greek Antonios Papakonstantinou got off to a quick start and led for more than half the race. However, Ireland’s two-time Olympic champion Paul O’Donovan was on a mission. O’Donovan worked his way through the field and added another world title to his incredible tally.
The lightweight pairs were full of history. In the women’s event, Poland’s Jessika Sobocinska and Katarzyna Welna dominated with a new world and world best time, but Peru was history as they took silver – their second world medal. Gold went to Austria’s Konrad Hultsch and Paul Ruttmann in the men’s lightweight pairs, and Paraguay made history as they took silver – the first world medal for the country.
In the final race of the day, even more history was made when Mexico took victory in the men’s lightweight quadruple sculls, claiming the nation’s first-ever world title.
Sunday, August 25th is the final day of racing in St. Catharines, Canada and will be dedicated to the U19 boat classes. Racing begins at 09:35 EST and medal finals begin at 11:30 EST and last until 14:55.
Start lists, race reports, results and photos can be found at www.worldrowing.com
