Due to adverse weather conditions, the 2024 World Rowing Championships races had to be cancelled on Monday. There was a further delay on Tuesday morning due to strong winds, but the event finally got underway ninety minutes later than originally planned, with heats and preliminary rounds in the U23 boat classes.
After five heats in the U23 boat classes, which serve to determine the finals, a series of heats and, in some cases, races began for direct qualification for the medal finals. The wind was exactly the opposite of Sunday, so fast times were unlikely, but the racing was no less exciting.
Britain’s Holly Youd and Anna Grace looked impressive in the first heat of the U23 women’s doubles, leading for most of the race, although former U19 World Rowing Championship medallists from France, Lea Hersovici and Fleur Vaucoret, overtook them in the closing stages. Their times were both faster than the winning time set by Germany in the second heat.
The changes to the race schedule meant that some of the U23 men’s pairs had to race twice on the same day. While eight teams secured their places in the semi-finals from the four heats, the rest had to compete in the repechage round at the end of the race day. The final four places were confirmed in the last two races, and the semi-finals will take place on Wednesday.
Today’s racing session saw the first senior women’s lightweight singles compete, with the 22-strong field including seven rowers who competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics just a couple of weeks ago. It was perhaps no surprise, then, that Greece’s Zoi Fitsiou and Romania’s Ionela Cozmiuc won heats two and three – they are both medallists in the women’s lightweight double sculls in Paris. Heat three was dominated by Ireland’s Siobhan McCrohan, the reigning world champion in this boat class.
These championships feature a non-Paralympic boat class and the preliminary race in the PR3 men’s pair ended today with a victory for Italy over Japan; they will face each other again in the final on Saturday 24 August.
The penultimate boat class of the day was the U23 women’s eight. The USA and Great Britain had already secured their place in the medal race in the heats on Sunday, with the other five teams battling for the four remaining places in the A final. Despite a slow start from Romania, it was a disappointment for the home nation at the finish line as Canada was the only team to miss out on progressing.
Another full day of racing at the World Rowing Championships is coming up on Wednesday, with the first U19 rowers beginning their competition. Racing begins at 09:30 EST, with the U19 heats starting at 10:34 local time. The entire race day will be streamed live on the World Rowing YouTube channel.
Start lists, race reports, results and photos can be found at www.worldrowing.com
