#ARC25 Day Four Preview – Small boat champions to be crowned

By Nick Jones at the Lake Barrington International Rowing Course

The 2025 Australian Rowing Championships will hand out the first set of medals on Thursday morning, with small boat finals headlining what is expected to be a decisive day for athlete ambitions - and the notebooks of Australian selectors.

Large fields have been whittled down over the past three days through heats, repechages and semi-finals.

Events like the U17 Men’s and Women’s Single Sculls, which began with 49 and 48 athletes respectively, are now down to just eight.

For those in the Open events, a strong performance in Thursday’s small boat finals will go a long way toward receiving an invitation to the Australian Selection Trials later this year.

In the Open Women’s Single Sculls, with Rowsella Tara Rigney not entered, a new name will be etched onto the Kim Brennan Trophy for the first time since 2022.

Rowsella Laura Gourley (UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / HPNTC) has emerged as the standout performer in the field and enters Thursday as the clear favourite.

The battle for Silver and Bronze is set to be a hot one between 2024 Under 23 World Champion Grace Sypher (Sydney Rowing Club), Catherine Kahn (ANU Boat Club) and Rowsella Bronwyn Cox (UWA Boat Club).

In contrast, the Men’s Open Single Scull has shaped into one of the most unpredictable races of the regatta.

Rowing Australia Men’s Head Coach Chris O’Brien echoed that sentiment, noting the importance of execution in rough water.“You can see the variability in the conditions today,” O’Brien said.

“There might have been some that struggled a bit… as the conditions get a bit windier, there’s more risk of simple mistakes. You’ve got to do your basics well.”

With Thursday’s weather forecast again mixed, O’Brien believes anything can happen once crews hit the finals.

“The Singles will be interesting… once someone is in the finals here [#ARC25], it’s a whole different ball game.

“That said, there’s no doubt the South Australian guys will come out ready to fire.”

Selectors will also be closely watching the Open Pairs, where some new faces are making early impressions.

With Alex Hill (Adelaide Rowing Club / RBTC) withdrawing from the Men’s Pair due to illness, Nik Pender (UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / RBNTC) was thrown into a new combination with Fergus Hamilton (Mercantile Rowing Club / RBTNC) just last week.

Pender joins fellow first-year Reinhold Batschi National Training Centre (RBNTC) athletes Mitch Salisbury (KAND Rowing Club / RBNTC) and Nick Smith (MUBC / RBTC), both of whom will be hoping to make a mark in their first campaign at the open level.

Thursday will also feature the PR3 Single Scull finals, where rising para talent continues to step into the spotlight left by legends Nikki Ayers OAM and Jed Altschwager OAM.

In the Women’s PR3, Rowsella Susannah Lutze (Banks Rowing Club) and Isobel Egan (Radford College) will battle once again, following a close race-for-lanes on Tuesday.

Other medals on offer Thursday include:

• U17, U19, U21, U23, and Open Men’s and Women’s Single Sculls

• U17, U19, U21, U23, and Open Men’s and Women’s Pairs

• U21, U23, and Open Lightweight Men’s and Women’s Single Sculls

• U23, and Open Lightweight Men’s and Women’s Pairs

• PR3 Men’s and Women’s Single Sculls

Stay connected and immerse in the action at #ARC25. For real-time updates and live results, click here. Don’t miss a moment – watch the action on our live stream as it unfolds on our YouTube channel. For more information, visit our official #ARC25 Website. Photos from the regatta are available at: https://www.australianrowingimages.com/

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