Smooth take off for Rowsellas at 2026 World Beach Sprint Finals

The Rowsellas began the 2026 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Qingdao, China on Monday in impressive style with all seven boats qualifying for their knockout rounds.

The event began Monday after Day 1 of racing on Sunday was cancelled due to winds making conditions unsafe. Racing was rescheduled to start on Day 2 with time trials on two ‘racetracks’ - Senior events on ‘Track A’ and Junior (U19) events on ‘Track B.’

For the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals, the Rowsellas have a Senior team of seven athletes across four events; and a Junior (U19) team of two athletes for three boats.

While the Rowsellas’ focus during the event is on the World Beach Sprint Finals, all eyes are also looking towards LA28 where Coastal Rowing makes its Olympic Games debut, with athletes competing through a national high-performance pathway backed by the enduring commitment of Hancock Prospecting and Rowing Australia Patron Mrs Gina Rinehart AO.

On Monday in tricky conditions, Australia automatically qualified in time trials for the knockouts of the Men’s and Women’s Coastal Solo, Mixed Double Sculls and Quadruple Sculls and U19 Women’s Coastal Solo categories. Through second time trials, Australia also qualified in the U19 Men’s Coastal Solo and U19 Mixed Double Sculls events.

Speaking on the Rowsellas’ performance, Rowing Australia Performance Director, Paul Thompson MBE said:

”There is no doubt that all the teams have been challenged by the challenging conditions, postponements and cancellations.

“Australia started the regatta well with all the crews racing to their potential which is testament to the rowers and to how well [RA Beach Sprint Head Coach] James Loveday, [RA Beach Sprint Lead Coach] Spencer Turrin and the support team have done in preparing the team.

“Of course, with Day 2 behind them the focus is now on the tomorrow's races.”

Rowing Australia Beach Sprint Head Coach James Loveday said:

”It was great to see all our crews execute some great time trials this morning to get into the knockout rounds.

“All athletes, boat handlers and coaches focused on their processes in some variable conditions. We're excited to see how they progress through the regatta.”

Monday’s races were on a ‘box course’ with a slalom leg to the first buoy and 90-degree turn, a straight run to a second buoy and 90-degree turn, and a straight sprint back.

The aim of the time trials was to finish in the first eight in the preliminary time trial - Time Trial 1 - to avoid racing Time Trial 2 for a place in the upcoming knockout rounds.

Senior Events

NSW’s Isabella Scammell made her Rowsellas debut in commanding style in Time Trial 1 of the Women’s Coastal Solo, posting the fastest time (2:52.92) from 32 starters.

Behind Scammell, the 17^th to start, was Lithuania’s Raminta Morkunaite (2:59.90), followed by China’s Wenjie Zhu (3:01.13) and then scullers from Austria, Great Britain, Canada, Portugal and Poland who all automatically qualified for Tuesday’s knockouts.

“It was really enjoyable, good to get the first one out,” Scammell told Worldrowing.com.

“I feel like it's been a long time coming, but just excited to get the first one under the belt, the rest will go from here.”

In Time Trial 1 of the Coastal Mixed Double Sculls, Scammell and NSW’s Oscar Scheel Gamborg also placed first to go into the knockout rounds of the event on Wednesday.

The fast-finishing Australians (2:39.75), the 10^th to start, beat Lithuania (2:40.96) and Spain (2:42.79), followed by New Zealand, the United States, Italy, China and Croatia.

Earlier in the Coastal Men's Solo Queensland’s Sam Forbes claimed seventh place in Time Trial 1 to also automatically qualify for Tuesday’s knockout rounds in the event.

Forbes, who won five gold medals at the recent Australian & Oceania Beach Sprint Championships (AOBSC), was the 20^th of 38 entries to race against the clock.

Germany’s Moritz Wolff (2:37.09) won from the United States, Lithuania, China, France and Brazil respectively, followed by Forbes (2:37.09) and then Great Britain in eighth.

Forbes also featured in the Coastal Mixed Quadruple Sculls that placed third to make Wednesday’s knockouts. In the crew with him were the ACT’s Catherine Khan, Queensland’s Elizabeth Newell, NSW’s Dan Johnston and NSW coxswain Ryder Taylor.

Germany were the fastest in Time Trial 1 (2:30.43) in which only the top six from 10 entrants automatically qualified with the rest facing a Repechage. Behind Germany was Great Britain (2:32.68) and Australia (2:34.02), followed by Spain, China and Turkey.

Junior (U19) Events

In the U19 Coastal Women’s Solo Queensland’s Maddison McLaughlin placed second (3:20.92) to China’s Zhu Weiwei (3:18.27) in Time Trial 1 from 24 entries to automatically make the knockouts. Behind them was Czechia’s Magdalena Vlastnikova (3:21.28), then scullers from Poland, Greece, Canada, the United States and Hungary.

In the Top 16 knockout later in the day round McLaughlin (3:20.40) triumphed over Austria’s Luisa Oemer (3:42.40) to secure her spot in Tuesday’s Top 8, or Quarterfinals.

In the U19 Coastal Mixed Double Sculls, the ACT’s Harrison Braithwaite (bow) and McLaughlin (stroke) placed 12^th (3:07.63.) in Time Trial 1 to miss automatic qualification that went to Germany who won (2:41.84), China, Spain, France, Greece, Poland, Austria and New Zealand respectively. They won Time Trial 2 (2:59.43) to make Wednesday’s next round with Italy, Croatia Brazil, Egypt, Great Britain, AIN and the United States.

In the U19 Coastal Men’s Solo, Braithwaite placed 17^th from 24 starters (3:10.90) in Time Trial 1. The first eight were from China who won (2:44.70), France, Austria, Brazil, Italy, New Zealand and Egypt. His hopes of a knockout berth hinged on Time Trial 2.

In that Braithwaite placed sixth (3:10.13) to make the knockout round, with the other Time Trial 2 qualifiers, Czechia, Tunisia, Greece, Great Britain and Honk Kong who finished ahead of him, and Colombia and AIN who finished behind him in that order.

In the knockout, Braithwaite led Austrian Nikolas Roidmayer nearing the line, but Roidmayer (3:10.80) still beat Braithwaite (3:25.75) to make Tuesday’s Quarter-Final.

Racing continues to Tuesday 20 October, with event information available on the World Rowing website.

Photo Credit: Balint Czucz