By Rupert Guinness, Australian Rowing Teams Media Manager
The Australian Rowing Team (ART) will have two crews racing for medals at the World Rowing Under 19 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria on Saturday after they both advanced into the A-Finals on Friday.
On Friday, Day 2 of the World Rowing Under 19 Championships that finish August 9, Australia’s Women’s Pair and Women’s Four raced Semi-Finals and by placing second and third respectively, both made the A-Finals.
Also on Friday, Australia’s Women’s Quadruple Scull, that missed out on the Semi-Finals in Thursday’s heats, finished a gallant second in the C-Final.
The impressive performances by the Australian crews on Friday reflect the continued development of Rowing Australia’s Pathways Program which, across the board, has benefited from more than a decade of unwavering support from Hancock Prospecting and RA Patron, Mrs Gina Rinehart AO.
From trials and selections, through to the big stage of international competitions like these 2026 World Rowing Under 19 Championships in Plovdiv, Hancock Prospecting’s investment into rowing is central to Australian crews being able to prepare, perform and succeed globally.
RA also acknowledges the support from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Australian Sports Commission (ASC), and Australian Government.
RA Head of Pathways, Jason Lane said the collective performance by the ART on Friday was another example of the huge impact that such support is having on the development of Australian athletes, coaches and rowing.
“It is helping to build the next generation of Australian rowing talent and strengthen the pathway towards future senior team success,” Lane said.
Lane lauded the Under 19 ART for how the three Australian crews raced their events on Friday, as well as their coaches; saying:
“I’m incredibly proud of how our athletes and coaches performed today. To have two crews qualify for A-Finals and another rebound strongly to finish second in the C-Final is a testament to the hard work, resilience and commitment that has gone into this campaign.”
In the Women’s Pair Semi-Finals, the Victorian-based crew of Piper Hallam and Emma Peele, who are coached by Will Achermann, placed second to make the A-Final that will be held on Saturday.
Lane praised the composure of the Pair under late pressure, saying:
“Piper and Emma showed great composure and maturity throughout that race. They executed their plan well, put themselves in a strong position early and responded when the pressure came on late. Securing a place in the A-Final is a fantastic achievement and gives them an opportunity to race for a medal tomorrow,” Lane said.
In Semi-Final 2 Romania led from the start to win comfortably (7:29.18), but the Australians, who finished second to Romania in Thursday’s heats, managed to check their moves and establish their position as well.
Needing a top three to make the A-Final, Australia’s qualification looked all but secure at 1000m and 1500m, but then the race for the vital third spot to qualify between Germany and Lithuania dramatically tightened the race.
Lithuania claimed the last A-Final ticket, crossing the finish line hot on Australia’s stern, with only 0.54 being the margin. Romania was first (7:29.18) from Australia (7:31.35) in second and Lithuania (7:31.89) third. Joining them in the A-Final on Saturday will be the first three in Semi-Final 1 – Italy (7:26.02), Uzbekistan (7:28.27) and Croatia (7:34.46).
In the Women’s Four Semi-Final 1, the Tom Gatti-coached West crew of Oceane Jeannerat, Charlotte Hansen-Knarhoi, Stella Wandel and Olivia Hansen-Knarhoi placed third in their race to also make Saturday’s A-Final.
Lane said the Four had earned their berth the hard way:
“The Women’s Four displayed real determination and confidence in a highly competitive Semi-Final. They held their nerve when challenged and earned their place in the A-Final through grit and consistent racing. Oceane, Charlotte, Stella and Olivia continue to improve with every outing,” Lane said.
Great Britain were early leaders in their Semi-Final, racing through 500m in first, but only by 0.61 from Romania, the European Champions who took the lead soon after; while Australia was still well placed in third position.
However, as with the Women’s Pair Semi-Final, the fight for the vital third place and last A-Final berth, did not allow the Australians to ease up. At 1000m and 1500m, by which time Romania had passed Great Britain, Serbia was very much pressing Australia in a last gasp fight for third place.
However, the Australians stood up to the threat impressively and held on.
Romania won (6:46.01) from Great Britain (6:48.20) in second and Australia (6:52.11) third. Meeting them in the A-Final will be USA (6:56.79), France (6:58.25) and Poland (6:58.78), the first three respectively in Semi-Final 2.
Earlier, in the Women’s Quadruple Scull C-Final, the NSW crew of Elyse Coates, Elouise Stephens, Patricia Boland, and Summer Phillips - coached by Alan Bennett – produced a far more confident and assured performance to finish second behind Bulgaria in a tightly fought contest to the line.
Lane said the crew’s response after missing the Semi-Finals was the standout:
“While the crew would have been disappointed to miss the Semi-Finals, the way they responded today says a lot about their character. They raced with far greater confidence, cohesion and intent, and to finish second in a close contest was a pleasing result. Elyse, Elouise, Patricia and Summer showed exactly the kind of resilience we want to see in our pathway athletes,” Lane said.
In the C-Final Bulgaria led from the start, but the Australians challenged them after fighting back from third place at 500m to second at 1000m, and with a push in the third 500m to be only 0.36 down on Bulgaria at 1500m.
Australia continued to challenge Bulgaria throughout the last 500m, but the local crew – passionately cheered on by a home crowd – still found another gear in the dying metres to just keep the fast-finishing Australians out.
Bulgaria won (6:54.66) from Australia (6:56.42) in second, China (7:01.79) in third and South Africa (7:11.24) in fourth place. Australia’s time was also much better than their heat time (7:02.92) on Thursday in which they placed fifth, indicating they were much better on Friday for the extra race.
Australia’s second place in the C-Final gave them a regatta ranking of 14th.
Australian boats racing on Day 3 – Saturday 8 August
10.35AM (5.35PM AEST) Women’s Pair A-Final 2 - Piper Hallam (b), Emma Peele (s)
11.34AM (6.34PM AEST) Women’s Four A-Final 1 - Oceane Jeannerat (b), Charlotte Hansen-Knarhoi (2), Stella Wandel (3), Olivia Hansen-Knarhoi (s)
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Photo Credit: Brad Redfern Photography