Australia’s top junior rowers ready to take on the world

By Nick Jones at the Sydney International Regatta Centre

Rowing Australia has named the 2025 Under 19 Australian Rowing Team following four days of high-stakes trials at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith.

This group of standout young athletes will represent Australia at the World Rowing Under 19 Championships in Trakai, Lithuania, from August 6-10, which is the premier event for junior flatwater rowers on the global stage.

“The process this week was really thorough,” Rowing Australia Head of Pathways Jason Lane said.

“We've got a really good team moving forward. There are some great young athletes here who have the potential to race at Under 19's [World Championships] and deliver strong results.”

Gold medallists Tomas and Matias Maloney headline the squad, returning to the Junior Men’s Four after being a part of the Junior Men's Coxed Four that claimed victory at the 2024 World Rowing Under 19 Championships.

Lucy Yabsley also returns to the team, shifting from the Quad to the Women’s Double Scull, where she’ll partner Patricia Boland.

“It's exciting for those athletes [Maloney’s, Yabsley, and Astrid Thomas] that did a really good job last year to come back and try and repeat or do better,” Lane said.

“But what’s even more exciting is the talent behind them. We’ve seen a lot of really good potential on the water and on the ergo. That’s exciting not just for this year, but for the future of the sport.”

Among the debutants, Astrid Thomas, a two-time World Rowing Under 19 Beach Sprint medallist, will swap the surf for still water in the Junior Women’s Single Sculls.

The team will also send a Women’s Eight to Trakai for the first time in several years, featuring athletes from three Sydney schools and two from Adelaide.

“That’s really exciting,” Lane said. “Not just because of their speed, but because we’re seeing great collaboration between schools and states. This is a really good crew that I think can take on the world and be very strong.”

Over the next 15 weeks, athletes will complete a focused training block at their home clubs and schools, with some relocating interstate to support crew preparation.

This team will be one to watch given many of the rowers have an eye on a home Olympic Games in Brisbane in 2032.

20205 Under 19 Australian Rowing Team

Junior Women’s Single Sculls (JW1x) - Astrid Thomas (QLD / QAS / University of Queensland Boat Club)

Coach - Phil Bourguignon (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club)

Junior Women’s Double Sculls (JW2x) - Patricia Boland (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / Glebe Rowing Club / Loreto Normanhurst), Lucy Yabsley (NSW / Glebe Rowing Club / Ascham School)

Coach - Oliver Klotz (NSW / Glebe Rowing Club / Ascham School)

Junior Women’s Eight (JW8+) - Zahra Taylor (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / Queenwood), Millie Cullinane (NSW / Pymble Ladies' College), Mika Naito (NSW / Pymble Ladies' College), Tamara Bates (SA / Adelaide Rowing Club), Grace Barrera (SA / Adelaide Rowing Club), Chelsea Baker (NSW / St Catherine’s School), Madeleine Swain (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club), Florence Hennessy (NSW / St Catherine’s School), Melody Yin © (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / Queenwood)

Coach - Jarrod Watson (NSW / St Catherine’s School)

Junior Men’s Double Sculls (JM2x) - Tobias Elias (NSW / Mosman Rowing Club / Northern Beaches Secondary College), Luke Purdie (NSW / Hunter Valley Grammar School / Newcastle University Boat Club)

Coach - Rowena Meredith (NSW / Mosman Rowing Club)

Junior Men’s Pair (JM2-) - Lachlan Brown (WA / WAIS / West Australian Rowing Club), Jack Hansen-Knarhoi (WA / WAIS / Fremantle Rowing Club)

Coach - Tom Gatti (WA / WAIS)

Junior Men’s Four (JM4-) - Angus Ciesiolka (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club), Maximus Garnett (SA / Prince Alfred College), Matias Maloney (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club), Tomas Maloney (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club)

Coach - TBC

Junior Men’s Quad Sculls (JM4x) - Lucas Cardaci (WA / West Australian Rowing Club), Eoghan Johnson (QLD / Commercial Rowing Club), Max Mason (VIC / Wendouree Ballarat Rowing Club / Ballarat College), Monty Sallabank (VIC / Melbourne Grammar School Rowing)

Coach - Jamie McDonald (VIC / Wendouree Ballarat Rowing Club)

Australian Under 19 Team Manager - John Smyth (QLD / The Southport School)

2025 Under 19 Australian Rowing Team

Meet your Under 19 Team