The Australian Rowing Team will receive its first indicator of competitive form for the 2026 international season when the Women’s squad races in World Cup I at Seville in Spain from Friday to Sunday (May 29-31).
The international season opener will see 19 members of the ‘Rowsellas’ race over three days in five boats from five Olympic classes – the Eight, Four, Pair ,Quadruple Sculls and Single Sculls . Day 1 on Friday will see all five Australian boats race.
World Cup I represents the next major step for Rowing Australia’s high-performance program that is underpinned by more than a decade of support from Hancock Prospecting and enduring commitment of Rowing Australia Patron Mrs Gina Rinehart AO. From trials to crew selection, and now the big stage of international competition, Hancock Prospecting’s investment plays a pivotal role in enabling Australian crews to prepare, perform and succeed against the world’s best.
RA acknowledges the support of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Australian Sports Commission (ASC), and Australian Government, whose investment enables athletes, coaches and programs to perform on the world stage.
Australian Women’s Team Head Coach James Harris, in his second season in the job since leaving Great Britain to coach in Australia, said the support is crucial to RA’s high-performance strategy for the Olympic and Paralympic Games at Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032.
“A huge thank you to Hancock Prospecting, the Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian Sports Commission for the support they give,” Harris said.
“It allows the athletes to train at a world class level within our National Training Centres. Without them we would not be the team we are.
“Thanks also to all the athletes, staff and their close support networks for their resilience, effort and time in building and supporting our team.”
Harris is optimistic about the strength of the Women’s Team going into World Cup I in Seville after a thorough training block at the Hancock Prospecting National Training Centre in Penrith, NSW in preparation for the 2026 international season that includes the Holland Beker Regatta in Netherlands on June 20-21 where the Men’s Pair and ‘Australia A’ team will also race, World Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland on June 26-28 and the World Championships at Amsterdam, Netherlands on August 24-30.
“We’ve had a solid block of training since the 2025 World Championships with competitive selection across the boat classes,” Harris said.
“Physically, technically and mentally the group has matured since 2025, with the bonus of having a number of returning Olympians adding to the depth of the training squad.
“Seville provides the first opportunity on the path to Amsterdam [World Championships] to benchmark ourselves against the other nations.
“We are realistic with our expectations, with each crew understanding the steps they have taken since last season.
“Like always, we’ll take one stroke at a time and use Seville to assess our progress and build for Lucerne [World Cup III] four weeks later.”
Harris also provided an assessment of the Australian boats entered for World Cup I in Seville,
EIGHT: “The boat has several new faces from the one we had in 2025, and with the Eight being put together so late in the 2025 season, we are looking for a more consistent delivery from the crew we have selected this season. Seville will be the first opportunity for this crew to show the hard work they have put in over the domestic season.”
Crew: (b) Georgie Gleeson, (2) Eliza Gaffney, (3) Lily Triggs OLY, (4) Ella Bramwell, (5) Samantha Morton, (6) Paige Barr OLY, (7) Jaime Ford, (s) Laura Gourley OLY, (cox) Hayley Verbunt OLY. Coach: Ellen Randell
FOUR: “With all the athletes having competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics, this crew is one of our most experienced boats. The aim is to learn and develop within this boat class, with ample opportunity to develop consistent race performance. Seville will be a chance to show the work that's been put in on the Nepean over the past eight months.”
Crew: (b) Georgia Patten OLY, (2) Bronwyn Cox OLY, (3) Jacqueline Swick OLY, (s) Georgie Rowe OLY. Coach: James Harris
*Patten has been moved to the bow seat and Cox to the 2 seat
PAIR: “Two of our younger athletes are competing in the Pair in an attempt to make it their own and add to the rich history in this boat class for Australia. Seville will be a great opportunity to show their speed.”
Crew: (b) Emmie Frederico, (s) Katherine Easton. Coach: Xavier Dorfman
QUADRUPLE SCULLS: “We are undertaking a project to enhance women's sculling in Australia, and we are at the beginning of this project. Seville will provide us with ample opportunity to measure how far we still have to go, especially with this crew. The athletes involved have put in great levels of effort to attempt to accelerate this project.”
Crew: (b) Romy Cantwell, (2) Emily Sheppard, (3) Sara de Uray, (s) Sarah Fahd. Coach: Jamie McDonald
SINGLE SCULLS: “Tara Rigney returns following a year away from her professional career. She is balancing work with rowing and attempting to be world class at both. Seville will be the first opportunity to measure her level internationally since the 2024 Olympics. She is looking forward to getting out of the office and onto the racecourse in Seville!"
Crew: Tara Rigney OLY. Coach: Alfie Young
RESERVES: “We have fantastic reserves [one Pair and one Single Scull will race at Seville] who work so hard to make sure they continue to move themselves on as athletes whilst covering sculling and sweep crews to keep the race boats on the water. Our squad will only be as good as the quality of the athletes that don't make our race boats.”
Crews: Pair: (b) Jean Mitchell OLY, (s) Taylor Caudle. Coach: Xavier Dorfman, Single Sculls: Grace Sypher. Coach: Jamie McDonald
*The Reserve boats will now not race at World Cup I in Seville.
HOW TO FOLLOW 2026 WORLD CUP I – Seville: June 5-7
Follow the action across Rowing Australia’s social channels.
Races start May 29 at 9.05 AM (5.05 PM AEST.) Medal races on May 30 from 2.20 PM (10.20 PM AEST) and May 31 from 11.05 (7.05 PM AEST).
Regatta information: The provisional timetable for the events can be found HERE and entries for all the events can be found HERE
LIVE video streaming and race tracker and LIVE audio will be available for ALL races on the World Rowing World Cup I website: HERE
WHAT’S UP FOR AUSTRALIA – World Cup I Seville Day 1: Friday
9.05 AM (5.05 PM AEST) – Women’s Single Sculls: (AUS1) Tara Rigney OLY
10.14 AM (6:14 PM AEST) – Women’s Pair: (AUS 1) Emmie Frederico, Katherine Easton
11:37 AM (7:37 PM AEST) – Women’s Four: Georgia Patten OLY, Bronwyn Cox OLY, Jacqueline Swick OLY, Georgie Rowe OLY
12.09 PM (8:09 PM AEST) – Women’s Quad Sculls: Romy Cantwell, Emily Sheppard, Sara de Uray, Sarah Fahd
14: 27 PM (10:27 AEST) - Women’s Eight: Georgie Gleeson, Eliza Gaffney, Lily Triggs OLY, Ella Bramwell, Samantha Morton, Paige Barr OLY, Jaime Ford, Laura Gourley OLY, (cox) Hayley Verbunt OLY
Australian Rowing Team departures to Europe
• May 21 – Women’s Team to Seville, Spain
• May 24 – Coastal Rowing Beach Sprint Team to Milan, Italy
• May 28 – Para Team to Milan, Italy
• June 6 – Men’s Team to Milan, Italy
• June 17 – Australia A Team to Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Red denotes ‘departed’
Australian Rowing Team 2026 international calendar
• May 29-31 – World Cup I: Seville, Spain (Women)
• June 5-7 – Filippi Lido Beach Sprint Regatta: Tuscany (Beach Sprint)
• June 20-21 – Holland Beker Regatta: Netherlands (Men's Pair + Australia A)
• June 26-28 – World Cup III: Lucerne, Switzerland (Women, Men, Australia A, Para)
• August 24-30 – World Championships: Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Australian Senior and Para World Cup team is:
The Australia A Team for the Holland Beker Regatta and World Cup III is:
The Australian Beach Sprint Team for Filippi Lido Beach Sprint Regatta is: