World Cup III Lucerne Day 1 Review: A flying start for rowsellas

The Australian Rowing Team (ART) got off to a successful start at World Cup III in Lucerne on Friday with 18 of 20 boats advancing to their next rounds.

On Day 1, six Australian crews qualified for medal races in their events on Sunday.

They were Australia’s two crews in the Women’s Eight, the Women’s Four, the Men’s Eight and from the Para rowing squad, Erik Horrie OAM PLY in the PR1 Single Sculls and the new-look PR3 Mixed Doubles Sculls crew of Ella Marshall and Sam Stunell.

A further 12 Australian crews made it into the Quarter-Finals or Semi-Finals.

In what is the ART’s final international test before the 2026 World Championships at Amsterdam in August, Day 1 at Lucerne - regarded the most prestigious event on the international calendar outside the Olympic and Paralympic Games and World Championships - saw all 20 Australian crews race in Heats or Preliminary races.

The strong showing by the ART reflects the support from Hancock Prospecting and commitment of RA Patron Mrs Gina Rinehart AO. From trials to crew selection, and the big stage of international competition, Hancock Prospecting’s investment plays a pivotal role in enabling Australian crews to prepare, perform and succeed globally.

RA also acknowledges the significant support from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and the Australian Government through Minister for Sport Anika Wells, whose investment enables athletes, coaches and programs to perform on the world stage and represent our nation with pride.

For World Cup III on the pristine Rotsee, Australia’s entry across 15 events was drawn from its Senior, ‘Australia A’ and Para rowing squads. Performances by all ART crews at Lucerne will go into RA’s determination of its final selection of the ‘Rowsellas’ team for this year’s World Championships to be held at Amsterdam, Netherlands on August 24-30.

Rowing Australia Performance Director Paul Thompson MBE said Day 1 of World Cup III on Friday provided encouraging signs of Rowing Australia's continued progress. He credited the performances to the dedication of the athletes, coaches and performance support team, together with the outstanding support of Rowing Australia's Patron, Mrs Gina Rinehart AO, as well as the Australian Institute of Sport and our valued partners.

"We hit the ground running today. The rowers, coaches and support team did a fantastic job for this part of the regatta where crews have progressed through nicely to the Semi-Finals and A-Finals,” Thompson said.

“We all know it gets harder from here. The crews are ready and looking forward to the challenge ahead.”

Women

Photo: Patrick Boere 

In the Women’s Single Sculls, Australia’s two entries - Tara Rigney OLY and Annabelle McIntyre OAM OLY – qualified for Saturday’s Semi-Finals with strong performances.

Rigney and McIntyre – both former Gina Rinehart AO Leadership Award recipients – raced in separate heats en route to booking their place in the knock-out round.

Rigney, coached by Alfie Young, led Heat 1 from start to finish to win (7:43.36) ahead of South African Paige Badenhorst (7:48.78) and Hungary’s Zoltana Gadanyi (7:50.83).

Rigney’s win automatically secured her Semi-Final berth with the first two qualifying.

Her command of the race was even more impressive with it being only her third international competition since Paris 2024 where she placed fourth - the other two races being the Heat and A-Final in World Cup I in Seville where she won the B-Final.

“It’s been good to find my feet a bit more after having 18 months away from international racing. I feel a bit more like my usual self and style,” Rigney said.

“Seville was a big shock to the system. It has been a continuous learning curve, and Alfie [Young] has been a great guiding hand during that process.

“Today, I was fortunate to be in a position where I was in control of the race, and I was able to cruise along the last 500 and save some bickies for the Semi-Final.”

Rigney said the support behind her has been crucial to her return, from friends and family to her coach Alfie Young and Mrs Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting.

“I am extremely grateful for the support of Mrs Rinehart … it allows us to do what we do,” Rigney said. “In the Single scull you have your team, your support network; and her support leads us to having the best high-performance system and team staff.”

McIntyre also impressed in Heat 2, her first race since Paris 2024 where she added a Bronze Medal in the Pair with Jessica Morrison OAM OLY to her Gold in the Four at Tokyo 2020.

For McIntyre, coached in the scull by Ellen Randell, her post-Paris 2024 break was interrupted with back surgery. She has recovered, but her presence at Lucerne comes without pressure and the goal to resume racing with an eye on the longer-term future.

On Friday, Irish World Champion Fiona Murtagh who won Heat 2 (7:38.44) from Ukraine’s Kateryna Dudchenko 7:41.97) with McIntyre third (7:45.08) in third.

She was right in the fray for the first 1000m, then slightly slipped off the pace.

While she missed a top two place to qualify for the Semi-Final, she earned a place in the knockout round with one of the four fastest times from outside first and second.

“It is really nice to be back out there, get a run on the board, and just be in the racing environment again,” McIntyre said.

“I don’t have the technical aspect sorted under fatigue. So, it's mainly just relying on general fitness and rhythm to get me through the race. “

McIntyre paid tribute to those who have supported her journey back to the start line.

“I can’t say enough about my family and friends who have been there with me all the way as well as Rowing Australia,” McIntyre said.

“The same goes for our Patron, Mrs. Gina Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting. Without their support, it would be a much harder journey to get to where I am today.

“It's been a good 18 months of recovery from a back injury, and without the dedication of all the support staff, and that funding that we get it would be a lot harder. “

In the Women’s Eight, Australia’s two crews qualified for Sunday’s A-Final.

The ‘Aus 1’ crew from the Australian Senior Team continued their winning ways at World Cup I where they won the Gold by taking out Heat 2 to go through to the medal race.

Coached by Ellen Randell, the crew of Georgie Gleeson, Eliza Gaffney, Lily Triggs OLY, Ella Bramwell, Samantha Morton, Paige Barr OLY, Jaime Ford, Laura Gourley OLY and (cox) Hayley Verbunt OLY won (6:00.01) from the US (6:02.55) and Germany (6:08.35.)

The ‘Aus 2’ crew from the ‘Australia A’ squad that won two Golds at the Holland Beker regatta in Amsterdam last weekend made the A-Final after finishing third in Heat 1.

Great Britain won (5:59.89) the heat from Netherlands (6:06.43) followed in third place by the Nadia Bleaken coached ‘Australia A’ crew (6:08.60) made up of Sophie Barr, Taylor Caudle, Jean Mitchell OLY, Gabriela Morton Van Eybergen, Sophie Houston, Sarah Marriott, Caitlin McManus Barrett, Star Rose Miller and (cox) Anna O’Hanlon.

Hayley Verbunt, cox of the ‘Aus 1’ Eight, said her crew’s Heat 2 win was “a good step on. We really executed what we had set out to do in the first 1,500 metres, and what we've been working on the last three weeks on our training camp in Italy.

“One of our strengths as a crew is how consistent we've been, and I think it was exciting and satisfying to see the work we had done post Seville really translate into racing.”

Verbunt praised the ‘Aus 2’ crew for their success which sees Australia with two boats in the A-Final: “It's super exciting to have both crews in. It shows the depth of the squad and how close the Australia A crew is to the rest of the international competition.”

In the Women’s Four, the James Harris coached crew of Giorgia Patten OLY, Bronwyn Cox OLY, Jacqueline Swick, and Georgie Rowe OLY won Heat 1 in commanding style.

In World Cup I, Netherlands beat Australia for Gold. But on Friday, the Australians who won Silver at Seville showed they were up for the challenge by beating the Dutch to win.

Australia won (6:27.80) comfortably from Netherlands (6:32.02) and Denmark (6:39.09) to qualify for the A-Final on Sunday.

The Women’s Pair of Emmie Frederico and Katherine Easton also progressed to Saturday’s Semi-Final with a second place finish in the third of three heats.

The heat was won by Chile (7:12.08) from the Xavier Dorfman coached Australians (7:13.95) and Switzerland (7:18.32)

In the Women’s Quadruple Sculls, the Jamie McDonald coached crew of Romy Cantwell, Sarah Fahd, Sara de Uray, and Emily Sheppard placed fourth (6:27.06) behind Great Britain (6:19.75) who beat Germany (6:22.38) and France (6:23.01).

They missed the A-Final by 0.3 seconds and will now race Sunday’s B-Final.

 

Men

Photo: Patrick Boere

In the Men’s Eight, Australia marked their first international hit out for 2026 by making Sunday’s A-Final with an impressive second place in Heat 2 behind Great Britain.

Australia started fast, and even though the British took the lead mid-way into the race, they did not relent and stayed in the hunt for victory all the way to the finish.

Great Britain won (5:25.10) but hot on their stern was Australia (5:25.84) in second, followed by Poland (5:33.97) in third.

For the Nico Maurogiovanni-coached Australian crew of Patrick Holt, Alex Nichol, Jack Robertson, Harry Manton, Fergus Hamilton, Patrick Long, Mitch Salisbury, Rohan Lavery, and (cox) Nicholas Dunlop it was a confident start for their first race.

“It's nice to get the heat out of the way after all the training,” cox Nicholas Dunlop said,

“It obviously wasn’t perfect, but it’s good to have another go in two days' time.”

Dunlop said it is also motivating to be a part of a large Australian contingent at Lucerne.

“It's awesome to be here in such a large contingent, and with everyone putting up really good races on Day,” he said.

“It is a testament to the hard work and the support that goes into helping us be out here and do what we love.

Meanwhile, Australia’s men’s sculling squad also qualified for a number of Semi-Finals.

In the Men’s Four, Australia’s two entries both made it into Saturday’s knock-out round.

From the Senior Team, the Noel Donaldson coached Aus 1 crew of Charles Batrouney (late replacement for Nikolas Pender due to illness), Lachlan Doust, Darcy Watter, and Jackson Kench placed second (5:57.66) in their heat to Romania (5:56.14).

From the ‘Australia A’ squad, the ‘Aus 2’ crew coached by Scott Rowe of Henry Blackwell, Alexander McClean, Ben Canham OLY, and Benjamin Scott were third (5:58.38) behind winners Great Britain 1 (5:56.13) and the US (5:57.64), Australia qualifying by having one of the four fastest times outside the top two finishers in heats.

Jackson Kench, stroke of ‘Aus 1’, was happy with the outcome of their first race. “It’s nice to get that out of the way and to be moving forward into the next round,” he said.

“For our boat, it was a starting point with a new combination … a good step forward.

“It took us a good few hundred metres to find the rhythm that we were looking for but we hit our straps we managed to step through the race really well.”

Kench said the strong start by the ART throughout reflected the resources RA has at its disposal. “We are very lucky in Australia to be supported the way we are,” Kench said.

“We have our principal partners, like our Patron Mrs. Rinehart whose support makes sure that we are looked after and can compete internationally the way that we do.

“We never take that for granted. We have obviously got to step up and make sure that we do everyone proud … everyone who supports us, friends and family as well.”

In the Men’s Pair, Australia saw its two entrants make Saturday’s Semi-Finals.

The Aus 1 crew of Angus Dawson OLY and Alex Hill OAM OLY from the Senior squad and coached by Chris O’Brien won Heat 2 (6:29.78) from Spain (6:33.57) and Kazakhstan (6:35.05).

The Scott Rowe coached Aus 2 crew of Mackenzie Thompson and Alexander Baroni who are from the ‘Australia A’ squad qualified for the Semi-Finals on time (6:39.71) after placing third in Heat 1 behind Switzerland (6:32.88) and Norway 1 (6:37.86).

Meanwhile the men’s sculling group also enjoyed a successful first day at Lucerne.

In the Men’s Quadruple Sculls, the Australian Nick Mitchell coached crew of Cormac Kennedy-Leverett, Johnson Daubney, Jackson Free, and Marcus Della Marta produced one of the most exciting races of the day in Heat 3.

The new-look Australian crew were beaten for the win by Germany, but by only 0.01. Germany won (5:48.28) from Australia (5:48.29) and Czechia (5:48.90).

Asked what they took most from the race, Della Marta said it was a major boost for their collective confidence but added: “It's more a reward for all the effort, for the past 12 months for me, and then this crew, for the past, probably two months.

“It's such a fast-moving boat. We're not small. There are four big boys in that boat, so any sort of movement makes a big difference. It's such a work in progress. But our crew deserves to be here. We deserve to be racing at this international stage.

The Men’s Double Sculls crew of Oscar McGuinness and Nicholas Blackman who are coached by Jamie Hewlett progressed to Saturday’s Semi-Final with their third place.

In the second of five heats, France (6:25.77) won in a tight finish from Belgium (6:26.81) and Australia (6:27.68).

In the Men’s Single Sculls: Australia had two scullers entered from the ‘Australia A’ squad - Hamish Danks, coached by Nick Mitchell, and Hamish Allan, coached by Scott Rowe.

Danks placed third in Heat 3 to qualify for the Quarter-Finals later Friday in which he missed out on a Semi-Final berth. He will race the D-Final on Saturday.

Allan did not progress with his fifth in Heat 5 and will now race Saturday’s E-Final.

 

Para rowing

Photo: Patrick Boere

It was a successful start for the Australian Para rowing squad and their coaching team of James Loveday (Head Coach), Christine MacLaren (PR3 Lead Coach), Caroline Pijpers (PR3 Coach) and Chris Holliday (PR1 Coach)

In the PR1 Men’s Single Sculls, former World Champion and Paralympic medallist Erik Horrie OAM PLY claimed a strong win in the first of two heats to make Sunday’s A-Final.

Racing in Lane 4, Horrie (9:15.99) won over France’s Alexis Sanchez (9:26.43) and Great Britain’s Jake Woods (9:31.11).

In Sunday’s A-Final among the qualified scullers will be Great Britain’s World, Paralympic and European champion Benjamin Pritchard (GBR) who won Heat 2 just under two seconds faster than Horrie's time.

“It's only the heats, so we're all doing the old cat-and-mouse game, but it's good to be back racing with the fellow PR1s,” Horrie told Worldrowing.com.

In the PR3 Women’s Pair, the crew of Susannah Lutze and Wallis Russell won their Preliminary race comfortably over Japan and will now race for medals on Sunday.

he new Australian combination of Ella Marshall and Sam Stunell placed second in the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls Preliminary race (7:18.60) behind German World Champions Valentin Luz and Kathrin Marchand (7:16.13) with Ukraine third (7:33.37).

In the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four, the crew of Susannah Lutze PLY, Toby Goffsassen PLY, Mac Russell, Wallis Russell, and (cox) Hannah Cowap PLY placed third (7:06.45) in their Preliminary race behind the winners, the US (6:54.23) and Ukraine (7:01.22).

They will race the Final on Saturday.

 

HOW TO FOLLOW 2026 WORLD CUP III – Lucerne: June 26-28

Follow the action across Rowing Australia’s social channels.

For all information on Live video streaming, race tracker, audio, timetable, entries and results, click HERE

For the regatta website, click HERE

 

Who's Up for Australia on Day 2 - Saturday