The Australian Rowing Team has touched down in Lucerne for the second and final leg of the 2025 World Rowing Cup series, ready to build on their results in Varese that saw five crews step onto the podium and a new wave of senior talent announce themselves on the world stage.
With 16 boats entered and several key crew changes across the squad, Lucerne offers one final 2km test before the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai in September.
Fresh off a Gold medal performance in Italy, the Men’s Four (AUS1) of Nikolas Pender, Fergus Hamilton OLY, Austin Reinehr and Tokyo Olympic champion Alexander Hill OAM hit the Rotsee looking to back it up against a stacked field that includes European champions Romania and a retooled Croatian outfit led by the Sinkovic brothers.
Hamilton said the approach remained the same.
“We just have to keep doing what we’re doing and don’t try to change too much. Always looking for that one percenter whether it’s fitness or technical,” Hamilton said.
“The best part of Varese is that the program does work and if you fully commit yourself, you’ll get results.”
Australia’s PR1 powerhouse Erik Horrie OAM PLY will again lead the charge in Para events.
After a clinical win in Varese, Horrie returns to Lucerne without the presence of Paralympic champion Ben Pritchard but knows the job isn’t done yet.
“We parked that result [Varese Gold] as soon as we got off the water,” Horrie said.
“It certainly showed that the work that James [Loveday] and Christine [MacLaren] has been doing with me is really paying off.”
In the Women’s Four, Jaime Ford, Eliza Gaffney, Georgina Rowe OLY and Jacqueline Swick OLY turned heads with a strong Silver medal row in Varese, finishing just behind the United States and holding off the reigning Olympic champions from the Netherlands.
Swick said the crew had taken a big step forward and they were aiming for more improvement this weekend.
“It felt surreal to be up there. You never know what’s going to happen at the start of a new cycle,” Swick said.
“The middle of the podium is well within reach. If we execute well and practice what we’ve been doing in training, we’ll definitely have a good crack at the top step.”
In the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls, Lisa Greissl and Sam Stunell impressed with a Silver medal in their first international outing.
With the German duos again splitting their best combinations, the Australians will be looking to close the gap and test themselves against the fastest in the world.
Elsewhere, Laura Gourley OLY returns in the Women’s Single Sculls, while the Men’s and Women’s Eights will be searching for a lift after Varese.
Watch for the debut of Zara Collisson and Sophie Houston in the Women’s Eight and the return of Angus Widdicombe OLY and Angus Dawson OLY to the Men’s Eight, as both crews gear up for their final dress rehearsal before Worlds.
The Men’s Double Sculls will again aim to be highly competitive, with Australia’s combinations of Oscar McGuinness/Mitchell Reinhard (AUS1) and Jack Cleary/Harry Fox (AUS2) facing off against Olympic medallists and lightweight luminaries.
Racing begins this afternoon (Friday), with finals taking place Sunday.
With only two stages in this year’s World Rowing Cup, Lucerne will also determine the overall standings, with Great Britain, Italy, and the Netherlands currently leading the points table.
How to Follow the 2025 World Rowing Cup - Lucerne
The first races will start June 27 at 16.30 AEST. The medal races start June 28 at 20.55 AEST.
Here is how to follow the event on mobile, tablet, or desktop:
The provisional time table for the events can be found here and entries for all the events can be found here.
Live race tracker and LIVE audio will be available for ALL races on www.worldrowing.com.
LIVE video streaming will be available on the World Rowing website on Saturday June 28 from 18:30 AEST, and on Sunday June 29, from 19:00 AEST. The video streaming will start 5 minutes before the first race.
WHAT’S UP FOR AUSTRALIA – World Cup Lucerne Day 1: Friday
8.40AM (4.40PM AEST) – Women’s Single Sculls Heat 3: Laura Gourley OLY
9.49AM (5.49PM AEST) – Women's Pair Heat 1: Jaime Ford, Paige Barr OLY
10.04AM (6.04PM AEST) – Men's Pair Heat 1: (AUS1) Mitch Salisbury, Nicholas Smith
10.14AM (6.14PM AEST) – Men's Pair Heat 3: (AUS2) Hamish Wynn-Pope, Charles Batrouney
10.49AM (6.49PM AEST) – Men's Double Sculls Heat 2: (AUS 1) Oscar McGuinness, Mitchell Reinhard
10.59AM (6.59PM AEST) – Men's Double Sculls Heat 4: (AUS 2) Harry Fox, Jack Cleary OLY
11.06AM (7.06PM AEST) – Women’s Four Heat 1: Emmie Frederico, Eliza Gaffney, Georgina Rowe OLY, Jacqueline Swick OLY
11.16AM (7.16PM AEST) – Men's Four Heat 1: (AUS 2) Darcy McCluskey, Lachlan Doust, Alexander Baroni, Miller Eagle-Rowe
11.26AM (7.26PM AEST) – Men’s Four Heat 3: (AUS1) Nikolas Pender, Fergus Hamilton OLY, Austin Reinehr, Alexander Hill OAM
11.43AM (7.43PM AEST) – Men's Quadruple Sculls Heat 1: Nicholas Blackman, Johnson Daubney, Jackson Free, Alexander Rossi
2.40PM (10.40PM AEST) – PR1 Men’s Single Sculls Preliminary Race: Erik Horrie OAM PLY
2.50PM (10.50PM AEST) – PR3 Mixed Double Sculls Preliminary Race: Lisa Greissl, Sam Stunell
3.31PM (11.31PM AEST) – Women’s Eight Preliminary Race: Georgie Gleeson, Eleanor Price, Taylor Caudle, Zara Collisson, Emily Sheppard, Ella Bramwell, Sophie Houston, Katherine Easton, Hayley Verbunt OLY
3.36PM (11.36PM AEST) – Men's Eight Preliminary Race: Alexander McClean, Alex Nichol, Jack Robertson OLY, Marcus Emmett, Harry Manton, Angus Widdicombe OLY, Angus Dawson OLY, Patrick Long, Nicholas Dunlop