Rupert Guinness26 July 2026 7:55:27 AM7 min read

World Rowing U23 Championships Day 3 Review | Australian crews win five medals

By Rupert Guinness, Australian Rowing Teams Media Manager

The Australian Rowing Team (ART) won five medals - three Golds and two Silvers - on Day 3 of the 2026 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Duisburg, Germany on Saturday.

From the six A-Finals that featured Australian boats on Saturday, Australia won Gold Medals in the Women’s and Men’s PR3 Single Sculls, and Women’s Pairs, and Silver Medals in the Men’s Pairs and Men’s Fours.

Australia is still in the frame for another medal on Sunday, the last day of the 2026 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, in the Men’s Eight A-Final.

Adding gloss to Saturday’s success, Australia’s Men’s Quadruple Scull and Women’s Four also placed first and second respectively in their B-Finals.

The ART’s continued strength at this regatta once more showcases the impact that the support from Hancock Prospecting and enduring commitment of Rowing Australia Patron Mrs Gina Rinehart AO has on Australian rowing. From trials and selections, through to international competitions like this regatta, Hancock Prospecting’s investment is central to Australian crews being able to prepare, perform and succeed globally.

Rowing Australia 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 and represent Australia with pride.

RA Head of Pathways, Jason Lane said results like Saturday’s showcase the impact of such support on RA’s Pathways Program.

“Today’s results are a fantastic reflection of the strength of our Pathways Program and the commitment of the athletes, coaches and support staff who work tirelessly throughout the year,” Lane said.

“To win five medals from six A-Finals is an outstanding achievement and demonstrates the depth of talent we are continuing to develop across Australian rowing.

“These performances are only possible because of the backing we receive from Hancock Prospecting and Mrs Gina Rinehart AO, together with the AIS, ASC and the Australian Government.

“Their support provides our athletes with the opportunities, resources and high-performance environments needed to prepare for success on the world stage.”

Lane lauded the efforts of the eight Australian crews that raced on Saturday – including two in B-Finals; but reserved praise for the medallists.

“I’m incredibly proud of all the crews who raced today,” Lane said.

“Every athlete represented Australia with determination, professionalism and pride, and the performances across both the A and B Finals highlight the depth of this team.

“Our gold medal-winning crews showed exceptional composure and class under pressure, while the silver medallists produced courageous performances against world-class competition.

“To see so many athletes step up in championship racing is extremely encouraging for the future of Australian rowing, and we’re excited to finish the regatta strongly in the Men’s Eight on Sunday.”

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Photo: Lucy Searle and Imogen Grey on top of the podium in the Women's Pair

Gold Medal Wins

The Women’s Pair A-Final produced one of the standout performances of the day with Lucy Searle and Imogen Grey winning in commanding style.

Searle and Grey, the stern pair of the winning University of Texas NCAA Varsity Eight championships in the US, never looked like faltering.

The AIN’s Ekaterina Guseva and Elena Lushina got away well, but Australia soon took the lead back and led by more than three seconds at 500m.

By 1000m, Australia’s lead from Lane 3 had extended to more than 8 seconds on AIN while behind a tight race for third place unfolded.

Despite their open water lead and the probability of their win at that point, it was a credit to their strength of mind as much as technique that they held their boat speed against all the other crews through to the finish line.

Australia won the Gold (7:08.64) from Guseva and Lushina of the AIN who took Silver (7:18.14) and France’s Jeanne Sellier and Luise Dinard (7:22.93) who won Bronze.

"We decide we would give it our all and see what we could do ... We love racing with each other,” Searle told Worldrowing.com after.

Asked how she felt at the start, Grey said:

“Nerves, a bit of excitement but I had complete trust and faith in our training and the person sitting behind me. We were not going to be happy with anything but the gold medal.

"It's a pretty surreal race we just had, and I couldn't imagine doing it with anyone else.”

To which Searle replied: “I wouldn’t want to be behind anyone else. I trust her so much.”

Australia’s Para rowing athletes delivered the ART’s two other Gold Medals on Saturday.

In the PR3 Women's Single Sculls, Australia’s Susannah Lutze PLY who won her Preliminary Race, took the lead soon after 100m and from there held her rhythm and length to the finish to win in a World Best time.

In her first and last Under 23 World Championship, Lutze won (8:09.04) from Spain’s Rocio Fraguela Moas (8:50.40) and Uzbekistan’s Dinara Belyanina (9:02.39).

Lutze, in her last year in the Under 23 age group, will next represent Australia in the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four at the 2026 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam in August.

“It was my first Under 23s and last. So, I wanted to go out with a bang,” Lutze told Worldrowing.com.

"I had a pretty good start, it's not my strongest part of the race, so I was happy to get out of the blocks well and settle into that middle ‘K’ rhythm.

“I tried to wind but I was pretty tired by the end so didn't go that much faster."

In the PR3 Men’s Single Sculls, Australia’s Sam Stunell defended the PR3 title he won last year in Poznan, Poland, bettering his previous Under 23 World Best time.

Stunell, whose World Best time had been 7:28.31, won (7:27.73) off a mighty last 500m after being three seconds off world best pace at 1500m.

Stunell asserted himself early. He led comfortably at 500m, then drew on his strength and length to extend the lead while underrating his opposition.

As he went on, the race for minor medals continued, with Italy’s Igor Zappa (7:56.81) getting the better of Uzbekistan’s Akbarali Abduvaliev (8:05.84).

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Photo: Men's Pair silver medallists Jack Hansen-Kharhoi and Lachlan Brown

Silver Medal Wins

In the Men’s Pair, Australia’s Jack Hansen-Kharhoi and Lachlan Brown produced a magnificent last 500m to surge back and win Silver.

The Gold went to the Greece’s Alexandros Chatziavgoustidis and Andreas Bourkas who led from start to win (6:29.26) from Australia (6:32.91) in second, followed close behind by Romania’s Patrick Sebestyn and Eduard Moldovan (6:32.99) in third.

Australia, Silver Medallists in the event at last year’s World Rowing Under 19 Championships, turned the burners on in the last 500m to charge back into the fray from fourth place to pass Romania in the last 250m.

In the Men’s Four, Australia’s Alec Hoskin, Matthew Cashman, Daniel Cashman, and Montgomery Martin threw everything into their bid to win.

The Australians enjoyed the best start and led Romania and Great Britain by just under a second at 500m. At 1000m, Australia, rating 39 strokes per minute, still led; but Great Britain, rating 37, were only 0.04 seconds down.

Great Britain pushed in the third 500m to lead Australia by 1.08 seconds at 1500m, by which time Australia was being challenged by the US.

Great Britain won (5:56.10) from second placed Australia (5:58.94) who answered the challenge from the US who placed third (6:00.26).

In other races

In the Women’s Double Scull A-Final won by Greece (6:59.14) from Poland (6:59.83), AIN (7:00.76), France (7:02.01) and Lithuania (7:06.40), Australia’s Sophie Malcolm and Eliza Bridgefoot were sixth (7:07.04).

In the Men’s Quadruple Scull B-Final Australia’s Oliver Evans-Wood, Tobias Elias, Max Currie and Jasper Boyce won (5:50.86) from Slovakia (5:52.51) and France (5:52.71) for an Under 23 World Championship ranking of seventh.

In the Women’s Four B-Final Australia’s Leila Gaston, Sarah Marriott, Chloe Nevins and Hannah Richardson placed second (6:39.50) behind Ireland (6:37.33) for eighth place on the Under 23 World Championships rankings.

Australian boats racing on Day 4 – Sunday 26 July

9:15AM (5:15PM AEST) Women’s Single Scull B-Final – Sarah Bourke

11:03AM (7:03PM AEST) Men’s Eight A-Final – Thomas Foley (b), Winston Hooper (2), Henry Belcher (3), Andrew Weightman (4), Rory Menzies (5), James Frederikson (6), Edward Nutt (7), Matias Moloney (s), Thomas Shaw (cox)