"VAN" (Sports Desk - 30.06.2025) :: After a glorious day of racing at the 2025 World Rowing Cup - Lucerne, Great Britain finished the 2025 World Rowing Cup series on top of the points standings, winning the overall trophy by 10 points ahead of the USA.
After an strong showing in Varese, Italy, two weeks ago, where they earned 42 points, the British did enough on the Rotsee to take the overall crown with a further 25 points.
With the banks of the "lake of the Gods"packed with spectators and guests, including newly-elected International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry, gold-medal winning performances from women’s single sculler Lauren Henry and the men’s quadruple sculls were key for GB, with both boats cementing themselves among the favourites for the 2025 World Rowing Championships in China later this year.
Also marking themselves as favourites for Shanghai in September were the winning Romanian pairs – Maria Magdalena Rusu and Simona Radis, and Florin Lehaci and Florin Arteni. Rusu and Radis dominated their race as they did at the 2025 European Rowing Championships, while Lehaci and Arteni had a stronger finish than the impressive new Kiwi pair of Oliver Welch and Benjamin Taylor who were victorious in Varese.
The Romanian women’s eight were the third gold medallists for their country today, winning in the absence of European champions Great Britain, despite a stern challenge from the USA.
Several crews, including the Chinese women’s double sculls, Australian men’s four, and Australian PR1 men’s single sculler Erik Horrie, backed up wins in Varese with another gold medal in Lucerne.
But there were also first-time winners. History was made for Switzerland on the Rotsee with the nation’s first para-rowing gold for Claire Ghiringhelli. New Zealand’s Logan Ullrich also won his first single sculls gold, showing his rapid improvement from seventh in Lucerne on his debut in the boat, with a fantastic finish.
The Serbian men’s double sculls crew of Martin Mackovic and Nikolaj Pimenov sprinted to a narrow win over New Zealand and Ireland 1 in a superb race; a first-ever World Rowing Cup victory for Pimenov, and the first in a sculling event for Mackovic.
The international racing season continues in July and August with the 2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Poznan, Poland, and the 2025 World Rowing Under 19 Championships in Trakai, Lithuania. It will culminate in Shanghai with the 2025 World Rowing Championships between 21-28 September.
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