"VAN" (Sports Desk - 27.07.2025) :: A total of 18 nations won medals on the first day of A-finals at the 2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Poznan, Poland, on Saturday.
The packed day of racing delivered a series of narrow margins and historic results, starting with the debut of para-rowing at this level, and culminating in the first victory in the men’s four for the USA.
Dariia Kotyk of Ukraine became the first-ever para-rowing under 23 champion after winning the PR3 under 23 women’s single sculls in a close race against Australian 17-year-old Isobel Egan. Egan’s teammate Sam Stunell then turned the tables, winning the PR3 men’s single sculls title ahead of Ukrainian Ivan Kupriichuk.
Other firsts came in the women’s pair, where Austria’s silver medal and Denmark’s bronze marked the debut under 23 women’s sweep medals for their nations.
Halil Kaan Koroglu won Türkiye’s first gold medal in the U23 lightweight men’s single sculls; he was joined on top of the podium by his men’s pair teammates Aytimur Selcuk and Enes Biber, who claimed gold after racing from the front in a thrilling final.
The men’s pair also saw the closest margin to a medal, with Switzerland edging out Great Britain for bronze by 0.08 seconds. The British men’s four also missed out on the podium by a fraction of a second, with Romania sprinting past them to claim bronze by 0.12 seconds.
Overall the men’s double sculls was the closest race – only 2.37 seconds split the entire field at the finish. Italy claimed gold, just under a second ahead of Germany, who in turn won silver over Ireland by 0.01 seconds. Portugal were another 0.25 seconds back in fourth, with France and Lithuania fifth and sixth.
Italian lightweight women’s single sculler Melissa Schincariol also won gold, a year after taking gold in the women’s quadruple sculls at the World Rowing Under 19 Championships. Italy added bronze medals in the PR3 men’s single sculls and lightweight men’s single sculls.
Another junior champion stepping up to the under 23 category was Greece’s Varvara Lykomitrou. She added under 23 gold in the women’s double sculls to her 2024 junior title, after teaming up with Dimitra Kontou in Poznan. Kontou becomes a three-time under 23 world champion, adding the openweight double sculls title to her two previous lightweight double sculls wins.
Great Britain was the only nation on Saturday to successfully defend an under 23 title, winning the women’s four for a second year in a row. Stroke Jessica Martin was the only returning member of the crew, but her crewmate Ellie-Kate Hutchinson also won gold last year in the women’s eight.
Racing concludes in Poznan on Sunday with B-finals in six events from 10:00 CEST, followed by the remaining eight A-finals, starting at 11:05 CEST.
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