Crews to watch at the 2025 World Rowing Championships
There’ll certainly be no shortage of star power at the World Rowing Championships 2025, which features a start list replete with Olympic and Paralympic champions, rising stars and curious underdogs.
One name that sticks out immediately is Germany’s Oliver Zeidler – current men’s single sculls world and Olympic champion.
Returning to competition after a prolonged break to focus on his studies, he’ll headline the single sculls title fight – which features the highest number of entries – alongside fellow Paris 2024 medallists Yauheni Zalaty and Dutch athlete Simon van Dorp in what promises to be a blue-ribbon event at the Shanghai Water Sports Centre.
Women’s single sculls also features a high number of entries, with the exception of reigning world and Olympic champion Karolien Florijn, of the Netherlands, who will sit out the 2025 World Rowing Championships.
Her absence has created a compelling tussle for the crown, featuring Great Britain’s Lauren Henry – formerly of quadruple sculls fame – Ireland’s Fiona Murtagh, runner-up at the European Championships, and Lithuania’s Viktorija Senkute – the sole finalist from Paris 2024 entered in the competition.
As always, there’ll be plenty of intrigue surrounding the historically prominent men’s and women’s eight, with Great Britain (men) and Romania (women) set to defend the titles they claimed two seasons ago in Belgrade, Serbia.
With ten crews entered into both events – as well as the non-Olympic mixed gendered event, which will make its debut World Championship debut in Shanghai – it may take an extra bit of effort to claim those titles once more.
If you’re a fan of sibling crews, look no further than Croatia’s men’s four, which features two sets of brothers, including Martin Sinkovic and Valent Sinkovic, who’ve won four Olympic medals (three gold, one silver) in three different boat classes.
Chen Yunxia and Zhang Ling, members of the Chinese quadruple sculls crew that claimed gold at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, will hope to give the local fans something to cheer for in the women’s double sculls competition.
Entering as favourites in the absence of all three crews that won medals at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, they’ll compete for the title alongside an experienced pairing from France and a talented young duo from Greece.
Of course, with so many events on the schedule, there’s likely to be a few shocks when the competition is said and done. After all, what’s rowing without some photo finishes?