Australia’s women’s eight won gold at World Cup I in Seville on 31 May, moving into the lead by 750 metres and holding off the Netherlands and Great Britain to finish in 6:08.35. It was Australia’s first women’s international A-final victory of the new Olympic cycle, and an early sign that the programme is building pace towards the LA Games.
The result capped a productive weekend for Australia’s women’s sweep boats. The women’s four took silver behind the Netherlands, Katherine Easton and Emmie Frederico reached the A-final in the women’s pair, and Tara Rigney, racing internationally for the first time since finishing fourth in the single sculls at Paris 2024, won the B-final for seventh overall.
Photo AUS W8+
Eight Take Command in Third Quarter
The eight’s final unfolded in stages. Romania led early, but the Ellen Randell-coached Australians powered through to take the lead by 750m. At halfway, the margin over the Netherlands was just 0.16 seconds, with Great Britain, winners of the preliminary race, only 0.58 back in third.
The decisive move came in the third 500m. Under coxswain Hayley Verbunt’s calls, Australia extended their lead to 0.84 seconds over the Netherlands at 1500m, with Great Britain now 1.08 back. The Dutch (6:09.76) held on for silver, with Great Britain (6:10.25) in bronze. Romania and Germany completed the field.
Samantha Morton, the Australian five seat, said the crew targeted a fast start and committed early: “We were just thinking, ‘hit the start hard, try get into a rhythm’ … I’d say we executed pretty well,” she told World Rowing.
“This is a new crew, some fresh faces. We’re working at the chemistry, but it’s clicking well, and this is massive confidence in the bank for what’s to come.”
Olympic six seat Paige Barr, who celebrated her birthday on race day, said the crew’s second-half push was deliberate. “In the prelim we did have a good second kilometer, so we wanted to make the most of that and hit it even harder, and I think we did a good job of that,” she said.
Photo AUS W8+
Women’s Four Push the Dutch Close
The women’s four final gave Australia another sweep medal. Australia and the Netherlands contested the lead through the first half before the Dutch pushed ahead under the bridge at 1250m. Australia responded and kept the margin tight, but the Netherlands had done enough. New Zealand took bronze, with Great Britain fourth.
Supporting Results
Easton and Frederico finished fifth in the women’s pair A-final, a solid result from a new combination. “It’s so exciting, that was our second race ever together,” Frederico said. The women’s quadruple sculls crew, racing together internationally for the first time, placed second in the B-final for eighth overall.
Photo AUS W2-
Rowellas Revival
The Seville results come after a difficult period for Australian rowing. Australia won just one medal, a bronze in the women’s pair, at the Paris Olympics, finishing 13th on the medal table in the sport’s worst Olympic return since 1988. An independent review subsequently identified cultural failings within the high-performance programme. At the 2025 World Championships in Shanghai, Australia finished 20th on the medal table, an eleven place drop on their 2023 performance.
“hit the start hard”
Samantha Morton
Rowing Australia performance director Paul Thompson said the Seville performances showed both class and potential. “The racing always gets tighter as the season progresses and the women can prepare for that with confidence from what they achieved in Seville,” he said.
The World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam later this year will provide a tougher measure. For now, the Australians have a much-needed foothold, and their women’s eight’s gold medal is a positive first step to build on.
