The 2026 World Rowing Under 23 Championships welcomes over 600 athletes across four days of racing. Returning champions meet ambitious newcomers at the Wedau course in Duisburg, Germany. Heats begin on 23 July, with the title races concluding on 26 July. Row360 takes a look at the big boats gunning for gold.
Of late, the U23 men’s eights event has been dominated by British and American eights.
Great Britain have been crowned U23 BM8+ world champions for the last six editions of the U23 world championships: 2019 to 2025. (The 2020 championships were cancelled due to Covid.) The last time the Brits missed the podium was in 2015.
Of the last six races, with the exception of 2025 when the US slipped to fifth, the Americans have won silver behind the Brits. The last time USA won gold was in 2018.
In 2017 neither Great Britain nor USA topped the podium, the Netherlands won that year, beating Romania and Great Britain who finished in second and third, respectively. More recent minor medals have gone to Germany, Australia, and New Zealand.
There are nine eights entered this year. The British stand out as a cohesive and formidable unit. They will be stroked by Cambridge University Boat Club’s Patrick Wild, a Boat Race winner and 2025 JM2- world champion, and coxed by Nat Toms, who made history in 2023 as the first woman to cox a British men’s eight. Also in the crew from that victorious 2023 JM8+ is Leander rower and Cal Bear Osian James.
The Americans have three former under-19 medallists. While New Zealand’s Nicholas Bryan is the only rower returning from last year’s under-23 silver-medal-winning Kiwi eight.
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On the women’s side there are six entries: Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and USA.
Again, the recent run of form points to a British or American victory. Great Britain are two-time defending champions (2024, 2025) and are on the hunt for a hat trick of titles; a feat last achieved by the Americans who won in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The United States, who won silver in the two preceding championships, have a flawless podium streak dating back to 2006, which was the first time the women’s eights event was introduced to the under-23 world championships.
Canada will be hoping to finish on the podium as they did last year, but so too will hosts Germany, who retain three of their fourth-place finishing BW8+ from last year and five under-19 world medallists.
New to the U23 world championships schedule is the mixed eights event. There are six entries which means it will be a straight final with no heats. All bar the USA are European rowing nations: France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Romania. There will be plenty of doubling between athletes racing in other boat classes. Expect Romania and the USA to be leading the charge, with pressure from the Italian, German and the Dutch crews.
