A gusty tailwind blew through Plovdiv’s artificial canal course on Friday as over 330 athletes from 22 nations opened the 2026 World Rowing Cup II with heats and preliminary races across eighteen boat classes. Conditions made comparing times across races unreliable, but several performances still stood out: Serbia’s Jovana Arsic was the fastest women’s single sculls qualifier, New Zealand’s world champion men’s pair finished 10 seconds clear of their heat, and debuting crews from China, Italy and the USA impressed in their first outings of the season.
Full Race Report from Day One of 2026 World Rowing Cup II
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