Martin and Valent Sinkovic set the fastest men’s double-sculls time as the 2026 World Rowing Championships opened in a stiff Bosbaan headwind on Monday, 24 August.
The Croatian brothers led the times on a day of slow racing and close battles for progression places in Amsterdam. Romania’s Adriana Adam and Simona Radis topped the women’s-pairs field, while Dutch lightweight sculler Femke van de Vliet recovered from an early crab to win her heat.
Sinkovics Pressured by France
The Sinkovics had to work for their quarterfinal place. France pushed the 2014 world champions throughout the heat before holding off Germany for the second automatic qualifying place.
The Croatians returned to the double this season after racing in the four, winning at World Cup II before taking European bronze in Varese. They still hold the world-best time of 5:59.72, set on this course in 2014.
After that European final, Valent Sinkovic said the crew needed further improvement before Amsterdam. “We weren’t feeling the best in the boat but we did a good job and I’m proud of this, though we must definitely go a step further for the champs so we can fight for a medal,” he said in Row360’s Varese coverage.
Home contenders Melvin Twellaar and Simon van Dorp beat Czechia by more than four seconds. Romania, Great Britain and European champions Serbia also won their heats.
Romania Sets the Pace in the Pairs
Adam and Radis controlled their women’s-pairs heat and finished with the fastest time across the event. The United States and Chile took the other heat victories.
Romania also led the men’s-pairs field through Stefan Berariu and Florin Lehaci, who won the opening heat in the quickest time. Defending champions New Zealand, Italy and Spain secured the remaining victories.
Lithuania recorded the fastest women’s double-sculls time, ahead of France and Germany. Great Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands also won, with Dutch combination Benthe Boonstra and Roos de Jong beating Switzerland by more than two seconds to qualify directly for Wednesday’s semifinal.
Van de Vliet Recovers
Van de Vliet briefly lost control after the opening strokes of the lightweight women’s single, while Singaporean veteran Joan Poh made the quickest start. The Dutch sculler moved through the field over the middle 1,000 metres and qualified directly for the semifinals.
Mexico’s 2025 bronze medallist Kenia Lechuga and European champion Mariia Zhovner, racing as AIN1, won the other heats. Syria made its World Championships debut through Sukaina Atal, who finished 13th and was eliminated.
In the lightweight men’s single, reigning world champion Felipe Kluver of Uruguay advanced, although Mexico’s Alexis Lopez Garcia produced the event’s fastest time. Dutch sculler Cornelus Palsma also reached the semifinals after qualifying on time from fourth place.
