Thrills and Spills on Day Two at the U19 World Championship in Plovdiv

Plovdiv, Bulgaria

7th August 20263 min read

Romania led the sweep events while narrow sculling finishes shaped the first A-final fields at the World Rowing Under-19 Championships in Plovdiv on Friday.

Quarter-finals in the single sculls and semi-finals across six other boat classes established the leading medal contenders. The regatta also staged its first finals, with E, D and C placings settled in several events.

The close racing followed a quick opening day on Plovdiv’s artificial course, where Romania led the larger boats. The first medal races start on Saturday and the championships will conclude on Sunday, 9 August.

Stoyanova Delivers for Bulgaria

Rumyana Stoyanova pleased the home crowd by winning her quarter-final in the women’s single sculls at Under 19 level, securing her place in the semi-finals.

The tightest quarter-final went to China’s Yufei Guan. She beat Individual Neutral Athlete Viktoryia Halaskok by 0.20 seconds, with Denmark’s Mejse Oestergaard Nielsen another 0.07 seconds behind.

Individual Neutral Athlete Aleksandra Grigoreva, who has already competed at under-23 level, recorded the fastest women’s single time of the day in winning the opening quarter-final. Switzerland’s Olivia Leunig, quickest in the heats, finished second.

European champion Alizee Ribolzi of Italy won the second quarter-final to advance.

The men’s single produced clearer winning margins. Norway’s Raphael Arkadiusz Pintsch, Belgium’s Sepp Driesen and Germany’s Oskar Mueller each established clear water in their quarter-finals. Greece’s reigning European champion Iason Mouselimis also advanced with a victory.

Romania Controls the Pairs

Romania won semi-finals in both pair events. Its women’s pair posted a quick time in the second semi-final, leaving Australia and Lithuania to contest the remaining qualifying positions. Australia resisted Lithuania’s late push, but all three crews progressed to the A-final.

In the men’s pair, Romania overturned an early Italian lead and produced the fastest time across the semi-finals. Radu-Andrei Enescu and Dumitru Cristian Pascari entered the championships among the leading crews after taking European under-19 silver.

Thrills and Spills on Day Two at the U19 World Championship in Plovdiv — photo 1

Thrills and Spills on Day Two at the U19 World Championship in Plovdiv — photo 2

Thrills and Spills on Day Two at the U19 World Championship in Plovdiv — photo 3

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Photograph: Benedict Tufnell

Reigning European champion Germany won the other semi-final by more than a length, setting up another contest with the Romanians when the medals are decided.

Romania also held clear water throughout its women’s quadruple-sculls semi-final. Its unchanged European bronze-medal crew includes Sonia Teodora Bita, who raced in the Romanian quad that won world under-19 bronze in 2025.

Doubles Split by Fractions

Türkiye and Slovenia won the two men’s double-sculls semi-finals in almost identical times. Their performances compressed the form in the championships’ largest event, which began with 33 entries.

Slovenia’s Marko Kosmac and Svit Kobler arrived in Plovdiv as European bronze medallists. Italy’s European champions Eduardo Moschella Primicerio and Elia Bressan were also among the crews attempting to emerge from the deep field.

Poland won the women’s double. The unchanged European champion crew led throughout its semi-final, maintained a controlled stroke rate and recorded the fastest time from the two races.

Fours Set Up Open Finals

Less than a length separated all six women’s fours as the second semi-final approached the red buoys. The United States edged the field with support from a group of American supporters, while Romania won the other race.

The result brings together two crews with different levels of continuity. Romania retained the line-up that won the European under-19 title; the United States arrived as defending world champion with a new crew.

New Zealand and Great Britain won the men’s-four semi-finals with closely matched times. The United States and Italy remained near the winners, leaving little separation among the leading A-final crews. Great Britain’s line-up includes Nicholas Conway, part of the British eight that won the 2025 world under-19 title.

In the men’s quadruple sculls, Great Britain and Italy became the only crews to break six minutes in the last race of the day. Germany, the European champion with two changes to its continental-winning crew, took the other semi-final.

Roll on the medal races.

2026 World Rowing Under 19 Championships