"VAN" (Sports Desk - 16.08.2025) :: Rowing Australia has confirmed the Rowsellas set to represent the green and gold at the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China, from September 21-28.
The team features 40 athletes across 11 boats with a mix of seasoned campaigners and an impressive 29 debutants ready to take on the world stage.
Rowing Australia Performance Director Paul Thompson MBE said this post-Olympic and Paralympic year presents a valuable opportunity for new talent to establish themselves internationally.
“We will be having some of the Paris Olympians and Paralympians coming back and it’s a real opportunity for the youngsters and those 29 athletes to step up on the international stage, embrace it and see how fast they can go,” Thompson said.
The Rowsellas enter the Championships with strong form from the 2025 World Cup Series and Henley Royal Regatta.
The Men’s Four, stroked by Olympic champion Alexander Hill OAM, secured back-to-back World Cup Golds and were a part of the victory in Henley’s Grand Challenge Cup.
The Women’s Four also returns unchanged from Lucernce after consecutive Silver medals at the World Cups, determined to push for the top step of the podium.
In the para-rowing squad, Erik Horrie OAM PLY will contest the PR1 Men’s Single Sculls after winning double World Cup gold earlier this year. The PR3 Mixed Double Sculls crew of Lisa Greissl and newly crowned U23 World Champion Sam Stunell - Silver medallists at both World Cups - will make their World Championships debut.
Thompson noted the diversity of experience within the team, with athletes coming through domestic squads, US college programs, and age-grade pathways.
“It’s been great to bring that team together, it’s the culmination of working out where our talent is and how we can give them the right experience in the first year of the cycle.”
Results in Lucerne, where over 20 Australian athletes medalled, have boosted confidence heading into Shanghai.
Thompson’s message to the team is clear: “The secret is what you do every day in training and the standard you train at… have trust in that and have trust in themselves.”
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