"VAN" (Sports Desk - 26.08.2026) :: The Rowsellas’ 2026 World Rowing Championships campaign in Amsterdam ramped up on Tuesday with five more crews progressing to their next rounds.
Advancing to Semi-Finals from Day 2 on the Bosbaan International course were the Women’s Four with first place in their heat, and the Women’s Quadruple Scull, Men’s Four and Men’s Quadruple Scull that all placed second in heats.
The Australian Rowing Team (ART) also secured its first A-Final berth with the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four placing third to make Thursday’s medal race on time.
The only boat from the six that raced for Australia on Tuesday and did not progress was the Men’s Double Scull that qualified for the Quarter Final in Monday’s heats but was fourth in the knock-out race to miss a Semi-Final spot.
With the Australian Men’s and Women’s Pairs having made Semi-Finals on Monday, the ART still has five more of its 13 boats still to race heats – the Men’s and Women’s Eights, the Women’s Single Scull (Tara Rigney OLY), the PR1 Men’s Single Scull (Erik Horrie PLY OAM) and PR3 Mixed Double Scull.
The World Rowing Championships are the 2026 pinnacle event for the Rowsellas, but the regatta will also provide Rowing Australia (RA) a key measure of how the ART is tracking for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The team’s continued progress in the 2026 World Rowing Championships reflects months of planning, preparation training and racing, supported by a high-performance system that continues to benefit from the longstanding commitment of Hancock Prospecting and RA Patron Mrs Gina Rinehart AO.
RA is also incredibly grateful for the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Australian Sports Commission (ASC), and Australian Government, whose investment and support enables athletes and coaches in RA’s High Performance Program to perform on the world stage and represent Australia with pride.
As Georgia Patten OLY, from the Women’s Four that won their heat on Tuesday said: “A lot goes on behind the scenes to get us to the start line.
“We’re immensely grateful for the support of all the Rowing Australia staff and our sponsors, particularly Hancock Prospecting and the Australian Sports Commission. Mrs Rinehart AO and Hancock Prospecting are a crucial part of our team, and their ongoing support allows us to train and perform to the best of our ability, enabling us to deliver the performance we did today.”
In the James Harris coached Women’s Four with Patten are Bronwyn Cox OLY, Jacqueline Swick OLY and Georgina Rowe OLY who produced a commanding display of rowing to win the first of the event’s three heats (7:09.67) from Romania (7:17.15) in second, and New Zealand (7:22.55), third.
Patten said the key take out from the race was that such a performance requires: “Trusting our fitness from a solid block of training following the World Cups.
“We went home to Australia and had a lot of honest conversations about how we were going to move the boat on towards the ‘world champs’, to make sure we came here in the best possible form so we can put our best foot forward.
“Today was a great stamp on that. It was a good first race to have in the bag, and gain confidence moving forward into our Semi-Final and onto the Final.”
Looking to Thursday’s Semi-Final, Patten said the crew’s approach would be: “To go out there and race the race that's presented in front of us, like we do every race. We never underestimate our competition. But today showed us that if we trust ourselves, trust our processes, and trust our capabilities, we should be well placed to be happy with the Semi-Final result.”
In the Men’s Four, the new-look Australian crew of Nikolas Pender, Ben Canham OLY, Paddy Holt OLY, and stroke Benjamin Scott – one of eight Rowsellas making their senior World Championships debuts in Amsterdam this week – finished second to automatically qualify for the Sem-Final on Thursday.
Coached by Tom Laurich and Noel Donaldson, the Australians were third at 1000m behind the leaders Great Britain and Italy. But then in the third 500m they unleashed a mighty effort to move well clear into second place at 1500m. Great Britain won (6:25.68) from Australia (6:28.45) and Italy (6:31.19) third.
Asked about their third 500m, Scott said: “We kept doing the same thing. We also found a bit of better water in that third ‘five’. But [their third 500m] has been one of our strengths at training. It was good to see that happen in the race.”
On his senior World Championships debut, Scott said he appreciates the moment, but also wants to progress further into the regatta, for himself, his crew and all who have supported him: “It's super special to row for Australia, but it's even better to do well. So, hopefully we can do that in the next few days.
“It's great to see the level of support that our national team program has received. So, a huge thanks to Gina Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting for all their support, and all the Australian team staff that help us day-in day-out through the week.”
Asked if he has received any ‘first timer’ advice this week from his rowing father Rob Scott, a 1992 Olympic Silver Medallist in the Men’s Pair with David Weightman and a former Rowing Australia President, Scott laughed before replying: “No, not yet; but I am sure he will have a lot to say later when he calls me up. I look forward to hearing what I can do better as the week goes on.”
In the Men’s Quadruple Scull, the Nick Mitchell coached crew of Hamish Danks, Johnson Daubney, Jackson Free, and Marcus Della Marta turned heads with a stellar second place.
Germany won their heat (6:16.11), but Australia (6:19.14) maintained calm and composure throughout to take second place from Poland (6:20.01).
“It was good to get the monkey off the back,” Della Marta, who with Danks is another senior World Championship debutant, said of the crew’s first race in this combination. Danks came into the Quadruple Scull crew in recent weeks following the withdrawal of Cormac Kennedy-Leverett due to a back injury.
“It was good to get out there, see where you are and handle everything well. We can't be disappointed with second place and qualifying. It’s a big step in the right direction for us. We did a good job of driving the boat, working as a unit.”
The new-look Women’s Quadruple Scull of Romy Cantwell, Jean Mitchell OLY, Annabelle McIntyre OAM OLY, and Emily Sheppard also excelled in their first race together to finish second and qualify for Thursday’s Semi-Finals.
Coached by Jamie McDonald, the Australians were beaten by the highly fancied Netherlands (6:51.34). But their second place (6:54.58) was an exceptional first race for the crew – especially for stroke Emily Sheppard who is another Rowsella to make their senior World Championships debut this week.
“It was good,” Sheppard said of the crew’s performance. “We know we have a strong middle of the race. We are still working on the start, but we always have complete faith in one another through the middle of the race. So, it was good to be able to get out there for the first race and show what we can do.”
Sheppard said the impact of Olympians McIntyre and Mitchell joining the boat has been huge: “When you're racing with such experienced girls, it's easy to stay focussed on what we're doing and have faith in what we can do in a race.”
On making her own senior World Championships debut, Sheppard said: “It means so much. I never really thought I would be here five years ago. So, a massive shout out to friends and family who support us back home, and Mrs. Reinhart, Hancock Prospecting, the AIS and all our partners who are making all this possible.”
In the Mixed PR3 Mixed Coxed Four, the crew of Susannah Lutze PLY, Toby Goffsassen PLY, Cormac Hayes, Wallis Russell and cox Hannah Cowap PLY showed no sign of nerves in their senior World Championship debut as a crew.
The Australians, coached by James Loveday and Caroline Pijpers, challenged the defending World Champions Great Britain from the start, and at 1000m were still only 0.86 down on the favourites in second place. At 1500m, Australia was still second, but at 3.62s with France third at 6.51s. But then in the last 500m the French pushed through to take second place off them.
Great Britain won (7:51.46) from France (7:54.17), but Australia’s third (7:55.23) was the fastest of the six entries outside the first two boats in each heat, ensuring that their place in the A-Final on Thursday was locked in.
“It was our first hit-out as a crew,” Cowap said. “We’ll take the learnings from today and put them into the A-Final.”
Meanwhile, Russell who races in the stroke seat and with Hayes and is another who made their senior World Championship debut on Tuesday, said it will be: “important to take the positives out of” the heat into Thursday’s medal race.
Asked about the crew’s hard and fast start in Tuesday’s heat, Russell said: “There was nothing to lose. With the luck of the draw, you never know if you're going to be in a fast heat, or a slow heat. So, you have got to keep going.”
Meanwhile, in the Men’s Double Scull Quarter-Finals, Australia’s Oscar McGuinness and Nicholas Blackman, coached by Jamie Hewlett, placed fourth.
The first three only made the Semi-Final. From their race, that was Czechia (6:44.74) who won from Germany (6:45.44) in second and Romania (6:48.40). Fourth placed Australia (6:55.83) will now race the C-Final on Wednesday.
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