Rowing starts: will our team be able to take medals at the World Rowing Championships

The World Rowing Championships are taking place in Shanghai on September 21-28. 10 of our athletes compete in it in a neutral status. Unlike kayakers and canoeists in rowing, Russia has not had World Cup medals for a long time. However, the chances of a successful performance this time are not great, given that for various reasons some of the leaders of the season were not included in the team.

Without Kondratiev and Kovalsky

The last time Russians appeared on the podium of the World Cup was in 2019. Then in Austria, Valentina Zhagot and Evgeny Borisov won in the PR3 Mix2x class (athletes row using leg, back and arm strength), and Nikita Bolozin and Maxim Telitsyn reached silver in the lightweight double sculls (LM2-) and Alexey Chuvashev in the PR1 M1x para-rowing (one athlete rows using only hand strength).

In 2020 and 2021, the World Cup was not held due to the coronavirus pandemic, and in 2022 our team did not go to the Czech Republic because of the recommendations of the IOC. In 2023, our team competed at the World Cup in Belgrade. However, only three Russian athletes who competed only in the singles class went to the Serbian capital. As a result, Almaz Sharafiev, Kira Yuvchenko, Alexander Vyazovkin failed to break into the top 10.

In 2024, the Russian national team again missed the World Cup, which was held in St. Catharines, Canada. And now, after a long pause, the Russians will finally be able to compete at the World Cup with a fairly representative squad, which was approved following the results of the Russian championship.

However, not all the winners of the Czech Republic were able to reach China. Unfortunately, the International Rowing Federation (World Rowing) refused to consider Ilya Kondratiev's neutral status.

— Initially, when the international federation presented requirements for the participation of our athletes, we submitted an expanded list of athletes, — said Alexey Svirin, President of the Russian Rowing Federation (FGSR). — Unfortunately, due to the timing and proximity to the World Cup, the international federation did not include some of the Czech Republic winners in the approved classes before the check due to the inability to resolve procedural issues, namely, background checks and anti-doping testing, arguing that the deadlines were too short. In this regard, there were several key decisions regarding the team's roster, which was approved by the federation's Presidium. In particular, we were unable to add Ilya Kondratiev, who won the men's singles in the Czech Republic, to the final list.

"It was embarrassing that we couldn't walk around in our uniforms and listen to our anthem"

Kirill Shamshurin, head coach of the Russian national rowing and canoeing team, talks about the World Cup in Milan and the selection for the upcoming Olympics

Also, several more national team leaders were not included in the final list for sporting reasons.

— Alexander Kovalsky finished with the third time at the national championship due to health problems, — Alexey Svirin continued. — In the two without a coxswain, Ivan Kladov and Ilya Ivanov were the leaders of the season, they were the ones who went to the European Championship and the World Cup stage, but Alexey Vorobyov and Roman Lomachev took gold at the Russian Championship. They are the ones who will compete at the World Cup in China.

Readiness for heat

For those who came to China, the issue of acclimatization came first.

— We were preparing and expecting a hot climate — the temperature here reaches + 38 degrees, — said the head coach of the team Alexander Zyuzin. — However, we have already become accustomed to such conditions. Since the beginning of September, we have been located 280 km south of the World Cup venue (in Shanghai, the air temperature these days will be about 30 degrees Celsius).

In total, more than 650 athletes from 58 countries will compete at the 2025 World Cup. The hosts have the largest representation (58 athletes), as well as the leading countries in this discipline: Great Britain (48), Germany (46), USA (44), Romania (40) and the Netherlands (38).

Boat race: Zakhar Petrov took half of the Russian medals at the World Rowing Championships

How our athletes performed at the World Championships in Milan

At the last Olympics, the Netherlands won the medal standings (4 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze). Representatives of Great Britain, Romania, New Zealand, Ireland, the USA, Germany and Croatia also won gold awards in Paris.

Two new disciplines will make their debut at the 2025 World Cup: the mixed doubles deuce and the mixed eight. The winners and prize-winners will be awarded not by the water, but in the center of Shanghai. In this way, the organizers want to attract a new audience to rowing.

All races will be broadcast live on worldrowing.com .