Event
Mega Worlds
St Catherine’s, Canada
Words: Tom Ransley / Photography: Benedict Tufnell
Home of Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, St Catherine’s hosted the Mega Worlds this year, the combined World Rowing Senior, Under 23 and Under 19 Championships. Despite thunderstorms playing havoc with the racing schedule the real drama was on the water.
Overall Romania topped the Mega Worlds medal table, winning at least one gold in all three championships, and four Under 19 titles. The British LA 2028 talent pool showed promise by topping the Under 23 medal table, and they proved their pedigree in the men’s eights. Great Britain are now men’s eights gold medallists in the Under 19s, Under 23s and Olympic Games. Impressive stuff.
Under 19s
Romania dominated the Under 19s winning both the pairs, women’s four and women’s single. Their women’s pair put almost ten seconds on the Greek silver medallists in the final, and in the next race the Romanian men pipped Germany by a mere 0.18s. Bianca Camelia Ifteni successfully defended her 2023 title in the single, adding the fourth Under 19 gold medal for Romania. Ifteni was delighted: “An incredible race!” Behind her Danelia Price-Hughes secured South Africa’s only medal at the Mega Worlds, a silver ahead of Germany’s Julia Stoeber, who improved on her 2023 fourth place.