2022 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals: Boat-By-Boat Preview

After winning two medals at the 2021 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Portugal, the U.S. will be sending all nine boats to the 2022 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Saundersfoot, Great Britain.

Seven members of last year's squad return including the junior mixed double sculls duo of Brian O'Leary and Britt Wotovich, who won the silver medal in Portugal.

In total, 254 athletes in 147 boats from 27 countries are scheduled to compete in Wales.

Racing gets underway on Friday with time trials and round 2 racing. Saturday's racing features the medal rounds in the junior men's solo, junior women's solo, mixed quadruple sculls with coxswain, and mixed double sculls events. Sunday's racing features the medal rounds in the junior men's double sculls, junior women's double sculls, junior mixed double sculls, men's solo, and women's solo events.

USRowing's coverage of the event can be found here. The schedule, start lists, results, and live event updates will be available on www.worldrowing.com. Live audio will be available for all races on www.worldrowing.com, and live video streaming will be available on Saturday and Sunday on World Rowing's YouTube Channel.

Join the conversation by using the hashtags #WRBeachSprints, #WRBSF, and #BringOnTheWaves.

Open Women's Solo (CW1x)

In the women's solo event, Cassidy Norton (Hamilton, Ohio/Robert Morris University/Great Miami Crew/Next Level Rowing) returns to the squad after winning the Beach Sprint National Team Trials in Sarasota, Fla. Norton reached the quarterfinals last year in Portugal and will be looking to improve on that result in Saundersfoot. Twenty scullers are entered in the event including New Zealand's Emma Twigg, the reigning Olympic champion in the women's single sculls, as well as two-time Olympic champion Helen Glover of Great Britain.

Open Men's Solo (CM1x)

Christopher Bak (Cincinnati, Ohio/University of Cincinnati/Next Level Rowing/Cincinnati Rowing Club/Great Miami Rowing Club) is heading back to the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in the men's solo event after another strong performance at the trials. Last year in Portugal, Bak won his time trial and then his round of 16 matchup before missing a buoy and getting knocked out in the quarterfinals. Bak has been focusing on the event all year and is out for redemption in Saundersfoot. Twenty-five scullers are scheduled to race in Wales with Italy's Giovanni Ficarra looking to defend his title. Ficarra recently won the lightweight men's pair at the 2022 World Rowing Championships in Racice, Czech Republic. The field also includes Germany's Karl Schulze, a two-time Olympic champion.

Junior Women's Solo (CJW1x)

USRowing's Beach Sprint National Team co-Female Athlete of the Year, Britt Wotovich (Redington Beach, Fla./Berkeley Preparatory School/The Stewards Foundation), once again will be racing two events at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals – the junior women's single sculls and junior mixed double sculls. Wotovich finished fourth in the solo event in Portugal and is looking to reach the medal stand this year. The 15-boat field includes Tunisia's Hela Belhaje Mohamed, who won the event last year.

Junior Men's Solo (CJM1x)

Like his Stewards Foundation teammate, USRowing's Beach Sprint National Team Male Athlete of the Year, Brian O'Leary (Port Charlotte, Fla./Jesuit High School/The Stewards Foundation), will race in two events in Saundersfoot. O'Leary won silver in the junior mixed double sculls with Wotovich last year and reached the quarterfinals in the junior men's solo event. He will be racing both events again this year. Sixteen scullers are scheduled to compete in the men's solo event, with O'Leary being the only returning athlete.

Open Mixed Double Sculls (CMix2x)

Elizabeth Hinley (McHenry County, Ill./University of North Texas/KMF Performance) is back this year to race the open mixed double sculls with a new partner, John Olbrys (Arlington, Va./United States Coast Guard Academy/Potomac Boat Club). Hinley reached the quarterfinals in the event last year, while Olbrys was part of the bronze-medal winning mixed quadruple sculls with coxswain. Nineteen crews are scheduled to race including the defending world champions from Spain, Ander Martin and Esther Briz Zamorano. Last year's silver medalists, Edwige Alfred and Ludovic Dubuis of France, also return.

Junior Men's Double Sculls (CJM2x)

Malachi Anderson (Hamilton, Ohio/Butler Technical Institute/Great Miami Crew) and Gary Rought (Mason, Ohio/William Mason High School/Great Miami Crew) will be racing at their first World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals. The duo won the national team trials by more than four seconds to earn their spots on the team. Anderson and Rought, who won the B final in the open double sculls at last week's World Rowing Coastal Championships, are one of 13 crews entered, with all 13 being new to the event.

Junior Women's Double Sculls (CJW2x)

Annalie Duncomb (Mason, Ohio/William Mason High School/Great Miami Crew) and Wotovich won the national team trials in the junior women's double sculls uncontested, but Wotovich withdrew from the event after qualifying in three boat classes. Annelise Hahl (Cary, N.C./Needham Broughton High School/Triangle Rowing Club) will race with Duncomb in Saundersfoot. Both are making their national team debuts. Duncomb won the junior solo beach sprint event at the 2022 COPA America Coastal Championships, while Hahl won the U17 single sculls event at the 2022 USRowing Youth National Championships. The duo is one of 13 entries in the event, led by Japan's Sasa Yatsuzuka and Miyuki Yamashita, who won the silver medal last year.

Junior Mixed Double Sculls (CJMix2x)

Wotovich and O'Leary once again will be racing in two events at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals. Last year, the duo claimed silver in the junior mixed double sculls in Portugal and will be striving to make that final step to the top of the medal stand in Saundersfoot. They will take on 13 other crews including Tunisia, which includes Belhaje Mohamed who returns from last year's bronze-medal boat.

Open Mixed Quadruple Sculls with Coxswain (CMix4x)

Last year, the U.S. mixed quadruple sculls crew of coxswain won the bronze medal. This year, an entirely new lineup will try to improve on that performance. Bak will join coxswain Peter Choi (Cupertino, Calif./Emory University/New York Athletic Club/USRowing Training Center-Boston/Community Rowing, Inc.), Morgan Hummel (Chesterfield, Mo./The Ohio State University/Next Level Rowing), Kory Rogers (The Woodlands, Texas/Temple University/Parati Competitive Rowing), and Jeni Sorli (Red Lodge, Mont./University of Colorado/Riverside Boat Club/Next Level Rowing) in this year's boat. Along with Bak, Rogers brings national team experience to the boat, having raced with Hinley in the mixed double sculls event at last year's World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals. Choi, Hummel, and Sorli all will be racing on their first national team. The 12-boat field includes Spain's reigning world champion crew, as well as a strong New Zealand boat.