5 Crews Advance on Day 1 of the 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals

The opening day of the 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals saw strong results for U.S. athletes in Antalya, Turkey. Christine Cavallo advanced directly to the knockout round in the women’s solo, while reigning world champion Chris Bak moved through in the men’s solo. The U.S. mixed quadruple sculls crew also advanced to the quarterfinals after posting the second-fastest time of the day, and Mary Bain and Cate Cole earned a hard-fought repechage win to move into the U19 women’s double sculls quarterfinals. Read on for the breakdown of each U.S. crew’s performance on the opening day of competition.

Men’s Solo – Chris Bak

Reigning world champion Chris Bak opened his title defense with a strong performance in the men’s solo time trial. Bak was fast off the line and clean through the buoys, finishing in 2:31.30, just 0.37 seconds behind Germany’s Moritz Wolff, a 2024 Olympic finalist in the quadruple sculls. Bak’s second-place finish advances him directly to the knockout round of 16 on Saturday.

Women’s Solo – Christine Cavallo

Christine Cavallo overcame a low seeding to finish third overall in the women’s solo time trial, advancing directly to the knockout round of 16. Cavallo’s beach sprint experience showed as she clocked a time of 2:51.84, only 0.05 seconds behind Germany’s Julia Tertuente. 

Mixed Quadruple Sculls

The U.S. mixed quadruple sculls delivered one of the day’s standout performances, finishing second in their time trial with a time of 2:12.76, just 0.63 seconds behind Spain. Coxswain Coral Kasden sprinted efficiently off the start, guiding the crew through a sharp course. Kory Rogers made a quick leap from the boat, sprinting to hit the buzzer for a strong finish. 

The experienced U.S. lineup includes Kasden and Rogers, the 2023 world champions in this event, along with Annelise Hahl, who won gold in the U19 women’s solo and U19 women’s double in 2024, Malachai Anderson, a two-time Beach Sprint silver medalist, and Audrey Boersen, a 2024 senior national team athlete making her first beach sprint national team. The crew automatically advances to the next round on Sunday. 

“I can speak for my whole boat when I say, we came into this with a lot of confidence because of all the training we put in,” said Malachai Anderson. “We knew we were ready, and getting second in the time trials was just the little spark we needed to light the fire this weekend.”

Mixed Double Sculls

Sera Busse joined Chris Bak in the mixed double sculls, where the pair advanced to the Round of 16 after finishing sixth in the time trial with 2:25.82. Busse, who competed in the quadruple sculls at the 2025 World Rowing Championship, sprinted aggressively into the boat to start the race. While the duo had minor steering issues on the return leg, they recovered nicely for a strong finish. The reigning world champions from Lithuania led the event in 2:21.48. Busse and Bak will race next on Saturday.

U19 Events

Men’s Solo – Ronan Maher

Two-time Beach Sprint national team member Ronan Maher finished 15th in the U19 men’s solo time trial and advances to the second time trial tomorrow. “I’m pretty happy with my race, a little disappointed because I had been pulling faster times in training. We will see how tomorrow goes, and I think I will have a stronger performance.”

Women’s Solo – Ophelia Weiss
Ophelia Weiss placed 28th in the U19 women’s solo. Despite a recent injury that has affected her speed, she advances to the second time trial tomorrow.

Mixed Double Sculls – Maher & Weiss
Maher and Weiss teamed up for the U19 mixed double sculls, finishing in 2:44.93 for the 15th-fastest time overall. They will also race again in the second time trial tomorrow.

Women’s Double Sculls – Mary Bain & Cate Cole
After placing eighth in the time trial, Mary Bain and Cate Cole faced Ireland in the repechage. The Americans showed poise and endurance, battling through a tight race. Despite a costly turn, Bain’s sprint to the buzzer secured victory in 2:47.10, advancing them to tomorrow’s quarterfinals.

Men’s Double Sculls – Sai Anish Maheshwaram & Leland Angel
The U.S. duo finished ninth in the time trial with a time of 2:52.89. The bottom two crews of the event faced off in the afternoon. Sai Anish Maheshwaram had a strong sprint and led the Irish to the first buoy. The U.S. clipped the buoy, causing Mahshwaram’s feet to come undone, which cost time that ultimately proved decisive. Leland Angel sprinted to the finish but came up short against the Irish crew. They will not advance to the quarterfinals.  

Looking Ahead

Racing continues tomorrow, November 7, with:

• Second time trials for the U19 men’s and women’s solos
• Second time trial for the U19 mixed double sculls
• First time trial for the inclusion mixed double sculls
• Quarterfinals for the U19 women’s double sculls

The U19 women’s double sculls champion will be crowned tomorrow. Full results are available here. Live coverage is available starting this Saturday on World Rowing and Overnght.

USRowing would like to thank Filippi Lido, the Official Boat Supplier for the Gemini.com U.S. Senior and Para Rowing National Teams. Filippi provides a fleet of boats for international racing, including the World Rowing Cup regattas, World Rowing Championships, and Olympic & Paralympic Games, as well as a domestic fleet for the USRowing Training Centers.