U.S. Women’s Pair Wins Heat, Total of 4 Crews Advance on Day One of 2026 World Rowing Championships

The U.S. opened competition at the 2026 World Rowing Championships with six crews taking to the water. The women’s pair claimed a heat victory, while three additional crews advanced to the next rounds of competition. Racing continues throughout the week and will conclude August 30 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Women’s Pair

Olympian Regina Salmons (Methuen, Mass.) and Mia Levy (Des Moines, Iowa) won their heat in the women’s pair. The Americans established an early advantage of more than three seconds over France and continued to extend their lead through the middle of the course. Salmons and Levy crossed the finish line in 7:46.79 to advance to Wednesday’s semifinal, posting the second-fastest time of the day behind Romania. Salmons and Levy found success together this summer, winning World Cup III in June.

Men’s Double Sculls

Willem Drescher (Gainesville, Va.) and James Fetter (Palo Alto, Calif.) built their speed through their heat in the men’s double sculls to advance to the quarterfinals tomorrow. The Americans started in fifth place before finding their rhythm and passing the Brazilian crew over the second 500 meters. The U.S. set their sights on the crew in third, Turkey. Their sprint proved decisive as they surged past the crew to finish in 7:13.29, followed by Turkey in  7:15.87. Serbia won the heat. The U.S. advances to the quarterfinals on Tuesday. 

Men’s Pair

Samuel Halbert (Redmond, Wash.) and Blake Vogel (Mars, Pa.) started their men’s pair heat in third, with Greece close behind. The Americans held their position through the first half of the race before Greece moved ahead, setting up a close battle between the two crews over the final 500 meters. Greece pulled away in the closing strokes, while Halbert and Vogel finished fourth in 7:20.93. They will race in Wednesday’s C Final.

Women’s Double Sculls

Isa Darvin (Madison, Wis.) and Olympian Grace Joyce (Northfield, Ill.) finished fourth in their opening race. The Americans held fourth place off the start, with China ahead in third. Darvin and Joyce closed the gap on the Chinese crew during the third 500 meters, but their final push was not enough to move into third. They finished in 7:57.31 and will race in Wednesday’s C Final.

Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls

Claire Friedlander (Narberth, Pa.) placed second in her lightweight women’s single sculls heat. She started in third, racing closely with Germany, before moving into second during the second 500 meters. Friedlander held the position to secure an automatic semifinal qualification spot, finishing in 8:52.65. Mexico won the heat. Friedlander will race in Wednesday’s semifinal.

Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls

Justin Schmidt (Westport, Conn.) finished fifth in his lightweight men’s single sculls heat. Schmidt got off the line in fourth place. In the third 500 meters, Schmidt pushed into the lead Egypt had built. Egypt, Finland, and America battled in the final strokes of the race with the three crews finishing within .5 seconds of each other. Schmidt finished fifth in a time of 8:11.79, advancing him to the Semifinal on Wednesday. 

The U.S. will return to the water Tuesday, with Drescher and Fetter racing in the men’s double sculls quarterfinals, and heats for the PR2 mixed double sculls, PR3 mixed coxed four, women’s and men’s fours, men’s and women’s quadruple sculls, and the lightweight men’s double sculls. 

Follow the results and schedule here. Livestream coverage will be available on YouTube and Overnght. Photos of the event can be found here.

USRowing would like to thank Filippi Lido, the Official Boat Supplier for the U.S. Senior and Para Rowing National Teams. Under the agreement, Filippi is providing USRowing a fleet of boats for international competitions, including the World Rowing Cup regattas, World Rowing Championships, Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games, as well as a domestic training fleet for the USRowing Training Centers.