4 U.S. Crews Win Heats, 7 Advance on Day Two of 2026 World Rowing Championships

The U.S. continued racing at the 2026 World Rowing Championships on Tuesday, with eight crews taking to the water in Amsterdam. Four crews won their heats, while three additional crews advanced to their next rounds, highlighted by a pair of close sprint finishes. The men’s quadruple sculls, women’s four, men’s four, and PR3 mixed coxed four all secured heat victories, while the women’s quadruple sculls, lightweight men’s double sculls, and PR2 mixed double sculls also advanced.

PR2 Mixed Double Sculls

Nat Vorel (Oklahoma City, Ok.) and Chance Quarry (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) got off the line in third behind China and Israel. In the second 500 meters, they built a strong advantage over Brazil in fourth but were unable to push into the lead of second place, Israel. The U.S. maintained third place through the remainder of the race, finishing in 9:44.10 to qualify for Thursday’s A Final. Both Vorel and Quarry are new to rowing but have already made history, becoming the first U.S. PR2 mixed double sculls crew to reach an A Final since 2018.

PR3 Mixed Coxed Four

The U.S. won its heat in the PR3 mixed coxed four. Italy got out to a strong start in the first 500 meters while the Americans settled into second place. Gabriella Bigler (San Diego, Calif.), Paralympian Skylar Dahl (Minneapolis, Minn.), Max Allemeier (Marietta, Ga.), Paralympian Alex Flynn (Wilmington, Mass.), and Hannah Diaz (Seattle, Wash.) stayed composed and began to close the gap on Italy in the second 500 meters. Their move carried them into first place at the halfway mark. The U.S. continued to build its lead, crossing the finish line in 7:50.82, with Italy second in 7:57.59. Dahl and Flynn return to competition after winning silver at the 2024 Paralympic Games. 

Women’s Four

The U.S. got to work quickly in the women’s four, gaining open water on the field within the first 500 meters. By the halfway mark, the crew had built nearly a six-second lead over second-place Ireland. Olympians Molly Bruggeman (Dayton, Ohio) , Azja Czajkowski (Imperial Beach, Calif.), Teal Cohen (Dallas, Texas), and Kate Knifton (Austin, Texas) maintained their advantage through the second half of the race to cruise to victory. Czajkowski, Cohen, and Knifton won this event at last year’s World Championships, while Bruggeman returns to the World Championships for the first time since the 2024 Olympic Games. 

Men’s Four

The U.S. men’s four got off to a strong start, taking a small lead in the opening strokes of the race. By the halfway mark, the crew had solidified its advantage over China and France, extending the lead to open water through the third 500 meters. The Americans maintained their advantage to cross the finish line first in 6:22.22, the fastest time of the day. The U.S. advances to Thursday’s semifinal. All four rowers competed at the 2024 Olympic Games. Peter Chatain (Winnetka, Ill.) returns for his first World Championships since the 2024 Olympic Games, while Pieter Quinton (Portland, Ore.) and Gus Rodriguez (Rye, N.Y.) won bronze in the men’s eight and Chris Carlson (Bedford, N.H.) finished fourth in the quadruple sculls at last year’s World Championships.

“It was a good race, we obviously knew there would be a bit of a headwind out there so we prepared for that,” said Olympian Pieter Quinton. “We knew it was going to be a tough field, a lot of really experienced crews out there, a lot of crews that have demonstrated a lot of speed. We just wanted to trust our training and go out there and see what we could do and see where we stacked up. It’s a good first outing and we are excited with the result.”

Women’s Quadruple Sculls

Olympians Kristi Wagner (Weston, Mass.), Sophia Vitas (Franklin, Wis.), and Emily Kallfelz (Jamestown, R.I.), along with Evan Park (Bend, Ore.), got off the line in third place as Switzerland established an early lead. The Americans moved past China in the second 500 meters to take second and secure an automatic spot in the semifinal. Over the third 500 meters, the U.S. began to close the gap on Switzerland, and the race came down to a sprint finish. The Americans continued to chip away at the Swiss lead but came up just short, finishing 0.05 seconds behind. They will race in the semifinal on Thursday. Kallfelz, Vitas, and Wagner are competing at their first world championships since the 2024 Olympic Games.

“During the middle of the race, our goal was to stay loose and on our rhythm into the headwind, and we focused on getting our blades in and out of the water cleanly with all the gusts,” said Evan Park. “Overall we had a pretty clean race, but we are excited to keep building speed throughout the week. We have a lot of trust in each other and the work we’ve put in, so it’s super fun to finally get to see the hard stuff pay off and just race.”

Men’s Quadruple Sculls

The U.S. won its heat in the quadruple sculls after a tight battle with the Netherlands and Individual Neutral Athletes throughout the race. James Wright (Philadelphia, Pa.), Olympian Jacob Plihal (Vashon Island, Wash.), Cedar Cunningham (Renton, Wash.), and Olympian Ben Davison (Inverness, Fla.) settled into third in the opening strokes as the Neutral Athletes took an early lead. The Americans moved into second in the second 500 meters as the Dutch began to charge. The Dutch took the lead in the third 500 meters, but the U.S. remained within striking distance. The race came down to a sprint finish, with the Americans surging ahead to win by 0.77 seconds over the Dutch. The U.S. advances to Thursday’s semifinal. Plihal and Cunningham raced in last year’s quadruple sculls, which finished fourth. Davison returns to the World Championships after finishing fourth in the men’s double sculls at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls

Jamie Copus (Winnetka, Ill.) and Sean Richardson (Beverly, Mass.) finished second in their heat in the lightweight men’s double sculls to secure the final qualifying spot in the A Final. Uzbekistan got out to a commanding lead as the Americans settled into fourth in the opening 500 meters. The U.S. moved past Georgia into third and began closing the gap on Azerbaijan. Over the third 500 meters, Copus and Richardson continued to gain ground, entering the final 500 meters neck and neck with Azerbaijan. The Americans pulled ahead in the sprint to the finish, securing second place by 0.64 seconds and advancing to the A Final.

Men’s Double Sculls

Willem Drescher (Gainesville, Va.) and James Fetter (Palo Alto, Calif.) finished fourth in their quarterfinal in the double sculls. The Americans got off the line in fifth as Serbia took an early lead. The U.S. battled closely with India through the majority of the race before making its move in the final stretch. A strong sprint pushed the Americans’ bow ahead of India, securing fourth place. The crew races next in the D Final tomorrow. 

The U.S. will continue racing Wednesday with heats in the men's and women's single sculls; C Finals in the men's pair and men's and women's double sculls; and semifinals in the lightweight men's and women's single sculls and women's pair.

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.