Day Two of the 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals Concludes

Challenging conditions greeted athletes on the second day of U19 competition in Antalya, with wind and waves testing crews. In the morning, the U19 men’s and women’s solo and U19 mixed double sculls competed in round two of time trials. The top eight crews from yesterday received automatic bids, while the remaining athletes returned to the course. 

U19 Men’s Solo

Ronan Maher started the day for the U.S. in the men’s solo and did so with confidence. Maher had one of the strongest courses of the morning, staying tight to the buoy line. As other competitors landed at different spots on the beach, Maher showed off a textbook run in tough conditions, which landed him second in the time trial with a time of 2:53.20 and advancing to the knockout round of 16. 

Maher returned in the afternoon to compete in the knockout round of 16 against Greece’s Iason Mousemimis. Maher had a great start, getting into the boat cleanly and quickly. He hit the first buoy in the lead and continued to gain in the middle of the course. Greece surged in the second half, taking the turn at the end of the course even with Maher. They battled neck and neck in the final sprint, but Greece had some luck, hitting a wave just right that helped surge his boat further ahead. Greece won the head-to-head battle with a time of 2:32.30. Maher crossed the line at 2:36.02, eliminating him from contention. 

U19 Women’s Solo

In the U19 women’s solo, Ophelia Weiss made a statement early, rebounding well from the day before. Weiss handled the harsh conditions with confidence and strength, improving on her time from yesterday despite the rougher conditions. With a well steered course, she finished with a time of 3:24.25, 2.04 seconds faster than yesterday. The time put her in the top 13, not enough to continue, as only the top eight continued to the knockout round of 16.

Weiss summed up her race with perspective and optimism, saying, “I had a good race, slightly disappointed with getting injured earlier in the week. I’m walking away with gratitude. I’m very proud of the work that I did, and I am excited to come back stronger next year.”

U19 Mixed Double Sculls

Maher and Weiss joined together in the U19 mixed double sculls, fighting once again for a top-eight time. Maher showed his speed early, getting into the shell without a hitch, and the crew handled the challenges of the morning with poise. The second time trial of the morning for each took its toll in the final hundred meters. Weiss hit the beach and took off, hitting the buzzer in a time of 2:53.47, narrowly missing out on a top-eight spot to continue.

Inclusion Mixed Double Sculls

Philip Hoyle and Amy Pietrafitta finished sixth in the time trial for the inclusion mixed double sculls with only the top two receiving automatic spots in the next round. Hoyle had a great sprint to the boat, but a seat issue for Pietrafitta cost them some time in the middle of the course. They finished in a time of 3:33.42. They have another opportunity tomorrow morning in the repechage where they will face off against Turkey, who finished third in the time trial. 

Amy Pietrafitta said this about her race “Intense, exciting. I caught my seat, but I learned a lot. We are ready to go tomorrow and ready to put all those corrections into place and move onto the quarterfinals.

U19 Women’s Double Sculls

In the U19 women’s double sculls, Cate Cole took off from the line with gusto, quickly getting into her shell where Mary Bain was waiting. Cole and Bain jumped out to an early lead over the German crew, holding them off until the turn at the top of the course. The U.S. continued to battle with Germany but couldn’t maintain their lead in the second half of the race. The Americans clocked a 2:52.88 and were knocked out of contention.

"We have only been training together for a week, so we were excited to try something new in a tough and exhilarating environment," said Cate Cole and Mary Bain. "In each row and race, we learned something new, and we improved every day. We were excited to make the quarterfinals and to be beaten by the best. We would like to thank our boat handlers, coaches, Ben, Marc, Alyssa, and Cara, and our parents for all their support."

Racing continues tomorrow, November 8, with:

• Philip Hoyle and Amy Pietrafitta return in the Inclusion Mixed Double Sculls Repechage
• Chris Bak seeded second in the Men’s Solo Knockout Round of 16
• Christine Cavallo seeded third in the Women’s Solo Knockout Round of 16
• Chris Bak and Sera Busse seeded sixth in the Coastal Mixed Double Sculls Knockout Round of 16

Full results are available here. Live coverage is available starting this Saturday on World Rowing and Overnght.