Lightweight Women’s Pair Wins Silver at the 2022 World Rowing Championships

The lightweight women's pair of Solveig Imsdahl (Eutin, Germany/Cornell University/Vesper Boat Club) and Elaine Tierney (West Chester, Pa./Temple University/Vesper Boat Club) won the silver medal on Friday to highlight the first day of finals for the U.S. at the 2022 World Rowing Championships in Racice, Czech Republic.

Imsdahl and Tierney took command of the silver-medal position behind the Italian crew in the first 500 meters of the race and walked away from the remainder of the field. Italy's Maria Serboni and Samantha Premerl shot off the starting blocks, grabbing more than a three-second lead on Imsdahl and Tierney in the first 500, and stretched that to more than five seconds at the halfway point. Meanwhile, the Americans had built more than a four-second lead on Germany's Sophia Wolf and Eva Hohoff by the 1,000-meter mark.

"We had an aggressive start, but it was just a good piece all around," Imsdahl said. "Every part of it was solid. We stayed aggressive the whole time. We were still internal, but we were working off some other crews. We tried to stick with Italy and then we started to push off Germany."

At the finish line, the Italians crossed in a 7:38.19 to win the gold medal, with the U.S. taking silver in a 7:43.84. Germany won the bronze medal in a 7:54.97.

"I thought we built off the (preliminary race) really well, made it a bit more aggressive, and we're just happy with it," Tierney said.

The U.S. raced in six other medal races on Friday.

In the PR2 men's single sculls, Russell Gernaat (Redwood City, Calif./Lake Casitas Rowing Club) finished fifth in the final. The Netherlands' Cornelis de Koning took the lead off the start and was never challenged by Italy's Gian Filippo Mirabile, who raced in second position the entire race. Uzbekistan's Otabek Kuchkorov battled Gernaat for the first 1,000 meters before Germany's Paul Umbach passed the American. At the line, Umbach nipped Kuchkorov for the bronze medal. The Dutch sculler won gold in an 8:52.37. Italy took silver in a 9:03.33, with Germany taking bronze by 0.13 seconds. Gernaat finished with a time of 9:24.31.

Jennifer Fitz-Roy (Glen Ridge, N.J./Boston College/Community Rowing, Inc.) finished fourth in the final of the PR2 women's single sculls. Ireland's Katie O'Brien jumped out to the early lead on Australia's Kathryn Ross and never looked back. O'Brien led the entire way down the course, winning gold in a 9:25.23. Ross took the silver medal in a 9:35.35, with Ukraine's Anna Aisanova winning bronze in a 10:09.24. Fitz-Roy finished with a time of 11:33.72 in the four-boat race.

In the PR3 mixed double sculls, Pearl Outlaw (Charlottesville, Va./Ithaca College/Portland Boat Club) and Todd Vogt (Rochester, N.Y. /Portland Boat Club) finished fifth in their final. The crew sat in fifth place the entire way down the course. France's Elur Alberdi and Laurent Cadot held off a late charge by Brazil and Ukraine to win gold in a 7:35.04. Brazil took the silver medal in a 7:37.16, with Ukraine taking bronze in a 7:37.18. The U.S. finished with a time of 7:50.80.

In the lightweight men's pair, Harrison Tsavaris (Pelham Manor, N.Y./Fordham University/New York Athletic Club) and Justin Stevens (Knoxville, Tenn./Vanderbilt University/New York Athletic Club) finished sixth in the final. Italy's Alessandro Durante and Giovanni Ficarra won the race in a 6:47.69, with Hungary taking second ahead of the Czech Republic by 0.15 seconds. The U.S finished with a time of 7:35.22.

In the five-boat final in the lightweight men's quadruple sculls, the crew of Mats Terwiesch (Wynnewood, Pa./Bates College/Riverside Boat Club), Ashton Knight (Weston, Mass./Tufts University/Riverside Boat Club), Ian Richardson (Amesbury, Mass./University of Connecticut/Riverside Boat Club), and Sean Richardson (Beverly, Mass./University of Massachusetts/Riverside Boat Club) finished fifth. The crew sat in fifth the entire way down the course. Italy held a narrow lead on China at the 500-meter mark and then slowly built its advantage the rest of the race. At the line, Italy won the gold medal in a 5:56.66, with China taking sliver in a 5:59.27. Germany finished just 0.2 seconds back in the bronze-medal position. The U.S. clocked a 6:12.07.

In what was a two-boat final, the lightweight women's quadruple sculls crew of Grace D'Souza (Milwaukee, Wis./University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee Rowing Club/Whitemarsh Boat Club), Sarah Maietta (Wayland, Mass./Boston University), Cara Stawicki (Wall, N.J./Lehigh University/Whitemarsh Boat Club), and Elizabeth Martin (Lexington, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Riverside Boat Club/ Whitemarsh Boat Club) finished second behind Italy. The Italians had open water on the U.S. boat in the first 250 meters and cruised to a 22-second victory. Italy finished with a time of 6:38.14, with the U.S. crossing in a 7:00.17.

The U.S. had two crews advance to Sunday's finals during Friday's racing.

The women's double sculls crew of Kristi Wagner (Weston, Mass./Yale University/ARION) and Sophia Vitas (Franklin, Wis./University of Wisconsin/Texas Rowing Center High Performance) needed the entire 2,000 meters to advance to Sunday's final, chasing down Ukraine for third place in the final two strokes of the second semifinal. With three to advance, Romania's Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis took the early lead on Ukraine's Anastasiia Kozhenkova and Diana Serebrianska, with Austria's Katharina and Magdalen Lobnig sitting in third place. The U.S. crew got off the line in sixth position before slowly working its way back into fourth place as the boats hit the 1,500-meter mark.

However, the U.S. was still two seconds back and had some work to do. Wagner and Vitas continued to cut into Ukraine's lead over the final quarter of the race and managed to inch their bowball ahead in the final two strokes. Romania won the race in a 6:46.97, with Austria taking second in a 6:50.17. Wagner and Vitas crossed the line in a 6:51.52, just 0.12 seconds ahead of Ukraine. The Americans will take on crews from The Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Romania, and Austria in the final.

"We didn't really get off to the start that we were hoping for, but obviously, it is important to get top three in the semi, so we were going to do what we needed to do," Wagner said. "I think we are glad that we did – just going to move forward and see what we can do in the final."

"Just recovering, staying internal, focusing on what we can control," said Wagner of the focus between now and the final. "We'll look at the race and our splits and see if there are any little tweaks that we can make but not trying to do anything crazy different."

After finishing third in its heat, the men's eight of Alex Karwoski (Moultonborough, N.H./Cornell University), Nick Rusher (West Bend, Wis./Yale University), Michael Clougher (Canton, Mass./Connecticut College/Penn Athletic Club), Liam Corrigan (Old Lyme, Conn./Harvard University/California Rowing Club), Michael Knippen (Germantown, Wis./University of Wisconsin/California Rowing Club), Andrew Gaard (Madison, Wis./University of Washington/California Rowing Club), Chris Carlson (Bedford, N.H./University of Washington/California Rowing Club), Pieter Quinton (Portland, Ore./Harvard University/California Rowing Club), and coxswain Jimmy Catalano (Greenwich Conn./University of Wisconsin) came back to finish second in the second repechage to move on to Sunday's final. With two to advance, the U.S. got off the line in third position, just behind the German crew. With The Netherlands at the head of the field, the U.S. rowed through Germany in the second 500 meters to move into second position. In the third quarter of the race, the U.S. continued to walk away from Germany, taking an open-water lead, while closing the gap on the Dutch boat, sitting just two seats behind as the crews entered the last 500 meters. The Dutch were able to maintain their two- to three-seat lead during the final stretch, crossing the line about a half-length ahead of the U.S. The Netherlands finished with a time of 5:25.93, with the U.S. crossing in a 5:27.71. The Americans will take on heat winners Great Britain and Canada, as well as The Netherlands, Australia, and Romania, in the final.

"The guys in the stern got us out of the blocks. It was clean; it was powerful; you could feel the rhythm was good," Karwoski said. "Crossing the 500, Jimmy (Catalano) made a call that we were right with the Germans, a couple of seats down to the Dutch, and we had a very decisive surge of energy and speed at the 700, 750. You could feel the boat pick up and move. I think the theme with this boat since we were selected – with the age of everyone and how green we are in terms of world championships' experience – I think it's just been, 'Get better every practice, get better every day,' and so far, we've been able to do that."

In the men's single sculls, Ben Davison (Inverness, Fla./University of Washington/California Rowing Club) finished fifth in the second of two semifinals and now will race in the B final for places 7-12. With three to advance to the final, Davison sat in sixth position through the first half of the race, still in contact for a qualifying spot. However, he was unable to keep pace with the top three scullers during the second 1,000 meters. Germany's Oliver Zeidler, the reigning world champion in the event, controlled the race from the start, crossing the finish line with a winning time of 6:44.03. Great Britain's Graeme Thomas and New Zealand's Jordan Parry battled each other for the other qualifying spots for much of the race, with Thomas finishing second and Parry third. Japan's Ryuta Arakawa finished fourth. Davison clocked a 6:53.05 and will race Arakawa, as well as scullers from Australia, Denmark, Canada, and Poland, in Sunday's B final.

In the PR1 men's single sculls, Andrew Mangan (Buffalo, N.Y./Stanford University/West Side Rowing Club/Bair Island Aquatic Center) finished fifth in the first of two semifinals and now will race in the B final for overall places 7-11. Italy's Giacomo Perini won the race ahead of Ukraine's Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion, Roman Poliaskyi, in a world championships' best time of 9:00.84. Polianskyi finished a little less than three seconds back in a 9:03.67. Germany's Marcus Kemp earned the other spot in the final. Mangan, who rowed in fifth the entire way down the course, finished with a time of 10:10.30 and will now race in Sunday's B final against scullers from Spain, Japan, Israel, and Mexico.

The men's double sculls crew of Sorin Koszyk (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./Cornell University/California Rowing Club) and Thomas Phifer (New York, N.Y./Middlebury College/Penn Athletic Club) finished sixth in the first of two semifinals and will race in Sunday's B final for overall places 7-12. Australia took the early lead ahead of Spain and maintained its position at the front of the field through the 1,500-meter mark. That's when Spain began its charge. The Spanish crew chased down Australia in the sprint, winning the race in a 6:11.46. Australia finished 1.52 seconds behind in a 6:12.98. The U.S. got off the line is sixth place before moving into fifth during the middle 1,000 meters, sitting just behind Italy. The Italians upped their rate and tried to move on the third-place Moldovan crew during the last 500 meters but couldn't cut the gap. Koszyk and Phifer fell back to sixth, finishing in a 6:21.25.

Lightweight women's single sculler Mary Jones Nabel (Huntsville, Ala./University of Tennessee/Cambridge Boat Club) finished fourth in the B final for a 10th-place finish overall. Jones Nabel raced in sixth position through the first half of the race before working her way into fourth place over the second 1,000 meters. Mexico's Kenia Lechuga chased down Iran's Nazanin Malaei in the final 500 meters to win in a 7:39.58. Malaei finished in a 7:41.95. Jones Nabel clocked a 7:45.89.

In the lightweight men's single sculls, Jimmy McCullough (Philadelphia, Pa./University of Delaware/Texas Rowing Center High Performance) finished fifth in the C final for a 17th-place finish overall. McCullough got off the line in fifth before dropping into sixth during the middle 1,000 meters. The American passed Norway's Oskar Soedal in the final 250 meters to take fifth. Germany's Finn Wolter won the race, holding off Iran's hard-charging Amirhossein Mahmoodpour by 0.23 seconds. Wolter finished with a time of 7:08.76. McCullough clocked a 7:15.42.

Three U.S. crews will race for medals on Saturday.

The PR3 mixed four with coxswain of Molly Moore (Indianapolis, Ind./Harvard University/Community Rowing, Inc.), Alex Flynn (Wilmington, Mass./Tufts University), Andrew Wigren (Providence, R.I./Hobart College), Saige Harper (Easthampton, Mass./Sacred Heart University), and coxswain Emilie Eldracher (Andover, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology) reached the final out of the repechages. The crew will face Great Britain, Australia, France, Germany, and Italy in the final. Great Britain, which has won 11 consecutive Olympic and world titles in the event, and Australia won the heats and are the top seeds in the medal race.

The women's pair of Madeleine Wanamaker (Neenah, Wis./University of Wisconsin/USRowing Training Center-Princeton) and Claire Collins (McLean, Va./Princeton University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), who are doubling up in the eight, finished second in its semifinal to advance to Saturday's final. Wanamaker and Collins will take on New Zealand's Olympic champions, Grace Prendergast and Kerri Williams, as well as crews from Great Britain, Romania, The Netherlands, and Croatia in the race for medals. New Zealand and Romania, who won the European championship last month, are the two heat winners in the event.

The lightweight women's double sculls duo of Molly Reckford (Short Hills, N.J./Dartmouth College/Sarasota Crew) and Michelle Sechser (Folsom, Calif./University of Tulsa/Cambridge Boat Club) won its semifinal, defeating both the Olympic silver medalists from France and the Olympic champions from Italy on Thursday. The duo, which finished fifth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, will race France, Switzerland, Great Britain, Ireland, and Greece in the final. The British crew of Emily Craig and Imogen Grant, who finished fourth last summer in Tokyo, won the other semifinal. Italy failed to advance.

Six U.S. crews will race in placement finals on Saturday.

In the men's pair, Justin Best (Kennett Square, Pa./Drexel University/California Rowing Club) and Michael Grady (Pittsburgh, Pa./Cornell University/California Rowing Club) finished fifth in their semifinal and now will race in the B final for overall places 7-12. The U.S. will take on Lithuania, Austria, South Africa, Poland, and Italy in the B final.

The women's four of Vicky Opitz (Middleton, Wis./University of Wisconsin/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Teal Cohen (Dallas, Texas/University of Washington), Erin Boxberger (Shady Shores, Texas/University of Notre Dame/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), and Allyson Baker (North Royalton, Ohio/The Ohio State University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton) finished sixth in its semifinal and will race in the B final against New Zealand, Italy, Denmark, Poland, and France for overall places 7-12.

The men's four of Henry Hollingsworth (Dover, Mass./Brown University/California Rowing Club), Nick Mead (Strafford, Pa./Princeton University/New York Athletic Club), Gus Rodriguez (Rye, N.Y./Brown University/California Rowing Club, and Rhett Burns (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Northeastern University) finished fifth in its semifinal and now will race in Saturday's B final for overall places 7-12. The Americans will race against Ireland, France, South Africa, Germany, and Poland.

The women's quadruple sculls crew of Maggie Fellows (Warwick, Mass./St. Lawrence University/Boston Rowing Federation), Grace Joyce (Northfield, Ill./University of Wisconsin/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Emily Delleman (Davenport, Iowa/Stanford University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), and Emily Kallfelz (Jamestown, R.I./Princeton University/Cambridge Boat Club) finished fourth in its semifinal on Thursday and will now race in the B final for overall places 7-12. The U.S. will take on Italy, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and New Zealand in the B final.

The lightweight men's double sculls crew of Jasper Liu (Phoenix, Ariz./University of Pennsylvania/Texas Rowing Center High Performance) and Zachary Heese (Pelham, N.Y./University of Virginia/Texas Rowing Center High Performance) finished third in its C/D semifinal to advance to Saturday's C final. Liu and Heese will race against China, Mexico, Austria, Australia, and Denmark for overall places 13-18.

The men's quadruple sculls crew of Jacob Plihal (Vashon Island, Wash./Northeastern University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Jonathan Kirkegaard (Philadelphia, Pa./Purdue University/Texas Rowing Center High Performance), Kevin Cardno (Huntsville, Ala./University of Alabama, Huntsville/Texas Rowing Center High Performance), and Dominique Williams (Madison, Conn./University of Pennsylvania/Vesper Boat Club) finished fifth in its repechage and will race in the C final against the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Belgium and New Zealand for overall places 13-17.

Finals conclude on Sunday. More than 900 athletes from 65 countries are competing in the eight-day regatta. The U.S. has entered the most boats with 25, followed by Italy with 23.

Click here for USRowing's daily coverage of the 2022 World Rowing Championships. Click here for USRowing's photo galleries. Click here for the official schedule, heat sheets, and results on worldrowing.com.

USRowing would like to thank Filippi Lido, the Official Boat Supplier for the U.S. Senior, Under 23, 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 Under 23 Championships, World Rowing Championships, Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games, as well as a domestic training fleet for the USRowing Training Center.