One Gold and Three Silvers for the U.S. at World Cup I in Varese

On Sunday, the U.S. women’s four won gold, Jacob Plihal won his first World Cup medal, and the women’s eight took home silver. The PR3 mixed four with coxswain took silver on Saturday, allowing the U.S. to walk away with four medals in total. The U.S. national team will compete again at World Cup II in Lucerne from June 27 to 29.

Women’s Four Strikes Gold

The U.S. women’s four led the way with a golden performance in the A Final. Two American boats lined up for the final, but the crew of Camille VanderMeer and Olympians Kate Knifton, Teal Cohen, and Azja Czajkowski delivered the win. Locked in a tight battle with Australia through the opening half, the Americans surged in the third 500 meters to take control, eventually pulling away to win by over two seconds in 6:21.50. The second U.S. crew made up of Etta Carpender, Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson, and Olympians Jess Thoennes, and Charlotte Buck finished fifth in 6:27.19.

Plihal Captures First World Cup Medal

Jacob Plihal capped a breakthrough weekend in the men's single sculls with his first World Cup medal, silver. Plihal once again battled with Simon Van Dorp, the Olympic bronze medalist from the Paris Games. Plihal stayed in contact with Van Dorp, only a second separating the two for most of the race. Van Dorp extended the lead slightly in the closing meters, finishing 2.04 seconds ahead, but Plihal’s strong, confident performance confirmed his growing momentum since finishing 13th at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Silver for the Women’s Eight

The U.S. women’s eight took silver in a tough battle with the British. The American lineup featured athletes from both fours, with Olympian Nina Castagna returning to the coxswain seat. With three Olympic bronze medalists on board, the British eight jumped out early, but the U.S. found their rhythm in the third 500 meters, pulling away from Australia and closing in on the leaders. Despite a powerful sprint in the final stretch, the Americans ran out of water, finishing second in 6:03.50—just 2.06 seconds behind Great Britain.

PR3 Mixed Four Earns Silver

The PR3 mixed four with coxswain kicked off the finals rounds with a podium finish. The crew of Emelie Eldrachar, Ben Washburne, Max Allemeier, Annabelle Miller, and Sarah Menefee quickly settled into second place as Brazil pushed their bow ball into first in the first 500 meters. Despite a push in the second quarter of the race, the U.S. was unable to overtake the leaders. Brazil secured gold in 7:03.45, with the U.S. finishing close behind in 7:06.85.

Fourth-Place Finishes Round Out the Finals

The U.S. men’s four delivered a strong showing, finishing fourth overall. The crew of Jacob Hudgins, Nathan Phelps, Alexander Hedge, and Olympic bronze medalist Christian Tabash stayed in medal contention throughout the race. A decisive move by the British in the third 500 meters edged the Americans out of podium position. Australia ultimately won gold.

Olympian Grace Joyce and Katheryn Flynn took fourth in the women’s double sculls after a competitive race against a world-class field. The duo held off Switzerland and remained close to New Zealand for most of the race before the Kiwis pulled away in the final 500 meters. The U.S. clocked in at 6:51.42, with China taking gold in 6:43.24.

Andrew Mangan delivered a strong performance in the PR1 men's single sculls at the World Rowing Cup in Varese, finishing fourth in a highly competitive international field. This result is a great improvement from his seventh-place finish at last year's 2024 World Cup II.

B Final Highlights

Maggie Fellows delivered a standout performance in the B Final of the women’s single sculls, placing second with a time of 7:34.83. After a solid first half, she moved past Japan and Italy in the second 500 meters and held off a late charge from Japan to secure the runner-up spot by 0.78 seconds.

In the B Final of the men’s double sculls, Cedar Cunningham and Andrew Leroux finished sixth in a tightly packed field, where just seven seconds separated first from last. After settling into fifth through the halfway mark, the U.S. crew was overtaken by the Dutch, finishing in 6:27.77.

In the women’s pair B Final, Kaitlyn Kynast and Holly Drapp finished sixth in 7:28.60. The Americans got off to a strong start, pushing into fourth early, but couldn’t hold off a charging Chinese crew. Switzerland took the B Final win in 7:13.24.

USRowing would like to thank Filippi Lido, the Official Boat Supplier for the U.S. Senior and Para 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 Center.