U.S. Wins Two Medals on Final Day at 2023 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals

The U.S. won the silver medal in the under 19 mixed double sculls and the bronze medal in the women's solo event Monday morning as racing wrapped up at the 2023 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Barletta, Italy.

In total, the U.S. won five medals at the regatta. In addition to today's medals, the U.S. won gold in the open mixed quadruple sculls with coxswain and silver medals in the under 19 men's and women's solo events.

Malachi Anderson (Hamilton, Ohio/Sinclair Community College/Great Miami Rowing/Next Level Rowing) and Britt Wotovich (Redington Beach, Fla./Berkeley Preparatory School/Palm River Training Center) brought home the silver medal in the under 19 mixed double sculls. Anderson and Wotovich won their quarterfinal over Egypt by a little over two seconds before taking out Spain in the semifinal by more than 30 seconds.

In the final, the U.S. and Great Britain sprinted up the beach, with the U.S. hitting the button just ahead of Great Britain, However, the U.S. was assessed a 30-second penalty for missing the second buoy, giving Great Britain the win in a 3:12.08, with the U.S officially clocking a 3:42.02.

"Everything that could happen in our race did happen," Anderson said. "It was a wild one. We had a very good start against GB. Lots of waves to dive through. My seat came off right after the first buoy, and we just kept going. We missed the second buoy, came around the turn, and caught a few waves back. We had a penalty, I lost my seat, but we kept going. I'm happy with how far we made it. I'm still learning to regain focus after the ocean causes me problems, but this is just more experience for the future. Refocus, keep your line, and keep racing."

For Anderson, it was his second silver medal of the regatta and third Beach Sprint's medal overall. For Wotovich, it was her second time on the podium having won silver in the event in 2021.

"Racing today was so incredible and the perfect example of what beach sprints is all about," Wotovich said. "The waves and current were really impressive today, and we relied on all of our training in Ohio, Florida, and Italy. I am thrilled to be walking away today with my second beach sprint medal and could not have asked for a better coach (Marc Oria) or a better teammate (Malachi Anderson)."

In the women's solo event, Christine Cavallo (Windermere, Fla./Stanford University/Next Level Rowing) brought home the bronze medal, defeating Ireland's Monika Dukarska in the B final to reach the podium. Cavallo bested Finland's Tiia-Maria Rauttola in the quarterfinal by 34 seconds before dropping her semifinal to France's Elodie Ravera-Scaramozzino.

"I was a bit worried," said Cavallo about the final. "The back-to-back nature of the second A/B semifinal to the B final meant my forearms were in a bad spot. I couldn't even feel my legs or my lungs, but my hands could barely hold the handles. I knew if I couldn't figure out how to relax, I wouldn't make it back to shore."

In the B final, Cavallo took nearly a 10-second lead into the turn and had no problems on the return home, winning by nearly 14 seconds with a time of 3:13.36.

"I went into this regatta a little concerned about my preparation," Cavallo said. "I haven't raced enough to know if my speed was there, or even if I had speed to begin with. But I know with those conditions and the cards I was dealt, there's no additional preparation I could have done to change the outcome. The other athletes were really sharp, and there wasn't much room for error, yet the ocean was forcing them on us constantly. I'm happy with how it all shook out."

In the open men's solo event, defending world champion Christopher Bak (Cincinnati, Ohio/University of Cincinnati/Next Level Rowing) fell to Germany's Karl Schulze in the quarterfinals by a few steps. Bak led at the turn, but Schulze was able to make up the distance during the return trip, winning in a 2:59.78 with Bak clocking a 3:03.94

The 2023 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals featured a record 187 entries from 39 nations. Click here for complete results.

Complete press coverage, athlete bios, and links to event information are available at www.usrowing.org and www.worldrowing.com.