U.S. Wins Two Medals, Qualifies Three Boats for Paris on Day Six at 2023 World Rowing Championships

The U.S. won two medals and qualified three boats for Paris 2024 on Friday at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

The PR3 mixed double sculls brought home the silver medal, qualifying the boat for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, while the lightweight women's single sculls won the bronze medal. In addition, the U.S. won semifinals in both the women's single sculls and women's double sculls, securing two more qualification spots for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In total, the U.S. has locked down seven Olympic qualification spots and two Paralympic qualification spots, with the men's and women's quadruple sculls and eights still in the hunt to earn Olympic berths.

In the PR3 mixed double sculls, Todd Vogt (Rochester, N.Y. /Portland Boat Club) and Gemma Wollenschlaeger (St. Augustine Beach, Fla./Temple University) won the silver medal, qualifying the boat for Paris in the process. Australia's Nikki Ayers and Jed Altschwager got the lead off the start, with Vogt and Wollenschlaeger settling into the second spot ahead of France at the 500-meter mark. The Australians and Americans continued to walk away from the rest of the field over the second quarter of the race, solidifying their positions at the head of the field.

"For my first world championship, it was an awesome experience," Wollenschlaeger said. "We really worked on our start. We knew we had a good base, and we just needed to be more aggressive off that start. I think we did it, and we're very happy with how we did."

The lead crews continued to extend their advantage over the second half of the race, with Australia crossing the line in an 8:07.07 and the U.S. finishing in an 8:15.22. France won the bronze medal in an 8:27.09. By finishing in the top five, the U.S. qualified for a spot in Paris, where the boat class will make its Paralympic debut. In addition, the silver medal was the best finish ever for the U.S. in the event.

"Last year, I was here in the same event, and we didn't perform as well as we had hoped, so I took a week off and worked super-hard the last year," Vogt said. "It means a lot. Sometimes I don't think I'm the cleanest rower; I have the horsepower, so today was sort of my kryptonite rowing conditions, so I'm happy that we dealt with it pretty well."

In the lightweight women's single sculls, Sophia Luwis (McLean, Va./The College of William & Mary/Whitemarsh Boat Club) brought home the bronze medal to give the U.S. its first medal of the championships. After a slight bobble off the start, Luwis sat in fourth place at the 500-meter mark behind scullers from The Netherlands, Mexico, and Ireland. Mexico's Kenia Lechuga rowed into the lead during the second 500 meters, with Ireland's Siobhan McCrohan just behind in second and the Dutch sculler, Martine Veldhuis, holding a slight lead on Luwis for third. Luwis moved into a medal position in the third quarter of the race, as Lechuga continued to hold off McCrohan. As the scullers moved into the final 500 meters, McCrohan made her move to take over the lead. Luwis was able to inch ahead of Lechuga, but the Mexican sculler responded to re-take the lead. At the line, it was McCrohan winning gold in an 8:47.96, with Lechuga taking silver in an 8:51.57. Luwis claimed the bronze in an 8:52.48, becoming the first U.S. woman to win a medal in the event since 2017.

"I feel very much like I wasn't supposed to make it to today, but we did, and I can't believe I got to the podium," Luwis said. "I didn't think it was possible three months ago – how everything was feeling. Thanks to my coach, my family, my teammates for pushing me to keep going even when every single kilometer was (a challenge). I'm coming back from a lot of injuries, the car wreck. I've been training really hard. I felt like last season I was doing well; I was supposed to be at the last world championships, and it didn't happen. It was weird going from the peak of your athletic performance to being stuck in a bed for weeks, so to be able to flip that script around and come here and have such a fun summer of racing, and seeing better numbers, and improving on fitness is really cool. I truly did not think this was possible until this morning."

Kara Kohler (Clayton, Calif./University of California, Berkeley/Texas Rowing Center) rowed through Australia's Tara Rigney in the final 500 meters to win the second semifinal of the women's single sculls to advance to the final and secure a spot for the U.S. at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Kohler got off the line in fourth position, sitting about a length off Rigney's lead at the 500-meter mark. The American passed Austria's Magdalena Lobnig and Lithuania's Viktorija Senkute in the second 500, cutting Rigney's advantage to about a half-deck length at the midway point of the race, with Senkute in third and Lobnig beginning to fall off the pace. Kohler continued her push in the third quarter, cutting Rigney's lead down to just a couple of feet at the 1,500-meter mark. The American made another move to pull her bowball ahead with about 350 meters to go and then pulled away for the victory. Kohler clocked a 7:44.66 to win the race by 1.76 seconds over Rigney. Senkute took third to also advance to the final, finishing in a 7:46.81. They will be joined by scullers from The Netherlands, New Zealand, and Bulgaria in the final. Dutch sculler Karolien Florijn won the first semifinal in a 7:29.07.

"It's emotional," Kohler said. "I think at this point, I have experienced almost all the highs and lows of rowing the single, so to be back in the A final is such a relief, and to have the boat qualify, I'm proud that I can add that to the USA tally of boats qualified with more to come. Pretty pumped, very excited."

"Simply belief in myself – knowing that I have all the tools within me and knowing that I have to trust (that)," Kohler said about what it took today. "There's always going to be doubts, and how do you mentally push those aside and do what you know you're capable of doing."

In the women's double sculls, Sophia Vitas (Franklin, Wis./University of Wisconsin/Texas Rowing Center) and Kristi Wagner (Weston, Mass./Yale University/ARION) held off a late charge from Ireland to win the second semifinal to advance to the final and qualify the boat for Paris. Vitas and Wagner began to inch their bowball ahead just one minute into the race and held about a seat lead over Ireland and Australia at the 500-meter mark. The Americans extended their advantage to a about three-quarters of a boat at the midway point, with Ireland beginning the pull away from China and Australia. In the third 500, the Irish crew cut the lead to about a half-boat and continued to press the U.S. in the final 500. However, Vitas and Wagner were able to respond in the final sprint to keep Ireland at bay and win by about a deck.

"It's a stressful, stressful day, so it feels good, and we'll see what we can do on Sunday," Wagner said. "It's definitely a bit bumpy. I think we had some good parts and some things to improve on, so that's the best of all worlds. Hope to get a little bit cleaner, quicker for the final and see what we can do."

The U.S. finished with a time of 7:01.76, with Ireland clocking a 7:02.22. France passed China and Australia in the final 500 meters to claim the third qualifying spot. In the second semifinal, Romania earned an easy victory in a 7:04.97. Lithuania and New Zealand finished second and third, respectively, to also advance to the final. Romania's Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis are the reigning Olympic and world champions.

"It felt like we were pretty controlled, just clean things up," Vitas said.

In the final of the lightweight women's pair, the U.S. crew of Elaine Tierney (West Chester, Pa./Temple University/Penn AC) and Solveig Imsdahl (Eutin, Germany/Cornell University/Penn AC), who won silver in the event last year, finished third. The U.S. grabbed the lead off the start before Italy's Elisa Grisoni and Serena Mossi moved into the top spot in the second 500 meters. The U.S. was still second at the halfway point, but Germany's Eva Hohoff and Luise Munch passed the American boat at about the 1,250-meter mark and pulled away. Italy won gold in an 8:33.13, with Germany winning silver in an 8:40.64. With only three boats entered in the event, no bronze medal was awarded.

The lightweight men's quadruple sculls crew of Jamie Copus (Oxford, England/Oxford Brookes University/Penn AC), Casey Howshall (Philadelphia, Pa./University of Pennsylvania/Riverside Boat Club), Ian Richardson (Amesbury, Mass./University of Connecticut/Riverside Boat Club), and Bernard Aparicio (Corona, Calif./San Diego State University/San Diego Rowing Club) also finished third in the three-boat final. Italy took nearly a three-second lead on Germany in the first 500 meters and then kept walking away from the two other boats. Italy won the gold medal in a 6:29.42, with Germany taking silver in a 6:37.83. The U.S. finished third in a 6:43.82.

In the lightweight men's single sculls, Sam Melvin (Huntington Beach, Calif./Columbia University/New York Athletic Club) won the B final to take seventh place overall. Melvin moved into first position in the second quarter of the race and rowed to a boat-length victory over Spain's Manel Balastegui. Melvin got off the start in third position behind Japan's Naoki Furuta and Balastegui before moving into the top spot ahead of the Spanish sculler just before the 1,000-meter mark. Melvin methodically increased his lead over the back half of the race, crossing bow-to-stern ahead of Balastegui at the line in an 8:02.59. Balastegui finished with a time of 8:04.34.

The U.S. will have six boats racing for medals on Saturday and four boats racing in placement finals.

The PR3 four with coxswain of Emelie Eldracher (Andover, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Ben Washburne (Madison, Conn./Williams College), Alex Flynn (Wilmington, Mass./Tufts University), Saige Harper (Easthampton, Mass./Sacred Heart University), and Skylar Dahl (Minneapolis, Minn./University of Virginia) punched its ticket to the final thanks to a second-place finish in their heat, qualifying for the Paris 2024 Paralympics in the process. The U.S. will take on crews from China, France, Great Britain, Germany, and Australia in the final. Great Britain and Germany won the two heats, with the British crew finishing with the fastest time.

Meghan Musnicki (Naples, N.Y./Ithaca College/California Rowing Club) and Alie Rusher (West Bend, Wis./Stanford University/California Rowing Club) finished third in their semifinal of the women's pair to advance to the final and qualify the American boat for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The duo will take on crews from The Netherlands, Australia, Romania, Ireland, and Chile in the race for medals. Australia and Romania won the two semifinals, with the Australians posting the fastest time from the semis.

In the men's pair, Evan Olson (Bothell, Wash./University of Washington/Seattle Scullers/Penn AC) and William Bender (Norwich, Vt./Dartmouth College) also finished third to advance to Saturday's final and earn a qualification spot for the U.S. in the pair. The American boat will take on Great Britain, Switzerland, Romania, Ireland, and South Africa in the final. Great Britain and Romania, the defending world champions, won the semifinals, with the Romanians finishing with the fastest time.

Mary Jones Nabel (Huntsville, Ala./University of Tennessee/Cambridge Boat Club) and Michelle Sechser (Folsom, Calif./University of Tulsa/Cambridge Boat Club) advanced to the final thanks to a third-place finish in the second semifinal of the lightweight women's double sculls, also qualifying the boat for Paris. Jones Nabel and Sechser will take on crews from Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Romania, and China in the race for medals. Canada and Great Britain won the two semifinals, with Canada posting the fastest time of the semis. Great Britain is the defending world champion in the event.

In the women's four, Claire Collins (McLean, Va./Princeton University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Madeleine Wanamaker (Neenah, Wis./University of Wisconsin/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Kelsey Reelick (Brookfield, Conn./Princeton University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), and Molly Bruggeman (Dayton, Ohio/University of Notre Dame/USRowing Training Center-Princeton) finished second in their semifinal to advance to Saturday's final and qualify the boat for Paris. The crew will take on Great Britain, China, The Netherlands, Romania, and Australia in the final. Great Britain and The Netherlands won the semifinals, with the Dutch boat recording the fastest time.

The men's four of Liam Corrigan (Old Lyme, Conn./Harvard University/California Rowing Club), Michael Grady (Pittsburgh, Pa./Cornell University/California Rowing Club), Nick Mead (Strafford, Pa./Princeton University/New York Athletic Club), and Justin Best (Kennett Square, Pa./Drexel University/California Rowing Club) won the first semifinal to earn a spot in Saturday's final and qualify the boat for Paris. The Americans will take on The Netherlands, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, and Australia in the final. The U.S. boat posted the fastest time in the semifinals, with the British boat winning the other semi.

The women's quadruple sculls crew of Emily Kallfelz (Jamestown, R.I./Princeton University/Cambridge Boat Club), Grace Joyce (Northfield, Ill./University of Wisconsin/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Molly Reckford (Short Hills, N.J./Dartmouth College/Sarasota Crew), and Lauren O'Connor (Belleville, Wis./University of Wisconsin/ARION) finished sixth in its semifinal and will race in Saturday's B final for overall places 7-12. The U.S. will take on Ukraine, Germany, Canada, France, and Italy.

The men's quadruple sculls crew of Dominique Williams (Madison, Conn./University of Pennsylvania/Vesper Boat Club), Will Legenzowski (Vista, N.Y./Brown University/California Rowing Club), Liam Galloway (Ridgefield, Conn./Yale University), and Kevin Cardno (Huntsville, Ala./University of Alabama, Huntsville/Texas Rowing Center) also finished sixth in its semifinal and will race in Saturday's B final for places 7-12 against Ukraine, Norway, Romania, Estonia, and Australia.

The PR2 mixed double sculls crew of Russell Gernaat (Redwood City, Calif./Lake Casitas Rowing Club) and Madison Eberhard (Buffalo, N.Y./West Side Rowing Club) finished fourth in its repechage and will race in Saturday's B final. The U.S. boat will take on Israel, Brazil, France, and Mexico for overall places 7-11.

The lightweight men's double sculls duo of Jimmy McCullough (Philadelphia, Pa./University of Delaware/Texas Rowing Center) and Zachary Heese (Pelham, N.Y./University of Virginia/Texas Rowing Center) finished fourth in the second C/D semifinal and will race in Saturday's D final for overall places 19-23. The U.S. will race against Ukraine, Austria, Uzbekistan, and Egypt.

In total, the U.S. has 22 boats competing this week in Belgrade. In addition to world championships being on the line, the regatta is the first opportunity for countries to qualify boats for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Medal races will continue on Saturday and Sunday. Nearly 1,000 athletes from 74 delegations are racing in Belgrade. Italy has entered the most boats with 24, followed by Germany with 23.

The live race tracker will be available for all races on www.worldrowing.com. Live video streaming will be available on the World Rowing website for all eight days of competition (local restrictions apply). Video streaming will start five minutes before the first race.

Click here for USRowing's daily coverage of the 2023 World Rowing Championships. Click here for USRowing's photo galleries. Click here for the official schedule, heat sheets, and results on worldrowing.com. Follow along with the U.S. National Team at the 2023 World Rowing Championships by using the hashtags #WorldRowingChamps and #WRCHBelgrade.

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 Centers.