U.S. Women’s Four Wins Heat; Men’s Four and Women’s Single Sculls Advance

The U.S. was victorious in its World Rowing Championships campaign on Day 2, as the women’s four delivered a dominant performance to win their heat and advance to the A Final. The men’s four and women’s single sculls also secured places in the next round, while the men's and women's double sculls fought through strong heats.

The women’s four of Olympian Kate Knifton, Olympian Teal Cohen, Olympian Azja Czajkowski, and Camille VaderMeer put on a masterclass in composure and execution. After sitting fifth through the opening 500 meters, the Americans methodically moved through the field, crossing the halfway mark in third. In the third 500 meters, they surged into the lead and never looked back, crossing the line first in 6:29.75, 1.12 seconds clear of Romania, to post the fastest time of the day. Their win secures a place in the A Final.

Kate Knifton remarked on the race, "It was an exciting race, we are looking forward to making a few tweaks going into the finals! It should be a tight and exciting race."

The men’s four of Pieter Quinton, Gus Rodriguez, Alexander Hedge, and Christian Tabash delivered a confident race, holding second place from start to finish. The crew, comprised of members of the 2024 Olympic team, showed off their experience in Shanghai. Despite repeated pushes to close the gap on leaders Lithuania, the Americans held off all challengers to cross the line in second in 6:02.28, comfortably advancing to the Semifinals.

In the women’s single sculls, Olympian Lauren O’Connor fought through one of the most competitive heats of the day. After a strong opening 500 meters that saw her in second place, O’Connor traded blows with Canada’s Katie Clark before finding an extra gear in the sprint to secure third place in 7:23.94. Her time ranked sixth overall, earning her a spot in the Semifinals.

"A lot of my training has been focused on the way I approach my races mentally," said Lauren O'Connor. "Switching into the single has been a big change in that aspect, but it's been good to take a closer look at the places my brain goes during racing. Having the mental space to make active changes the entire way through the race has been a challenge, but I feel so much more confident in my race strategies and training."

The women’s double sculls of Olympian Grace Joyce and Isa Darvin were heartbreakingly close to advancing, with just 0.55 seconds separating third through fifth place in a race that came down to inches at the line. The Americans battled Greece and Uzbekistan down the course, crossing fifth in a time of 7:00.83. They will race in the B Final.

In the men’s double sculls, Andrew LeRoux and Sam Melvin faced a deep, competitive field in their heat. The U.S. crew settled into fourth early and was unable to make significant gains in the second half of the race, finishing fourth in a time of 6:35.50. They will compete in the C Final.

Tonight’s racing continues in Shanghai, with Olympian Michelle Sechser kicking off racing at 10:17 p.m. ET in the lightweight women’s single sculls, followed by Justin Schmidt in the lightweight men’s single sculls at 10:35 p.m. Holly Drapp and Olympian Jess Thoennes race the women’s pair Semifinal at 10:50 p.m., and the men’s quadruple sculls Semifinal follows at 11:13 p.m. Watch on Overnght or on World Rowing. Results and schedule can be found here. 

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