Aug 10, 2025
Team USA
U19 Women’s Four Wins Gold, Women’s Eight Silver
The women’s four won gold for the first time since 2018 at the 2025 Under 19 World Championships. The women’s eight took home silver, with the men’s four finishing fourth and Tony Madigan finishing fifth overall in the men’s single sculls. The men’s eight finished eighth.
In the women’s four, Great Britain took an early lead on the U.S. crew, but the experienced Americans remained unshaken. They remained in striking distance of the British, closing the margin in the third 500 meters to just .23 seconds. In the sprint, Claire Van Praagh, Lauren Dubois, Lia Nathan, and Teagan Farley overtook the British to move into first place. They crossed the line in 7:09.61, followed by Great Britain in a time of 7:10.20.
This is the second gold medal for Van Praagh, Dubois, and Nathan, who won gold in the women’s eight last year.
“That was hard, but fun,” said Claire Van Praagh. “We trusted each other. We trusted the rhythm that we put down. Each race we were looking to find something new, find a new gear, and that’s what we did in the sprint. We’re really grateful for our competitors. They pushed us all the way down the line. They made us better and we hope that we do the same.”
“I like that word trust,” said Teagan Farley. “Early in our training, we had a big conversation about how we trust each other and I think we really really used that during this whole race. Great Britain definitely put up a good fight which we weren’t expecting and it was fun.”
“I think our coach, Caitlin McClain always says that we’re all built for our own roles and I think we executed exactly what we needed to do today, each in our own role,” said Lia Nathan. "It was just awesome to see it all come together and get the results that we did, so big thank to her, big thanks to USRowing, big thanks to these three [teammates], I had a great time.”
“In our boat meeting, we were expecting the other countries to put it all out there and jump on us at the start,” said Lauren Dubois. “We prepared ourselves not to get rattled and I think we did a really good job of executing that plan, staying composed, staying collected, staying sharp… We laid it all down.”
In the women’s eight, the first 500 meters saw an incredibly tight field, with only inches separating all six crews. Australia surged to an early lead, opening nearly a three-second gap over the United States at the 1000-meter mark. Undeterred, the Americans began steadily moving through the field, pushing their bow into third place by the 1500-meter mark. In the final sprint, Stefania McMasters, Kathryn Dahl, Alexis Gormley, Eden Alfi, Zara Taylor, Ana Ciechanover, Caitlin Cecere, Madeline Glover, and coxswain Avery Harries-Jones set their sights on silver, powering past Australia to finish in 6:49.50.
“Honestly, at the start line, we were there for a really long time and we just kind of felt calm,” said Avery Harries-Jones. “It felt very still and everything started off. We started going. It got a little chaotic with the cox box, but everything ended up gathering together and we knew exactly what we were going to do. We stayed internal. We committed to our plan. We trusted each other. We went when we needed to go and it just gradually we hit that 1k and we just decided ok, it’s time, we’re going to go.”
“For the last 100 meters, it was black out, black out, black out, the way we row it is only trust,” said Eden Alfi. “You have to have faith in your teammates. You have to have faith in yourself because when we were at the 1k we were not where we wanted to be, so we listened to Avery, we trusted her calls. We trusted each other, trusted our training, trusted coach Sarah Gehrke, trusted the United States, and we had faith, which is most important.”
“We trusted our fitness and went with it. That's been our entire thing, just trust our fitness.” added Avery Harries-Jones.
In the men’s four, the U.S. crew of John Piersma, Nolan Hamm, Will Heaton, and George Dolce delivered a determined performance against a highly competitive field. They left the first 500 meters in fifth, just behind Australia, and spent the early stages finding their rhythm. In the second 500 meters, they began to reel in their rivals, closing the gap stroke by stroke. By the 1,500-meter mark, the American bow was nearly overlapping the Australian stern. With the finish line approaching, the U.S. launched a powerful sprint in the final 500 meters, surging ahead to secure fourth place in 6:29.87.
Tony Madigan produced a strong performance in the men’s single sculls final, facing a field packed with world-class talent. From the opening strokes, Germany surged ahead, setting a punishing tempo that stretched the field early. Madigan settled into a solid rhythm, holding fourth place through much of the middle 1,000 meters and keeping the leaders within sight. As the crews entered the closing 500 meters, Hungary mounted a determined charge. Despite Madigan’s best efforts to respond, the Hungarian sculler edged past in the final sprint. Madigan crossed the line in fifth place with a time of 7:41.32, an impressive finish in a fiercely contested race.
In the women’s quadruple sculls, the U.S. crew of Mira Meek, Clare Junius, Emma Kirk, and Claire Sopko opened the race in fifth position, keeping close to the Ukrainian boat in fourth and within reach of the leaders. Through the first half of the race, they maintained a steady, competitive pace, but the third 500 meters proved decisive. Ukraine surged ahead while the American crew struggled to match the increased tempo. Despite a determined push in the final stretch, the U.S. crossed the line in fifth with a time of 7:18.17. Their placement in the B Final secured them 11th overall in the event.
In the men’s eight B Final, the U.S. delivered a hard-fought performance in a tightly packed field, with just over two seconds separating all crews. Austria burst out of the start, quickly carving out a two-second advantage over the rest. The Americans focused on keeping Croatia at bay while methodically chipping away at Austria’s lead. As the race entered the final 500 meters, the U.S. unleashed a powerful sprint, eating into the gap with every stroke. Despite their late charge, they ran out of water to close the distance, crossing the line in second place with a time of 6:07.26 seconds.
The U.S. wrapped up the U19 and U23 World Championships with an impressive haul of five medals, two golds and three silvers. The U23 men’s four made history, capturing their first-ever gold in their event. Looking ahead, the Senior and Para national teams will take to the water at the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China, scheduled for September 21–28.
“This year’s U19 and U23 results reflect the positive momentum we’re building with the new focus of the Pathways program,” said Brett Gorman, the Fred L. Emerson Jr. Head Coach of High Performance Pathways. “Winning gold in the women’s four for the first time since 2018, medaling in multiple boat classes, and seeing our athletes step up in internationally competitive fields are all encouraging signs. At the same time, we know there’s still a lot of work ahead to strengthen our development pipeline and prepare athletes for the demands of the senior level. I want to thank all of our U19 and U23 coaches for their dedication and expertise this season.”
Photos of the U19 World Championships can be found here.
USRowing would like to thank and acknowledge key partners HUDSON, the Official Boat Supplier for the U.S. Under 19 and Under 23 National Team. Through the partnership, HUDSON supplies racing shells for selection and training domestically, with matched shells provided internationally for racing.
