Women’s Pair Wins Bronze, Men’s Quadruple Sculls Earns Best Finish Since 1998

It was a tremendous day for the U.S. in China, highlighted by a nail-biting bronze medal from the women’s pair. The men’s quadruple sculls delivered a standout performance, finishing fourth, the best U.S. result in the event since 1998. Michelle Sechser dominated her lightweight single sculls semifinal, winning by open water and posting the fastest time of the day to advance to the A Final. The women’s quadruple sculls wrapped up their regatta with a 10th-place overall finish, while both the men’s and women’s eights secured spots in their A Finals. In the men’s lightweight single sculls, Justin Schmidt placed fourth in his semifinal and will line up in the B Final.

Holly Drapp and two-time Olympian Jess Thoennes clawed their way through the women’s pair field and onto the podium in a brave, dramatic performance. The U.S. pair sat in fifth place through the first 500 meters as Romania, featuring athletes from the 2024 Olympic gold-medal eight, surged to an early lead. 

Drapp and Thoennes began their charge in the second 500, moving ahead of Serbia. The third 500 meters proved decisive as the Americans reeled in and overtook Italy with gutsy determination. Heading into the final 500 meters, the U.S. trailed France by just over three seconds, but they refused to back down. Stroke by stroke, they closed the gap, missing out on silver by only 0.62 seconds.

The U.S. pair secured the bronze medal in 7:13.93. It marks Jess Thoennes’ second senior world championship medal — she previously won silver with the women’s eight in 2023 — and the first world championship medal for Holly Drapp in her debut appearance on the senior team.

Holly Drapp, when asked about their third 500-meter move, “We didn't even have to say anything. We just both knew that that's where we had to trust each other, trust our fitness, and just never be afraid to give it a little more.”

Jess Thoennes added, “We were there. We were there, and the opportunity presented itself, and we created it, so just take it. You’ve got to be ready for anything on race day.”

The U.S. men’s quadruple sculls once again made history, delivering their best result in the event since 1998. They blasted off the line with a much-improved start compared to the semifinal, sitting right in the mix through the first 500 meters. Italy seized the early lead, while the U.S. and Great Britain, along with Poland, traded blows, the three crews separated by inches through the first half of the race. The Americans threw everything they had at the middle thousand, pushing hard to stay in medal contention.

The third 500 meters proved pivotal. Great Britain began to break away, and Poland gained a few seats heading into the final sprint. Despite a fierce push in the last stretch, Olympian Chris Carlson, Cedar Cunningham, Olympian Jacob Plihal, and Nathan Phelps crossed the line in fourth place with a time of 5:55.61, the highest U.S. finish in the event in more than two decades.

Michelle Sechser once again proved her dominance, winning her lightweight single sculls semifinal by open water and posting the fastest time of the day. China’s Dandan Pan took the early lead, with Sechser staying close through the first 500 meters. Remaining calm and committed to her race plan, Sechser methodically closed the gap, moving into first place by the 1,000-meter mark.

Rowing long and strong, sometimes at a strikingly efficient 31 strokes per minute, Sechser steadily built her lead, leaving the field unable to respond. She crossed the line in 8:01.20, finishing 2.95 seconds ahead of Pan and securing her place in Saturday’s A Final with the top qualifying time.

“I'm just absolutely thrilled to have made the final for this race,“ said Michelle Sechser. “Like any lightweight rowing boat class, it's always very tight margins when we really kind of neutralize the assignment size of the athletes that we're up against. I'm looking forward to a really fun race, with a lot of close margins in the last five hundred. It's incredible that there are so many USA fans here in Shanghai cheering for us. I've been in the double for a lot of years. It's been a while since I've been on the world stage as a single. And you know, when it's just you and your boat out there, it's so nice to hear the cheers from the fans, to hear people on their bikes alongside the racecourse screaming, Go USA or Go Michelle. It really means a lot to know that, you know, I'm alone out there in the boat, but that there are so many people there pulling for me.”

The U.S. women’s quadruple sculls finished fourth in their B Final, placing 10th overall in the event. Sera Busse, Alina Hagstrom, Sophia Calabrese, and Katy Flynn stayed in the fight through the first 500 meters, battling stroke for stroke with the top three crews. The leaders broke away in the second 500 meters, but then composed and focused, opening up a sizable margin over the fifth and sixth-place boats. They crossed the line in 6:45.19 to secure 10th in the event. 

The U.S. men’s eight came out firing in their heat, surging ahead in the first 500 meters to put their bow in front. The Netherlands, the 2024 Olympic silver medalists, took control in the second 500 meters, pulling away from the field. The Americans held their ground, locking down second place and keeping Germany at bay with a relentless push through the middle of the race. Crossing the line in 5:46.36, the U.S. secured a strong second-place finish and punched their ticket to the A Final.

Germany stunned the field in the opening heat of the women’s eight, charging to a commanding lead in the first 500 meters. The U.S. crew stayed composed, methodically working to reel the Germans back in. The Americans threw move after move at both crews but were unable to get their bow in front. They crossed the line in third place with a time of 6:30.73,  fast enough to secure a spot in the A Final.

Justin Schmidt delivered a strong performance in the men’s lightweight single sculls semifinal but came up just short of securing a place in the A Final. Schmidt settled into fourth early, battling stroke for stroke with China and Hong Kong through the second 500 meters. In the third 500, China began to pull away, while Schmidt separated himself from Hong Kong to secure fourth place. He crossed the line in 7:31.24 and will race in the B Final.

Lauren O'Connor kicks off racing at 12:35 a.m. ET in the women's single sculls Semifinal. The women's double sculls B Final is next at 1:29 a.m., followed by the men's four B Final at 1:53 a.m. The women's four will compete for gold at 3:05 a.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.