Sunday July 31, 2022 – Varese, Italy
IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The 2022 World Rowing U19 and U23 Championships came to a close on Sunday July 31, with Canada leaving Italy with a silver and a bronze.

Five Canadian crews raced in A finals, with Canada making the podium in the U23 women’s double (Grace VandenBroek and Elisa Bolinger, silver) and the U23 lightweight men’s single (Stephen Harris, bronze). Details on Canada’s medallists can be found here.

The U23 women’s pair of Maya Meschkuleit and Leia Till finished fourth overall, following up on a sixth overall finish at World Cup 3 earlier this month. This regatta marked Meschkuleit’s fourth World Championship appearance for Canada, and the first for Till, both of whom row for universities in the United States.

Canada’s U23 men’s pair of Julian Black and Joel Cullen and U19 women’s pair of Mira Calder and Sophia Regosa both crossed the finish line fifth overall. All four athletes have spent the past season training out of British Columbia, with Black and Cullen rowing for the University of British Columbia and Calder and Regosa for Victoria City Rowing Club.

“We are very proud of our NextGen crews,” said Chuck McDiarmid, RCA NextGen Program Lead. “We had a large team of 45 athletes and 14 staff here in Italy that represented Canada well and worked hard to put out their best performances. We have a dedicated, talented pool of rowers in Canada, and the U19 and U23 World Championships are valuable experiences for those looking to excel and compete at a high level. It is exciting to have had five crews race the A finals and to see Grace, Elisa and Stephen win medals. Next up for many of our athletes and coaches is the Canada Summer Games, where several national team rowers will race for their provincial teams.”  

The five remaining U19 crews raced in the B finals on Sunday (full results below). The U19 women’s double of Cait Whittard and Anna Pamenter crossed the line first in their final to claim seventh overall.

In the U23 competition, the men’s eight took third in the B final (ninth overall). The women’s eight finished seventh after a tight repechage, which saw just 1.3 seconds separating the first and fifth place finishers. The men’s double of Michael Ciepiela and Andrew Hubbard ended their campaign in Italy strong, claiming first in the C final.

Canadian national team crews will next be in action at the World Rowing Championships in Račice, Czech Republic from September 18-25, 2022.

Team Canada Results and Progressions

U23 Women’s Pair – Maya Meschkuleit and Leia Till
1^st in Heat > 4^th in A final

U23 Men’s Pair – Julian Black and Joel Cullen
1^st in Heat > 3^rd in A/B semi > 5^th in A final

U23 Women’s Double – Elisa Bolinger and Grace VandenBroek
2^nd in Heat > 1^st in A/B semi > 2^nd in A final (SILVER)

U23 Men’s Double – Michael Ciepiela and Andrew Hubbard
5^th in Heat > 5^th in Rep > 1^st in C final (13^th overall)

U23 Lightweight Men’s Single – Stephen Harris
3^rd in Heat > 2^nd in Rep > 2^nd in A/B semi > 3^rd in A final (BRONZE)

U23 Women’s Eight – Lucy Black, Eliza Dawson, Abigail Dent, Shaye de Paiva, Claire Ellison, Hailey Mercuri, Jana Peachey, Emma Seawright, Eden Cooper-Squires
4^th in Heat > 5^th in Rep (7^th overall)

U23 Men’s Eight – Connor Attridge, Matteo Banducci, Payton Gauthier, Alexander Gonin, Aidan Hembruff, Oliver Page Kuhr, Mitchell Rodgers, William Simpson, Nicholas Murray-Coplen
4^th in Heat > 5^th in Rep > 3^rd in B final (9^th overall)

U19 Men’s Four – Connor Bohlmann, Shane Keagan, Owen Marcovitz, Ellington Peacock
3^rd in Heat > 1^st in Rep > 5^th in A/B semis > 2^nd in B final (8^th overall)

U19 Women’s Four – Teagan Blue, Malarie Jones, Riley Richardson, Arden Ross
5^th in Heat > 6^th in Rep > 4^th in B final (10^th overall)

U19 Women’s Pair – Mira Calder, Sophia Regosa
2^nd in Heat > 5^th in A final

U19 Men’s Double – Owen Bartel, Lucas Maroney
1^st in Heat > 1^st in Quarterfinal > 5^th in A/B semis > 5^th in B final (11^th overall)

U19 Women’s Double – Anna Pamenter, Cait Whittard
3^rd in Heat > 1^st in Rep > 4^th in A/B semis > 1^st in B final (7^th overall)

U19 Women’s Quad – Stella Bittman, Autumn Crowe, Leah Miller, Madeson Scott
4^th in Heat > 3^rd in Rep > 6^th in A/B semis > 5^th in B final (11^th overall)

Click here for more information on the 2022 World Rowing U19 and U23 Championships.

Click here for more information on the members of Canada’s 2022 NextGen National Teams.

In support of the U23 and U19 athletes, RCA launched a fundraising campaign to reduce fees associated with international competition and ensure that athletes do not face financial barriers to representing Canada on the world stage. To make a contribution and help Canada’s rowers focus on giving their all on the water, please visit fundrazr.com/2022RCANextGen

Join the conversation @rowingcanada: #rowingcanada #aviron #WRU23CH #WRU19CH #WRUCHVarese

For more information:
Colleen Coderre
RCA Communications Lead
comm@rowingcanada.org

Liz Montroy
RCA Communications and Events Coordinator
lmontroy@rowingcanada.org