Rowing Canada Aviron’s (RCA) five crews wrapped up a week of competition at the 2026 World Rowing Championships on Sunday in Amsterdam, NED.

Team Canada joined more than 850 athletes representing 64 nations competing across seven days of racing in 23 boat classes. Canada was represented in the men’s single, men’s four, women’s double sculls, women’s quadruple sculls, and women’s eight.

Alizée Brien and Grace Vandenbroek placed 5th in the women’s double, continuing to build their partnership as the Olympic cycle progresses.

“When you’re in the A final, you’re obviously thinking about that medal, but we were really focused on having a good performance today and leaving it all on the line, which we accomplished,” said Brien and Vandenbroek. “We’re really proud of how far we’ve come in the last few months. Committing to the process and building trust between us, and the whole team, helped give us confidence coming into this regatta. It’s also something we can expand on moving forward.”

That focus on continued development was also evident in the Canadian women’s eight, which finished 5th in the A final in its first side-by-side international 2,000 metre race as a crew.

“I’m really proud of how we executed the first 1200 metres of the race today,” said coxswain, Kristin Kit. “From the start, we were really focused on technique, form and rhythm. The rhythm that we were able to get on to when we transitioned off the start was something really special.”

Kit said the young crew can take confidence from its opening two-thirds of the race as it continues to develop.

“We’re a very new combination and a very young crew in terms of experience. I think going into that last third of the race, the wheels started to fall off a little bit, but we’re in year two of the Olympic cycle and we’re excited about the first two-thirds of the race.”

For the women’s quad, Amsterdam provided another opportunity to test its progress following a 4th place finish at World Rowing Cup I in Seville earlier this Spring. The crew finished 11th overall at the World Championships in Amsterdam after racing in the B final.

“Racing in Amsterdam this week was bittersweet for us as the women’s quad,” said stroke of the boat, Katie Clark. “Coming away from Seville, we had what we thought was a pretty clear plan to bridge the gap to the podium from our fourth-place finish. The field is fast, and it just wasn’t enough this year. It’s time for a reset before we’re back to work to find the speed we need going into the all-important qualification year. I am hungry for more, and I believe strongly that we’re capable of so much more.”

The men’s four finished 13th overall, while Trevor Jones finished 19th in the men’s single.

The World Championships marked the conclusion of the 2026 international season for the Canadian crews. As the program looks ahead to the 2027 Olympic qualification season, High Performance Director, Adam Parfitt, reflected on the progress made throughout the year and the work that remains.

“The goal for the year was progress,” shared Parfitt. “The athletes and coaches were committed to this daily and we stepped forward from last year. We aren’t where we want to be yet, and will start this upcoming year with more athletes, where the targets have advanced and knowing that our goals are to make the fastest crews possible in 2027.”

The Canadian program will now turn its attention to the next phase of preparation, with the 2027 season bringing the first Olympic qualification opportunities on the road to LA2028.

 

Results and Race Replays

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More information on the 2026 World Rowing Championships can be found here.
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