The World Rowing Senior, Under 23, and Under 19 World Championships (Mega Worlds) provided a unique and valuable experience for the development of Canada’s young athletes. With 83 Canadian athletes competing, many making their international debut, the event marked a significant milestone on their journey. Racing against the world’s best, especially on home soil, provided both an exciting and essential learning experience. 

Canada secured 14 top ten finishes, including 8 boats in the top five, showing the promise of potential in Canada’s emerging rowers. Among the highlights was the U23 men’s eight, who strongly executed their race plan, delivering the best performance by a Canadian U23 men’s eight at a world championship in 16 years. (The U23 men’s eight placed 2nd at World Championships in 2008.)  

Oscar Wostenholme, coxswain of the U23 men’s eight, said, “We stuck to our strategy and gave it everything. This experience has been a huge learning opportunity, and it’s exciting to see how we measure up against the best.” Fellow U23 men’s eight teammate, Aidan Hembruff added, “Even though missing the podium by seconds was tough, we’re proud of how we raced the final. The emotions were pretty overwhelming, especially seeing how many Canadian supporters were there cheering us on. At the end of the day, our competition was world-class, and we can hold our heads high knowing we left everything out there.” 

Echoing this sentiment, coach Scott Anderson said, “Our target was a medal, and while there’s disappointment in not reaching that goal, the athletes left everything on the water. They showed grit and focus, especially in the last 500m, and their execution was impressive.” 

A sense of pride and accomplishment was felt across the team in being able to compete at an international event and represent Canada. Lucas Maroney, Canada’s junior men’s single, expressed his satisfaction with his performance, saying, “It feels good to know that I have improved over the past year and that my work has paid off. The junior single is always a tough field and being top 5 in the world is something that I am proud of.” Maroney finished fourth in the B final at the 2023 U19 World Rowing Championships in Paris, France. 

The junior women’s eight marked another milestone for Canada at this regatta by being the first Canadian junior women’s eight to compete at a World Championships since 1991. This achievement held a particularly special meaning for Sydney Swick, whose mother was a member of the 1991 crew. “Competing in the junior eight, knowing my mom was the stroke of the previous one 33 years ago, made it that much more special,” Swick shared. “This World Championships was also held on my home course, as I grew up just a few streets down in Port Dalhousie and have always rowed here. This experience was unforgettable and something I’ll always cherish.” 

Reflecting on the preparation and overall performance of Team Canada, Rowing Canada Aviron’s High Performance Director, Adam Parfitt, remarked that “The experience gained by our athletes and coaches at this World Championships has been incredibly valuable. For the first time, we implemented a trials process, which made the opportunity to compete more accessible and gave more athletes a taste of the international standard. Additionally, 14 coaches from across Canada had the chance to see this level of competition first-hand and will now bring that experience back to their clubs and schools.” 

“This event has been a crucial step in the journey for our young athletes, and now the next phase of work begins. We look forward to watching these athletes grow and supporting them as they train to achieve great things for Canadian rowing in the years to come.”  

A complete list of results can be viewed on worldrowing.com