Sunday, September 28th, 2025 – Shanghai, China

Women’s Eight (W8+) 

The Canadian Women’s Eight, Cassidy Deane, Alexis Cronk, Parker Illingworth, Kristen Siermachesky, Shaye De Paiva, Alizée Brien, Sally Jones, Brenna Randall, and coxswain Kristen Kit, lined up against China, Italy, and Poland on Saturday in Shanghai.

Though disappointed not to be in the A Final, the crew approached the race with focus and intent.

Against an experienced Italian boat, Canada established a half-length lead within the first 500m. With Alizée Brien stepping in for Caileigh Filmer, the crew concentrated on executing their race plan and maintaining composure. At the halfway point, Canada remained firmly in control and carried their lead through to the finish, winning in 06:16.14 and placing 7th overall.

Para PR3 Mixed Coxed Four (PR34+)

On Saturday, Abbygayle Durliat, Stu Chase, Jay Berner, Marie Danielle Main, and Teija Patry lined up against Spain.

The crew struggled off the start, losing more than a length in the opening strokes before settling into their rhythm. From there, they responded with determination, lifting their rate and steadily closing the gap.

By the 1800m mark, Canada had pulled within a meter of Spain, pushing hard for the lead.

Spain ultimately held on for the win, with Canada finishing second in 07:46.43. As their first season together, the crew will take this race as valuable experience and a step forward in their development.

Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls (LW1x)

Karissa Riley faced a strong field including Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Uruguay, Greece, and Norway. Among her competitors was Olympic bronze medalist Dimitra Kontou of Greece, setting the stage for a demanding race.

Knowing the challenge ahead, Riley explained her approach: “I focused on staying internal in the first 500. Then I take a look at what is going on, and aim to execute the technical things in my plan and have fun. I think racing is fun, it’s hard, but we are meant to go out there and have fun!”

Riley executed her plan with composure, settling into a stroke rate of 38 and establishing an early lead by the 500m mark, with Hong Kong and Greece close behind. At the halfway point, the Netherlands moved into the top three, but Riley held her position.

In the closing stages, pressure mounted as her rivals closed in. “I saw them coming at me, but it’s a lot about trusting your fitness and trusting your training. Trusting that I can sprint, get that rate, and boost speed up when I have to do it,” says Riley.

Trusting her preparation, Riley lifted her rate again, sprinting to the line and securing the win in 07:43.47, placing 7th overall. Reflecting on the moment, she added: “Hearing the huge Canadian support network was pretty cool!”

Men’s Eight (M8+)

The Men’s Eight, Maijken Meindertsma, Samuel Stewart, Ryan Clegg, Axel Ewashko, Trevor Jones, Terek Been, Joel Cullen, Steven Rosts, and coxswain Laura Court, faced Germany, Romania, and China in their B Final.

The crew struggled to find their rhythm early, sitting in fourth through the first half of the race. By the 1000m mark, they began to recover, overtaking China and pushing into third. They held that position to the line, finishing in 05:43.15.

Women’s Single Sculls (W1x)

On the final day of racing in Shanghai, Katie Clark lined up in the Women’s Single Sculls B Final against Australia, South Africa, the USA, Brazil, and Belgium. With a range of experience in the field, including Paris Olympian Paige Badenhorst, the race was seen as an important marker in this new quadrennial.

Clark stayed close to the front from the start and quickly made her move, taking the lead at the 500m mark with the USA and Romania in pursuit. Aware of how quickly small boat races can shift in the second half, she remained focused on maintaining her rhythm and composure.

“From the first stroke, I tried to control my race and show that I belonged in the A Final if Friday was a different day,” says Clark.

As pressure built from South Africa in the closing stages, Clark held her form and fought to keep first position, crossing the line in 07:37.63.

“It was really good to get the job done today. I feel like I came here with higher expectations of myself, and was disappointed after the semis, but I knew there was still a job to get done. I’m really proud of how I showed up today. It’s an exciting place to start for the first year of the quadrennial.”

RESULTS AND MORE
2025 World Rowing Championships
September 21-28, 2025
Shanghai, China
 
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Colleen Coderre
RCA Communications Lead
coderre@rowingcanada.org

Cassie Turkstra
RCA Communications Coordinator
cturkstra@rowingcanada.org