There was a special sporting atmosphere in Saundersfoot over the weekend as the World Rowing Coastal Championships took place, with the seaside village set for more action this weekend, along with a Royal visit!
Great Britain turned out in full force at the first Championships to be held in the British Isles, with 48 crews competing against 22 other nations in three days of exciting racing. 12 crews reached their respective A finals and a gold medal came from UL Tyrian Club in the coastal men's coxed quadruple sculls (CM4X+)
Many of the crews came from established coastal rowing clubs, while others were novices trying their hand at the sport for the first time.
The finals day brought a stiff southerly breeze creating white caps out in Saundersfoot bay and producing challenging conditions for racing crews!
There were only two scullers in contention for gold in the coastal women’s solo with with France’s Jessica Berra beating Diana Dymchenko of Azerbaijan to gold.
Sweden’s defending champions Dennis Gustavsson and Eskil Borgh took the coastal men’s double sculls; while in the coastal women’s quadruple sculls, Spain’s superior coastal knowledge paid off and they earned a comfortable win.
The coastal women’s double sculls final turned into a duel between Janneke van der Meulen and Karien Robbers of the Netherlands and Monika Dukarska and Rhiannon O’Donoghue of Ireland, with the Dutch taking the win.
At the 2021 World Rowing Coastal Championships, Ireland’s Adrian Miramon Quiroga capsized in the A-Final of the coastal men’s solo, got back in and stormed back through the field to win bronze. This year he had no such issues despite the conditions and looked strong from the start as he secured the title.
A series of technical mishaps in several crews meant the lead kept changing throughout the coastal men’s quadruple sculls (CM4x+) race with Great Britian’s UL Tyrian Club eventually having a clear run to gold.
Two coastal rowers Ander Martin Domingo and Esther Briz Zamorano of Spain were never really troubled in the last final of the championships, cruising clear to defend their coastal mixed double sculls title.
The action in Saundersfoot continues from Friday with a special Royal visit as Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, will visit the seaside village to attend the 2022 World Rowing Coastal Championships Beach Sprints which will be raced from October 14 to 16.
The event debuted in 2019 and will, for the third edition, have just under 250 athletes from 26 nations doing the short course, beach start style race.
Beach Sprints are far faster, shorter race courses (across 250m) and involve a ‘Run, Race, Run’ format out to sea and back, along a buoyed course. It uses a time trial and knockout progression system. Races will last between 2.30 and 3.30 minutes each.
Beach Sprints are to feature at the 2023 World Beach Games in Bali, and the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal and have also been proposed as an Olympic event for 2028 to the International Olympic Committee, and at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
