Mega Worlds is Here!

If you've been paying attention then by now you'd have heard all about our Under 23 and Under 19 (Junior) Aussie reps who have been hard at work training in preparation for their World Championships. This huge competition (aka "Mega Worlds""), taking place 18 - 25 August in St Catharines, Canada, is combined as a result of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In Olympic years, Senior categories are included in this World Champs only in non-Olympic/Paralympic boat classes (the Lightweight Single, Pair and Quad, plus PR3 Singles and Pairs). 

A reminder of the WA athletes racing:

Under 23 Womens Coxless Four

Gen Hart (FRC)

Becky Pretorius (SRRC)

Under 23 Mens Eight

Ben Scott (FRC/Harvard)

Alex Baroni (WARC/Cal Berkeley)

Junior Womens Quad

Sina Metzger (FRC)

Juliet Kelly (FRC)

Junior Womens Coxless Four

Greta Spencer (SRRC)

Lyla Fievez (SRRC)

The coaching team has good WA representation, with WAIS Head Coach Jamie Hewlett responsible for the U23W4- (with assistance from WAIS Physiologist, Dan Astridge), SRRC Head Coach Mark Beer with the U19W4-, and SRRC Women's Coach Liv Jones on deck through her scholarship with the AIS.

These rowers are all at the tail end of a very long season - selection for these crews began last year through the erg and time trial benchmark testing, then in earnest through the domestic regatta season and the various selection trials processes.

Prior to travelling to Canada, the U23s had a training camp in Princeton, New Jersey USA, using the Princeton University rowing facilities. The rowers in the U238+s have come through the US-based selection process and hail from US college rowing programs, so they are making the most of the strong relationship between the Aussie U23 team and the US College system. 

And a fun fact for you all regarding the strength of the US college system - excluding the US crews, 48% of female athletes and 31% of male athletes in all the U238+ crews are current or former students at US colleges (Source: Daniel Spring).

Tentative Schedule (exact race times subject to the official draw)

B = U23, J = U19

READ: JRN Preview: U19 Women (lacking in Aussie mentions but a good overview of the competition)

READ: JRN U23 Previews (big boat previews yet to be published)

MORE INFO: Regatta Website (World Rowing)

Follow Rowing WA's Instagram page for the best local updates.

Photos: The JW4- (left) and JW4x (right) in action during training. Credit: Greta Spencer.

Photo: The U23W4- training in the USA. Credit: Becky Pretorius.

Photo: Scenes at Princeton University. Credit: Becky Pretorius.