News

Posted: 27 July 2026

Scottish rowers enjoyed a memorable weekend across Europe, winning gold and silver at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships, ending a 28-year wait for a Home International team trophy and collecting six medals at the Coupe de la Jeunesse.

The weekend of 25–26 July delivered an outstanding set of results for Scottish athletes in Duisburg, London and Lucerne.

Josh Matthews became an under-23 world champion, Grace Dawson won silver on her GB Rowing Team debut and Scotland’s junior women claimed a historic Home International team victory.

Further success followed at the Coupe de la Jeunesse, where Scotland’s three representatives collected four gold medals, one silver and one bronze across two days of racing.

World gold and silver in Duisburg

Josh Matthews won gold as the GB Rowing Team men’s quadruple scull delivered a superb performance at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Duisburg.

Racing alongside Matt Long, Elliott Donovan-Davies and Nat Gauden, Matthews and the British crew moved from third at 500 metres to take the lead in the closing stages, holding off Germany to secure Great Britain’s first under-23 world title in the event since 2019, when fellow Edinburgh University Boat Club rower Josh Armstrong was part of the winning crew.

Matthews began his rowing journey at Stirling Rowing Club before progressing through the Scottish Rowing Performance Development Academy at Strathclyde Park Rowing Club.

There was further success for Edinburgh University Boat Club as Grace Dawson won silver in the women’s quadruple scull alongside Lara Grant, Zara Povey and Liv Cheesmur.

The British crew led early before the United States moved ahead, with Dawson and her crewmates holding off Italy to take second place. Dawson first learned to row through Edinburgh University Boat Club’s beginners programme under the guidance of Mike Hughes before progressing to the GB Rowing Team.

Freddy Foxwell completed a strong World Championships for Edinburgh University’s Scottish contingent, finishing eighth overall in the men’s double scull with Isaac Morris. Formerly of St Andrew Boat Club, Foxwell had recently joined Matthews in the crew that won the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.

Junior women make history in London

While the world medals were being won in Duisburg, Scotland’s junior women secured a historic team victory at the Home International Rowing Regatta at London’s Royal Albert Dock.

Wales won the opening single sculls, but Scotland responded through Rosie Hendrie and Freya McConnell in the double before Ines de Kock and Charlotte Meakins won the A pair to move the team to the top of the standings.

Hendrie and McConnell then joined Alva Clements and Kate Desmeulles to win the quadruple scull. The George Heriot’s and George Watson’s composite crew had also won the Women’s J18 Quadruple Sculls at the British Rowing Club Championships only six days earlier.

Scotland completed the job in the eights, winning both the 2,000-metre race and the 500-metre sprint. The crew, featuring athletes from George Heriot’s School Rowing Club, Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association and Strathclyde Park Rowing Club, won the longer race by 4.64 seconds before taking the sprint by 1.22 seconds.

Scotland finished with 31 points, six ahead of Wales, with England and Ireland tied on 22. De Kock and Meakins were the only Scottish athletes to win three races, taking victory in the pair and both eight events.

The result secured the Irish Travel Agency Cup and marked Scotland’s seventh Junior Women’s Match victory. It was their first since 1998 and their first away from home since winning at Blessington Lake in Ireland in 1991.

Twelve wins for Scotland

The junior women’s five wins formed part of 12 victories for the Scotland Rowing Team across the regatta.

Scotland’s para rowers completed an unbeaten programme. Colin Wallace of the University of St Andrews Boat Club and Samantha Gough of St Andrew Boat Club won the PR3 mixed double sculls over both 2,000 metres and 500 metres, while Jake Woods of Strathclyde Park Rowing Club achieved the same double in the men’s PR1/2 single scull.

Scotland’s senior women supplied the remaining three victories.

Isla MacCallum and Beatrix Fooks of Edinburgh University Boat Club won the under-23 pair ahead of Ireland, before Madeleine Fatani of Edinburgh University Boat Club and Kirsty McRobb of Glasgow University Boat Club took the senior pair ahead of England.

The four later joined their teammates in the senior women’s eight to secure another Scotland win. The crew brought together athletes from University Rowing Aberdeen, Edinburgh University Boat Club, the University of St Andrews Boat Club and Glasgow University Boat Club.

The senior women finished second in their team competition, while the senior men placed third. Scotland’s junior men finished only one point behind Ireland and recorded runner-up finishes in both the long-course and sprint quadruple sculls.

Scottish Rowing Head of Performance Tom Young said:

Six medals at the Coupe de la Jeunesse

There was further Scottish success at the Coupe de la Jeunesse on Lucerne’s Rotsee course.

On Saturday, Stevie Rose Gildert of Strathclyde Park Rowing Club helped the GB Rowing Team women’s eight to win gold, while Ezra Ferguson of George Watson’s College Boat Club partnered Max Fullman of Hartpury University and College Boat Club to victory in the junior men’s double scull.

Caitlin Warnock of Glasgow Rowing Club added bronze in the junior women’s quadruple scull alongside Cassie Anderson, Daisy O’Reilly and Daniela Raguckaite.

All three Scottish athletes returned to the podium on Sunday. Gildert and Ferguson each secured a second gold medal, while Warnock added silver to her bronze from the opening day.

The Scottish trio therefore completed the Coupe with an outstanding total of four gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

Scottish Rowing Chief Executive Lee Boucher said: