News

Posted: 03 August 2026

The Scotland Rowing Team took on the other home nations at the Home International Rowing Regatta in London, last weekend. The team consisting of 56 athletes, 10 coaches and 6 support staff from across Scotland headed to the London Docklands, where they finished second overall in the competition behind winners and hosts, England.

The event was split into four squads; Junior Women, Junior Men, Senior Women and Senior Men. Each squad’s captain has outlined their results below. 

Junior Women
Written by F McConnell.

The 2026 Home International Regatta proved to be a hugely successful event for the junior women’s team, with every athlete returning home with at least one medal. Despite challenging conditions, the squad delivered impressive performances throughout the day, demonstrating both resilience and depth across the field.

The morning began with the small boats, where the team made a strong start. The junior women's four and the B pair both raced well to secure third-place finishes.

The double saw Scotland's first medal of the day with a close race where the Scottish double took the lead over the field from the start and held it too the end, leading to a victory over Wales with a margin of around 5 seconds. This was closely followed by a dominant victory in the pair, 6 seconds ahead of the Irish crew in second place.

The afternoon was our chance to showcase the work we'd put into our crew boats. Our compatibility as crews made a real difference on the water, with everyone working together to produce fast, composed races and some of our strongest performances of the day.

The quad was the first race, where the crew stormed away from a strong Welsh crew, achieving the win by 4 seconds. Despite being unable to replicate this performance in the 500-metre sprint at the end, we put in a performance to be proud of, coming second by a small margin.

Further success was seen in the eight where they stormed away from their competition, securing another win for the Scotland Junior Women, putting us in strong standing on the overall scoreboard. They backed up this performance in the 500-metre sprint where they again achieved gold, a testament to their hard work in the eight in the weeks leading up to the regatta.

These results cemented Scotland at the top of the junior women’s podium for the first time in 28 years! This result would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the team throughout the entirety of last year, as well as the work of all the coaches and support staff. It has been an incredible achievement for everyone involved and one that reflects the increasing strength and depth of junior women's rowing in Scotland. We hope this success provides a platform to build on in the seasons ahead, leading to further success in the future!

Junior Men
Written by I Coutts.

The Home International Rowing Regatta 2026 was a great event for the Scotland Junior Men's team with crews made up of athletes from across the country who provided strong results for Scotland across the competition.

These included the junior men's double and quadruple sculls who each came second in their races, with the quad missing out on the medal by an agonisingly small margin in the 500m race.

All crews raced well in the rough headwind conditions, which provided an extra challenge at the start, especially for the 'A' and 'B' single scullers and the 'A' and 'B' pairs who each powered their boats through the winds producing impressive speeds despite the conditions. All athletes gave each race their all and proved themselves against some strong competition from Wales, Ireland and England.

The junior men's team thoroughly enjoyed racing at HIR, and we were all honoured to have been to compete for Scotland, especially at such a unique location as London Docklands. We would like to thank our coaches, as well as those athletes for whom this is their last race as juniors: Matthew, Adam, Thomas and Finlay.

Senior Women
Written by M Fatani

The Senior Women enjoyed a successful day of racing at the 2026 Home International Regatta, finishing second overall and continuing to close the gap on England in the overall standings.

With strong performances across every boat class, all battling the challenging headwind at the London Docklands, it was a really enjoyable and encouraging day for the squad. Every crew contributed valuable points, highlighting the depth and consistency of the Scottish team throughout the regatta.

The sculling events got the day underway, with the U23 single taking second place after a well-paced race. The Senior single and double both came third in tight, well-fought races, providing a solid start to the regatta. The sweep small boats followed, with both the U23 pair and Senior pair claiming convincing wins to take home gold, while the Senior four finished fourth after another close and competitive race.

The afternoon saw the larger boats battle it out over both the 2 km and 500m sprint distances. In the 2 km event, the women's quad produced another strong performance to finish second to England, ahead of both Ireland and Wales. The women's eight then rounded off the 2k racing in style with an exciting victory over England, crossing the line just over two seconds clear after a composed and confident race.

The afternoon's 500m sprints brought more close racing. The quad finished third, missing out on the win by only two seconds, while the eight also narrowly missed out on another victory, taking second by just 0.9 seconds in one of the closest races of the day.

When the points were added up, the Senior Women finished second overall. Just as importantly, they reduced the gap to England compared with previous years, reflecting the progress the squad has made and the strength of performances across the whole team.

There was a great atmosphere on and off the water throughout the day, with every crew supporting one another and celebrating each result. With two wins in the pairs, victory in the eight, and top-three finishes in almost every category, it was a productive day on the water. More than the individual results, the regatta showed the depth of the squad, with crews consistently picking up valuable points throughout the day. It was a very positive way to round off the Home International Regatta and gives the team plenty to build on heading into next season.

Senior Men
Written by M Hughson.

The Senior Men’s team for the 2026 Home International Rowing Regatta was selected following a competitive seat-racing process. The removal of the 4+ event from the regatta schedule led to intensified competition for the available sweep seats. The growing depth of Scottish men’s sculling, evident at the Scottish Rowing Championships, led to the most contested selection for the men’s sculling team in recent years. The outcome was a strong and diverse team represented by athletes from nine different rowing programmes, with many athletes earning their first Scotland caps.

The regatta started with the sculling small boats, facing a strong headwind that created challenging conditions throughout the day. The U23 1x was raced by S MacCallum, marking his debut performance for the Scotland team. Racing in a competitive field, he battled closely with the Irish sculler throughout the race to secure third place overall with a comfortable lead over his Welsh rival. Next down the course was B Huckle, also representing Scotland for the first time. Following an impressive season in the quad, he returned to the single to demonstrate his versatility. He produced a strong performance, reeling back in the Welsh sculler over the final 500 metres, narrowly missing out on third place. This was an admirable performance on his first cap in one of the regatta’s most challenging events. Clubmates M Hughson and R Waddell combined in the M2x, producing a strong performance. They held off the Welsh crew through the opening 1,500 metres before the demanding headwind got the better of them, resulting in a fourth-place finish.

The para events were up next, starting with the Mix PR3 2x. C Wallace and S Gough reunited to deliver a commanding victory, winning by over one minute. J Woods continued Scotland’s success with a landslide victory in the M PR1 1x.

The sweep team kicked off their racing with the newly introduced U23 M2-. The Nottingham University duo of E Floyd and J Scott-Brown produced an excellent performance against strong competition, securing third place and comfortably beating the English crew. The M2- featured the returning combination of O Forbes and N Field, who earned pre-selection following their commanding victory at the Scottish Rowing Championships. They got off to a fast start, reaching the halfway mark in second place. They maintained a strong rhythm to finish third. To finish off the first block of racing, the M4- took to the course. This combination of athletes from 3 Scottish clubs came together quickly, forming an impressive crew. E MacLachlan, G Messner, J Lane and J Thompson battled the Irish throughout the race, claiming another third-place finish.

The second block of racing saw the M4x and M8+ tackle increasingly challenging conditions as the headwind strengthened. Both events produced some of the closest racing of the day and demonstrated the determination of these Scottish athletes. Having competed and trained together throughout the season in the newly formed Clyde Performance Group, the M4x displayed speed and cohesion. Over the final 1,000 metres they steadily closed the gap on England with every stroke, ultimately missing second place by 1.36 seconds. The M8+ delivered one of the most impressive sprint finishes of the day. They chased down the Irish crew in the final stages, reducing a deficit of almost a length in the last 250 metres, narrowly missing second place by only 0.42 seconds. Their efforts put on a show for the crowds of supporters who came out in strength to cheer on our Scotland Team. To conclude the day, the supporters made their way up the course to the first 500 metres to spectate the sprint racing. The M4x battled the difficult water conditions claiming third place, while the M8+ once again demonstrated their sprinting ability securing second place. These performances contributed to Scotland finishing third overall in the Senior Men’s team standings.

Having competed at several Home International Rowing Regattas in recent years, I was honoured to receive the role of Senior Men’s Captain for the 2026 event. Training for and competing at this regatta remains one of the highlights of the rowing season. It provides an opportunity to learn from new coaches and teammates and build lasting friendships.

Serving as captain made this year’s experience particularly rewarding. I was grateful for the opportunity to help unite the team and encourage the determination and belief that helped to define our performances over the weekend. Although the results reflected an increasingly competitive standard at this regatta, the performances were ones to be proud of and they provide an excellent platform on which future Scotland teams can build.