Team China makes a splash with seven-medal haul

The 2025 World Rowing Championships concluded in Shanghai on Sunday, marking a milestone as the first iteration of the event ever to be held in China.

The eight-day tournament brought together 1,203 athletes and coaches from 55 countries and regions, featuring both para and traditional rowing competitions.

The Netherlands topped the medal table with four golds, one silver and one bronze, while Britain accumulated the highest total medals, claiming three golds, four silvers and one bronze. Twenty-five nations claimed medals during the championships, according to the official website of World Rowing.

China's rowing team delivered an impressive performance, particularly in lightweight categories and para-rowing, securing three golds, three silvers and one bronze.

In the lightweight events, Zou Jiaqi and Fu Ling clinched gold in the women's double sculls with a time of 7:26.12, while Li Yawei and Sun Man triumphed in the men's double sculls, finishing in 6:44.90.Pan Dandan earned silver in the women's lightweight single sculls, finishing just 0.31 seconds behind the American winner.

In Olympic-class events, Chen Yunxia and Zhang Ling set the fastest time in women's double sculls preliminaries. They later secured silver in the final with 6:50.22, narrowly missing out to the Netherlands.

The para-rowing events saw China's Liu Shuang and Jiang Jijian capture gold in the PR2 mixed double sculls with a time of 8:07.75. The Chinese PR3 mixed coxed four claimed silver, while Shao Shasha earned bronze in the PR1 women's single sculls.

Traditional powerhouses demonstrated their dominance, with the Netherlands sweeping both the men's and women's eights. Emerging nations like Uruguay made their mark, while Poland and Romania also secured gold medals.

The championships introduced several new events, including the debut of mixed double sculls and mixed eights. Additionally, a new qualification system replaced the traditional repechage format, making preliminary races more competitive by advancing the top two crews directly to the next round and ranking remaining crews by finishing times.

"Having this world championships in China is very important for us to engage more people in our sport," said World Rowing President Jean-Christophe Rolland, who emphasized the championships' strategic importance in promoting rowing across Asia, while praising Shanghai's organization and facilities.

"The venue's infrastructure is excellent, and both athletes and coaches have expressed high satisfaction with the event organization," he added.

Looking ahead, World Rowing has committed to expanding its partnership with Shanghai and other Chinese cities. "We're just at the beginning," Rolland said. "We will continue working to create a lasting rowing legacy in China."

The championships have also contributed to Shanghai's development as a global sports city. Building on this momentum, the city plans to expand its rowing footprint through initiatives like Shanghai rowing week and urban sprint races.

The Head of Shanghai River Regatta, established in 2021 on the Suzhou Creek, has gained increasing popularity, growing with each of its four editions.

"We're seamlessly connecting with the World Championships, combining the world-class course with the city's river to extend rowing's impact in Shanghai," said Zhu Junwei, head of Donghao Lansheng event management company. Discussions are underway to create a Shanghai-specific city sprint format.

Vincent Gaillard, World Rowing's executive director, highlighted Shanghai's century-long rowing heritage. "This vibrant city has embraced our sport for over a hundred years, and each day strengthens that bond," he said.