World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals

The World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals will be contested for the first time ever from October 25 to 27 at the Dameisha International Aquatics Centre in Shenzhen, China, with Canadians slated to compete in all four boat classes.

Sarah Pidgen (Orillia, ON) will race in the women’s solo event as well as in the mixed coxed quadruple sculls with crewmates Steve Dmytrasz (Toronto, ON), Mikayla Arends (Ottawa, ON), Lorne Thomas (Georgetown, ON) and coxswain Georgia Greenwood (Mississauga, ON). Canada’s men’s solo competitor will be Aubrey Oldham (Hamilton, ON), who will also be racing with D’Arcy Arends (Utopia, ON) in the mixed double event.

The crews were selected through the Canadian Rowing Beach Sprints regatta this past August.

This new FISA coastal rowing competition involves a barefoot sprint on a beach to the competitors’ boats, 250m of slalom racing around buoys, and a final beach sprint from the water’s edge to the finish line.

Time trials will take place on Friday October 25 starting at 10:00am local time (Thursday October 24 10:00pmET/7:00pmPT).

Reps and finals for the mixed double and mixed coxed quadruple sculls events will take place on Saturday October 26 starting at 2:25pm local time (2:25amET/Friday October 25 11:25pmPT).

The competition will wrap up with the reps and finals for the men’s and women’s solo events on Sunday October 27, which are set to start at 2:00pm local time (2:00amET/Saturday October 26 11:00pmPT).