News

Posted: 04 November 2025

Following on from the three Scots who raced at the European Rowing Beach Sprint Championships in October, GB Rowing recently announced a massive eight Scottish athletes have been selected to race at the World Beach Sprint Finals this coming weekend donning the coveted red and blue ‘hoops’ of a GB World Championship team for the first time at the beach.

Image: British Rowing (Left), Laura in her Worlds Kit. Juliette Chamberlaine (Right) Laura with her Silver medal at Euro's.

Laura McKenzie (Glasgow Uni BC) will be looking to defend her fantastic Silver medal from the European Championships as she takes on the CW1x once again in Manavgat as she goes toe-to-toe with the world’s best athletes such as 2024 Gold & Bronze medallists Magdelena Lobnig (Austria) and Emma Twigg (New Zealand) in a 33 strong field.

Cam Buchan (University of St Andrews BC) returns to the CMix2x with Natacha Searson, looking to build on their Quarter Final finish at last months European Championships. The pairing will look to keep developing their combination having narrowly lost by just 1 second to the eventual bronze medallists and reigning World Champions from Lithuania.

Images: British Rowing. Cameron and partner, Natacha (Left), Isabel (Right) in their GB Kit. 

The final returner from the European Championships is Isabel Soyinka (Clydesdale ARC / Edinburgh Uni BC) who will once again take on the U19 CW1x – again looking to build on her quarter final finish having lost to the eventual bronze medallist from Austria.

“I am really looking forward to going to the World Beach Sprint Finals to challenge myself and to have the opportunity to compete against the best in the world. It is a privilege to do so alongside such a great team of athletes who I have learnt a lot from and who have inspired me throughout the year.”
Isabel Soyinka

Megan Hewison (Molesey BC), who came through Aberdeen Schools RA as a junior, and now trains with University of St Andrews BC travelled to Turkey last month as the Women’s spare and racing in the European Coastal Championships, will once again act as spare for the senior crews. Megan will also be joined by Colin Wallace (University of St Andrews BC), who will be looking to retain his World title from 2024, in the Inclusion mixed double scull (INMix2x), when the new Aberdonian combination look to take on the World in the Beach Sprint disciplines only para-event.

Image: British Rowing. Colin & Megan (Left), Heather, Gregor & Ryan with crew (Right) in their GB kit.

“I am proud to have been selected to represent GB for a second year and excited to return to race the mixed quad. As one of two returning members of last year’s crew, I have enjoyed the challenge of bringing a new group together and can’t wait to test ourselves against the rest of the world in Türkiye!”
Heather Gordon

Heather Gordon (Inverness RC) and Ryan Glymond (Tyne ARC / University of St Andrews BC) return to the CMix4x+ to defend their World Championship title from 2024. The pairing will be joined by fellow Scot, Gregor Hall (Stirling RC), as he returns to the GB Beach Sprint Team having raced in the CM1x at the 2022 & 2023 World Beach Sprint Finals.

“We are relatively new crew formed 6weeks ago but have came together at a unit very quickly over this time period. Wrapping up our training at camp in South Shields which really allow us to hone in on us as a crew. Coming out of camp we are fully prepped to take on the best of the World's Beach Sprinters”
Gregor Hall

Scottish Rowing Beach Sprint Pathway Coach, Iain Docwra, will once again be coaching on the world stage as he returns for his third World Beach Sprint finals, this time coaching the U19 CW1x, INMix2x and Women’s spare, taking over the duties of Lewis McCue (University of St Andrews BC) at the European Championships. We look forward to seeing Doc’s trademark dives through the breaking waves on the event livestream.

Image: British Rowing. The eight Scots representing GB. From left to right; Isabel, Colin, Laura, Cameron, Heather, Gregor, Megan and Iain.

This landmark achievement for Scottish athletes, making up over 60% of the GB Senior Beach Sprint Team, and over 40% of the total team, comes in the year which GB Rowing announce the University of St Andrews as a ‘Beach Sprint Olympic Training Venue’, Edinburgh & St Andrews Universities announced as Performance Development Academies, Inverness RC announced as a Coastal Sculling Academy, and Scottish Rowing announced three new Beach Sprint Pathway Programmes.

In the first year of the LA Olympiad, Scottish Rowing continues to show its ambition (alongside our partners) to be a world leading nation in the new Beach Sprints discipline, and supporting the GB Rowing Team to be a dominant force at the LA28 Olympic Games.

See the British Rowing website for full GB Rowing Team selections for the 2025 World Beach Sprint Finals and a summary of results from the European Rowing Beach Sprint Championships.

You can follow all of the action at the 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals on the World Rowing Website, with racing set to begin on Thursday morning at 09:00 local time (06:00 UK Time). More details of how to follow the racing can be found here.