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After a record 8 Scottish athletes were selected to represent Great Britain at the first World Championships in the LA28 Olympiad, we were treated to another thrilling long weekend of racing in Türkiye.

The full GB Beach Sprint Team gather on the beach to celebrate a successful championships! (Benedict Tuffnel)

European Silver Medallist Laura McKenzie (Glasgow University BC) returned to the Women’s Solo (CW1x) to claim an incredible bronze medal against a stacked field. The intensity of the racing to come was clear in the first Time Trial on Thursday morning where just 5 seconds separated the top 9 scullers.

Fast forward to Saturday morning when the top 8 spots were earnt in the Knockout Round with less than 3 seconds separating each of the winners. On Sunday, Laura met Paris Olympic Bronze Medallist (LW2x) from Greece, Zoi Fitsiou. Laura stormed down the beach to reach her scull first, and build a commanding lead from that point on. In the Semi-Final Laura met the top seed, Emma Twigg, four time Olympian, double Olympic Medallist and last year’s Bronze Medallist in the CW1x. After a great start, Laura took an early lead, but the Kiwi’s speed was too much, and Emma took her spot in the A-Final. Laura moved on to the B-Final, where she faced the Spaniard, Teresa Diaz Moreno, who won a bronze medal at the European Championships in October. Both athletes will have been carrying tired legs from a tough block of racing, but Laura was able to lead down the beach and expertly navigate the course, just like we’ve come to expect from her, to win the Bronze Medal.

“I’m so happy! It feels better to win a race to get a medal. I’ve been in A-final races before, and come away with a silver, which I know is better than a bronze, but when you win a bronze, it’s a different feeling to ‘losing a gold’. This is also one of the first bronze medal races I’ve won because I find that mentally quite challenging, as it’s an all or nothing kind of race.” 

Laura stands proud on the beach after her final (Benedict Tuffnel) 

“This medal means so much because there is a lot of jeopardy in Beach Sprints. You can get knocked out early and it can depend on your luck. So I feel very proud to put a medal up on the scoreboard for Great Britain.” 

Colin Wallace (University of St Andrews BC) & Megan Hewison (Molesey BC & Aberdeen Schools RA FP), asserted their dominance on the field in the INMix 2x by winning the Time Trial and taking top seed through the knockouts where they met the second seed from Egypt in the Final. The GB doubles explosive speed off the beach was too much for the Egyptians and Colin & Megan brought home the Gold Medal and first World Championship title.

Eagle eyed followers may remember that Colin won the World title in this event at the 2024 Finals in Genoa, but this is the first year that the event, formerly known as PR3 Mix2x has been upgraded to a full Championship title where it had previously been a demonstration event. The INMix2x consists of one internationally classified PR3 athlete racing alongside an able-bodied partner of the opposite sex.

“Becoming World Champion again with my doubles partner Megan on Sunday out in Turkey at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals was nothing short of incredible. I can’t thank Iain Docwra enough for the coaching, guidance and all-round support these last few weeks in prepping for this event, and to the rest of the support staff and team out there on race days themselves - without every single person going above and beyond we wouldn’t have achieved what we did. It was brilliant to see this para event included by World Rowing and counting towards the official medal table and it was great to be part of a huge Scottish contingent on the GB team.” 

Colin & Megan celebrating their victory on the beach (Benedict Tuffnel)

2024 World Champion, Cam Buchan (University of St Andrews BC), returned to the GB Team, this time to take on the CMix2x with Natacha Searson (Jersey RC). Yet another event with a tightly packed field, and Cam & Tish saw themselves in eleventh place, less than 6 seconds behind the top seeds. The duo secured their spot in the Knockout stages following a solid run in the second Time Trial on Friday. Saturday saw Cam & Tish take on Italy, 2024’s Silver Medallists. A tight race through the first half which saw GB just get their bows in front after the turn, as the crew were charging towards the beach looking to secure their spot in the Semi-Finals an equipment malfunction stopped them in their tracks, allowing Italy to take the win and progress to the next round. A heartbreaking end to the season for the new pairing.

Cam & Tish working hard to get the boat up to speed as fast as possible (Benedict Tuffnel) 

Cam’s end of season break couldn’t start yet though, shortly after the CMix4x+ finished third in the first Time Trial and secured a victory against Eqypt in the repechage, one of the crew members was taken ill and Cam stepped in to help defend his previous World title alongside Scots, Heather Gordon (Inverness RC) & Gregor Hall (Striling RC), as well as University of St Andrews teammates Tash Philips (University of London BC) & Ryan Glymond (Tyne ARC).

In their fresh line-up, the crew set up against host nation Türkiye, where the coxes were neck and neck down the beach, a somewhat unconventional entry from the Turkish cox led to them taking an early lead ahead of GB, but the crews were essentially level again by the turn buoy. The crews charged towards and hit the beach dead level, just leaving Heather Gordon & Deniznur Baykara a straight sprint to the finish line, but with a separation of just 0.35s, Türkiye came out on top and that was where the regatta finished for the GB crew.

Ryan, Cam, Tash, Gregor & Heather racing Türkiye in the CMix4x+ Quarter-Finals on Sunday (Benedict Tuffnel) 

Isabel Soyinka was the final Scot in action at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals – the Edinburgh University medical student (formerly of Clydesdale ARC) returned to the U19 Women’s Solo (CJW1x) after her quarter-final finish at the European Championships. Isabel put in a strong first run in the time-trial, securing her Knockout spot with a seventh-place finish. Isabel took on the sculler from China in the first side-by-side round, where both athletes put on a great display of beach sprint racing, but unfortunately Isabel finished second in the quickest race of the knockout rounds.

Isabel making her way down the beach during her race versus China (Benedict Tuffnel) 

Iain Docwra, Scottish Rowing’s Beach Sprint Pathway Coach spent much of his weekend waist deep in the Mediterranean Sea keeping a watchful eye on the team and fulfilling his coaching duties for the CJW1x and INMix2x. He shared his thoughts on the regatta:

“Getting eight Scots on the team is a testament to the collective efforts of all partners working to build a strong and lasting Beach Sprint Pathway here in Scotland. The squad represented a warming mix of seasoned salty dogs, fresh recruits, and athletes returning to the world stage. At the World Finals this year, it was clear the standard is rising rapidly. The margin for error is now razor-thin, one small mistake, one poor decision, or even a stroke of bad luck can bring a championship run to a grinding end.”

Coach Iain Docwra and Laura after her Bronze Medal win (Benedict Tuffnel)

“Being a part of the GB Beach Sprint Team under the captaincy of Tom Pattichis (British Rowing Olympic Head Coach - Beach Sprints) has provided invaluable insight into how we can further develop Scotland’s Beach Sprint Pathway, ensuring our athletes remain competitive as we build toward LA 2028.”

Inspired by the Scottish Success at this year’s World Rowing Beach Sprint Championships? Take a look at the Beach Sprint Pathway section of the website for information on our Beach Sprint Academies!