Lauren Henry wins historic gold in the Women’s Single Scull

Lauren Henry has made history, winning gold in the Women’s Single Scull. It’s the first time ever that a British woman has won the event at the World Rowing Championships.

Both the Men’s and Women’s Eights won silver medals in Amsterdam. Both crews went below the previous World Best Times as the two finals delivered some magnificent performances. This means the GB Rowing Team return home with two gold, four silver, and two bronze medals.

Throughout the regatta, Lauren Henry had been dominant in the Women’s Single Scull, and the final was no different. In a stacked field that featured Olympic Champion Karolien Florijn and 2025 World Champion Fiona Murtagh, Henry hit the front of the race after 1200m. As expected, Florijn, racing in front of a home crowd, led out, but much like the two previous races, the Leicester Rowing Club sculler reeled her back in.

In the final 500m, no one was catching Henry. Her victory is the first time that a British woman has ever won the Women’s Single Scull. Last year, Henry won silver, matching Vicky Thornley in 2017, Baroness Katherine Grainger in 2009, and Beryl Crockford in 1981.

“I can’t believe it,” said Henry after winning gold.

“I tried to approach it like any other race, but I knew I was very nervous before the race. I’m so proud of myself. I knew that if I wanted to win this year, I’d need to work harder and stay at the front of the pack, and I’m thrilled with the result.

“My family has been so supportive, and so much of it is down to my coach, Andrew Randell. He’s put so much time and effort in, and I know he’ll be crying somewhere, as it’s been our dream to do this. I’m so proud we managed to do it.

Will Stewart, Matt Rowe, Gabriel Obholzer, Sam Nunn, David Bewicke-Copley, Harry Geffen, Miles Beeson, Archie Drummond, and cox Tom Bryce took an incredible silver medal in the Men’s Eights. Following the heats and semi-finals, the A Final showdown was one of the most anticipated races of the week. The race took no prisoners and was a six-boat drag race from the buzzer.

There was never more than a second and a half between the leading crews, and as they hurtled through halfway, the Netherlands led out on home water. Great Britain edged through the field, having sat in fourth place after 1000m. 500m later they were up to third, sitting right in behind Australia.

In the closing stages, the crowds were deafening as the Netherlands continued to lead. Great Britain hunted them down and, come the buzzer, it was a photo finish. The Netherlands won, setting a new World Best Time. Great Britain took silver, also going under the previous time, as did Australia, who won bronze.

“We’ve spoken a lot about keeping things internal today,” said Drummond.

Based on the time trial and the semis, we knew it was going to be a really competitive field, and that’s something we didn’t want to get distracted by. We really tried to listen to Tom, not look out of the boat, and we only found out where we finished after we crossed the line.

“Today was about process, and unfortunately, today wasn’t the colour of medal we wanted, but it was a performance we can be proud of. Yes, we went under World Best Time, but not quite under enough.”

Lizzie Witt, Jade Lindo, Amelia Standing, Katherine George, Lauren Irwin, Eve Stewart, Heidi Long, Annie Campbell-Orde, and cox Jack Tottem won a historic silver medal in the Women’s Eight. 2026 is the first year that Great Britain has ever won silver in this boat class. Their time of 5:52.76 is the fastest a British Women’s Eight has ever gone, and they went under the previous World Best Time.

As expected, Romania hit the front of the race and stayed there. Great Britain dug into second place and kicked on throughout the second half of the race. The Netherlands and the United States of America were both in with a chance of a medal, as three crews battled for two medals. As the United States surged, the British held strong, winning silver behind Romania.

“It was fantastic, I absolutely loved it,” said Long.

“I was so proud of this whole entire season, and of all the girls and Jack in the boat. It has not been a straight, smooth ride, but we’ve gritted our teeth and worked incredibly hard every day. To come away with a silver medal makes me so happy, and this is a fantastic crew to be able to do it with. I’m so proud of them all.

“Huge credit to the whole of the GB Rowing Team, and to Andrew Randell for his epic coaching. He’s been a rock in this unit.”

“Our crews were outstanding today. Lauren’s win in the Women’s Single is a piece of history for Great Britain and, along with the outstanding performances of both eights, provided a magnificent flourish to end these Championships.

“The team as a whole have stepped on from Shanghai to once again deliver eight World Championship medals in the face of a rapidly rising global standard,” said Interim Performance Director Tom Dyson.

“There have been new medallists, those backing up medals from last season, and those who have shown their promise for the future. Despite this, some results here will also carry a sense of “if only” that show the strong standards and expectations within this team.

“Looking towards LA. there is a lot that the team can build on from this year with all 12 crews having finished in the qualification zone. A huge thank you to all of the rowers, coaches, staff, and supporters, in Amsterdam and at home, that have made the team’s success possible.”

Catch up on all the results

Sunday’s Results (30 August 2026)

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