U19 World Rowing Championships – 2026 Athlete Report Summary
Updated: 3 days ago
The reports collectively show how significant the 2026 U19 World Championships campaign was for the athletes, both in terms of rowing performance and personal development. A consistent theme is their gratitude to the Legion of Rowers and other supporters who helped make the opportunity possible.
Across the athletes’ reports, several themes stand out:
Gratitude: Every athlete emphasises how important financial and community support was in enabling them to compete internationally.
Elite experience: The campaign exposed the athletes to high-performance training environments and racing against the best young rowers in the world.
Personal growth: Athletes repeatedly mention developing resilience, confidence, independence, determination and maturity.
Friendships and team culture: The intensive training environment created strong bonds and lasting friendships.
Pride in representing New Zealand: Wearing the fern and competing internationally was consistently described as a memorable and privileged experience.
Learning from adversity: Whether narrowly missing an A Final, finishing 5th, or achieving a B Final victory, the athletes focused on what they learned and how the experience will contribute to their future.
Looking ahead: The campaign has motivated the athletes to continue working hard and pursuing rowing at higher levels.
Zara Blackie: Represented New Zealand in the U19 Women’s Double Sculls. She and her partner won the B Final, finishing 7th overall out of 22 crews. Zara valued the opportunity to compete against the world’s best young rowers and said the experience developed her confidence, independence and skills both on and off the water. The friendships, memories and lessons from the campaign have strengthened her motivation to continue her rowing journey.
Georgia Kendrick: Represented New Zealand in the U19 Women’s Coxless Four and described the eight-week campaign as some of the best weeks of her life. Six weeks of intensive training at the Rowing New Zealand High Performance Centre in Cambridge brought the crew together and provided insight into the demands of elite rowing. Georgia particularly valued the technical improvement she made under coach Alice Denyer and the friendships developed within the crew.
Racing in Plovdiv was a dream realised for Georgia, especially wearing the New Zealand rowsuit and hearing “New Zealand” announced on the start line. The crew finished second in their heat, but narrowly missed the A Final by just 0.09 seconds to Poland. Despite the disappointment, they responded strongly and finished third in the B Final. Georgia came home proud of the campaign, with a greater appreciation for rowing and renewed motivation for the future. For Georgia in particular, the campaign marks the beginning of her next chapter, as she heads to Rutgers University in the United States to continue her academic and athletic journey.
Charlie Field: Described a demanding selection process beginning after the Maadi Cup, including a 2km erg test and intense seat racing. He was selected for the U19 Men’s Coxless Four, which trained for 12 weeks in New Zealand before travelling to Bulgaria. The crew reached the A final, finishing 5th in the world after winning their semi-final. Despite disappointment on finals day, Charlie was proud to have raced at world-championship level in a New Zealand boat. He credits the campaign with building resilience, determination and strong friendships, and is very grateful for the Legion of Rowers’ support.
Jessica Walkinshaw: Described representing New Zealand and racing overseas as one of the highlights of her rowing career. She valued representing New Zealand, training within the Rowing New Zealand environment, experiencing the intensity of representative-level training, and competing internationally for the first time. The experience of six weeks of high-level training and competing internationally for the first time gave her valuable insight into representative rowing and motivated her to continue pursuing her goals.
Samuel Bird: Enjoyed the focused six-week training block at Lake Karāpiro and the opportunity to train within the NZ rowing environment. Despite racing in extreme Bulgarian heat of up to 37–38°C, the crew reached the A Final and finished 5th in the world. He described competing at that level against international athletes as an amazing experience.
George Langley: George expressed sincere appreciation for the Legion of Rowers’ contribution to his U19 campaign, particularly given the increased costs of competing at junior level. He described the campaign as a challenging but highly rewarding experience, with the opportunity to travel overseas and race against some of the best U19 athletes in the world. Regardless of the outcome, George felt he learned a great deal that he can carry into the rest of his rowing career, with the hope of representing New Zealand again in the future.
Charlotte Mawston: I’m incredibly grateful for the support I received towards my U19 rowing campaign, which helped make my trip to Bulgaria possible. Competing at the World Championships in the Women’s Coxless Four was an amazing experience, giving me the opportunity to race against some of the best U19 rowers in the world. I made great memories, formed new friendships, and learnt so much throughout the experience. It has motivated me to continue working hard and pushing myself in rowing. I’m very thankful for everyone who supported me along the way.
Overall message
The athletes' reports demonstrate that the value of the campaign went well beyond their race results. They gained exposure to elite training, international competition and high-performance environments while developing resilience, confidence, independence, friendships and a stronger commitment to rowing.
There is also a strong and consistent message of gratitude to the Legion of Rowers and their wider communities and families. Their financial and personal support enabled these young athletes to represent New Zealand on the world stage and pursue opportunities that will influence their future sporting and personal journeys.
