South Africa’s young rowers do us proud in international waters

South Africa continues to produce world class rowers. With all eyes on the RMB National Squad as they prepare for the Olympic qualifiers in September, the South African flag flew high in France and China as the South African Junior and Student teams competed recently in these countries.

2023 Summer World University Games – Chengdu, China
The World University Games is a multi-sport event that was held this year from 28 July to 8 August in Chengdu, China, attracting students from around the globe. South Africa fielded four boats to participate in the rowing tournament:
● Women’s single scull: Courtney Westley
● Lightweight women’s double scull: Nadia Gaspari and Chloe Cresswell
● Men’s single scull: William Jack Conradie
● Men’s four: Ross LeMaitre, Phume Tshabalala, Jordan Craig and Sebastian Ringrose

RMB National Squad athlete Courtney Westley claimed silver, while Chloe Cresswell and Nadia Gaspari finished on the podium with a bronze medal.

South Africa’s final medal tally at the 2023 World University Games was 2 gold, 11 silver and 7 bronze medals.

World Rowing Under-19 Championships – Paris, France
Over 600 athletes from 50 nations gathered to compete in 14 boat classes at the World Rowing Under-19 Championships in the French capital from 2 to 6 August 2023, making it a truly global celebration of rowing excellence.

South Africa’s Junior team consisted of:
● Junior Women’s Scull: Holly Crews
● Junior Women’s Double Scull: Danelia Price-Hughes and Jeanne Riemann
● Junior Men’s Coxed Four: Conor Hurst, Cristiano De Freitas, Daniel Burnard, Ntsika Mqolomba, and Zain Newman
● Junior Men’s Pair: Braden Howard and Myles Laburn
● Junior Women’s Quadruple Scull: Emma Gomes, Hannah Roegter, Reece McGregor and Sinead Erasmus

For many of these athletes it was their first time representing South Africa on the international stage. These experiences are important to develop athletes to become future Olympians.

Says RMB Head of Brand Lucy Lightfoot: “RMB has been a proud partner of Rowing South Africa since 2016, not only supporting the national squad on their journey to the Olympics, but also helping development, school and university rowing clubs to find and grow talent, thereby ensuring a sustainable future for the sport in South Africa.”