Fierce competition expected at the 2023 World Rowing Indoor Championships

Entries have now been confirmed for the 2023 World Rowing Indoor Championships, presented by Concept2 (WRICH). The event will take place from 25-26 February and will be staged, for the first time, as a hybrid event – athletes will compete both at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Toronto, Canada, and  from their homes all over the world. Over 1600 athletes will participate in this event – with the majority of them competing in-person in Toronto.

The 2023 World Rowing Indoor Championships   have attracted a wide range of athletes from different sporting backgrounds – including CrossFitters, powerlifters, discus throwers, as well as the existing Classic, Coastal andIindoor rowing communities from all across the World. It will also feature for the first time the World Rowing Versa Challenge, a competition composed of multiple events over the two days of racing.

This year will see some formidable competition across all age categories. Top names include Oliver Zeidler of Germany, reigning World Champion in the Men’s Single Sculls, Olena Buryak of Ukraine and Ward Lemmelijn of Belgium, multiple time World Rowing Indoor Champions – but also Tokyo 2020 gold medallists Sydney Payne and Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, and former Canadian Olympians Mike Forgeron and Phil Monckton.

In the Men’s 500m, Phil Clapp of Great Britain, winner in 2020, 2021 and 2022, will be going for a fourth consecutive win. His competitors include, notably, former powerlifter Cameron Wharram of Canada.

The Versa Challenge will test all the skills and strengths required of indoor rowers on the arena floor in Mississauga, exposing them to new and unfamiliar race formats which cannot be replicated at home. Ten men and ten women will race in five different events over two days with the goal of being crowned the World Rowing Versa Champion, or the most versatile indoor rowers in the world. Participants include Joel Naukkarinen of Finland, on the podium at the 2020 and 2021 World Rowing Indoor Championships; former professional Canadian rugby player, Jason Marshall; the USA’s Kirsten Kline, multiple time World Rowing Indoor Champion; and regular names on the indoor rowing circuit, such as Anna Muehle (GER), and Charlotte Dixon (GBR).

The event will also feature para racing races in the PR1, PR2, PR3, and PR3-II categories, on both 500m and 2000m.

The oldest competitor is Valerie Coleman, 95 years old from Great Britain – Coleman is a regular competitor at the World Rowing Indoor Championships, a World Record holder, and has many times been the eldest competitor.

The WRICH is the pinnacle event for indoor rowers, with the title of World Champions up for grabs. For the first time ever, the event will be staged as a truly hybrid event – with people either competing in Mississauga, or at home. The virtual racing software will be once again be operated by race management company Time-Team of the Netherlands.

While racing, competitors will know their placing as their indoor rower will be running in ‘race mode’. This will allow them to see their position in a race on the rowing machine’s monitor. They can also have a live race tracker set on a laptop or external device. All competitors will be competing on Concept2 machines.

There will be live streaming of the racing on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 February. This will be host-produced by World Rowing Productions and be available to watch on www.worldrowing.com and World Rowing’s YouTube channel.

Find our media guide here.

For more information: https://worldrowing.com/event/2023-world-rowing-indoor-championships
For a full list of entries: https://worldrowing.entries.regatta-systems.com/wrich/2023