GRP Row kicks off 2025 World Championships

World Rowing Championships kicked off on September 21st in Shanghai, China. The women’s pair, composed of GRPer Holly Drapp and pair partner Jess Thoennes, were third in their heat with the 5th fastest time of the day to secure their spot in the semifinals. The women’s quad with two sprigs, Sera Busse and Sophie Calabrese, had a tight hard-fought race and will be in the B Final. Jacob Plihal raced with teammates in the men’s quad and posted the 4th fastest time of the day after coming second in their heat and will advance to the semifinals.

“I think we had a good start to racing and solid speed on the course. The rhythm felt productive and loose in the tailwind today, and I think we can and need to keep building on that as we look towards the semifinals. We brushed off some cobwebs today on the race course and we posted a competitive time. The intention is to build upwards from race to race throughout the regatta, and we think we’ve put ourselves in a good spot to accomplish that right now.” -Jacob Plihal

M4x during Heats

Grace Joyce and her doubles partner, Isa Darvin, placed 5th in their heat. Anna Jensen will race for the first time in the women’s eight on Wednesday at 10:24 p.m. ET in the heats.

The racing schedule, live tracker, results, and how to watch can all be found on the World Champs website.