PR3 Mixed Four Wins Silver at World Rowing Cup III

Racing in its final international competition before August’s Paralympic Games in Paris, the U.S. PR3 mixed four with coxswain won a silver medal at World Rowing Cup III, giving the U.S. two medals this week in Poznan, Poland.

The crew of coxswain Emelie Eldracher (Andover, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Ben Washburne (Madison, Conn./Williams College), Alex Flynn (Wilmington, Mass./Tufts University), Skylar Dahl (Minneapolis, Minn./University of Virginia), and Gemma Wollenschlaeger (St. Augustine Beach, Fla./Temple University) got off the line just behind Great Britain, sitting less than one second off the pace 500 meters into the race. The British boat, which has won the event 13 years in a row at the world and Paralympic levels, began to gain some separation as the crews hit the halfway point and continued to increase its lead over the back half of the race. Meanwhile, the U.S. boat was in a tight battle with France for the silver- and bronze-medal positions. France had cut the U.S. lead to less than 0.1 seconds at the 1,000-meter mark, and the Americans were still less than a half-second in front with just 500 meters to go. However, the U.S. crew was able pull away from France during the final sprint to win silver in a 7:11.34. Great Britain won the race in a 7:05.05, with France taking bronze in a 7:14.99.

“We had a great time racing in Poznan with a great opportunity to line up against the crews heading to the Paralympic Games,” Wollenschlaeger said. “Overall, it was some solid racing out there from all the boats, and we are super excited to keep this momentum building towards the Games at the end of August. Returning to Boston, the focus is just to keep the train rolling. With our first race of the season under the belt, we get to go back and dig a little deeper into what we need to work on.”

The PR3 mixed double sculls crew of Todd Vogt (Rochester, N.Y./University of Buffalo/Portland Boat Club) and Saige Harper (Easthampton, Mass./Sacred Heart University) finished fourth in their final tune-up race before the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Vogt and Harper dropped to fourth in the first 500 meters and couldn’t get back on terms to challenge the three leading boats for a podium spot. Australia’s Jed Altschwager and Nikki Ayers grabbed the lead in the first 500 meters and then slowly increased their advantage over the rest of the race. Australia finished with a time of 7:21.39. Great Britain’s Annabel Caddick and Samuel Murray won silver in a 7:25.60, with Germany’s Hermine Krumbein and Jan Helmich taking bronze in a 7:27.13. Vogt and Harper crossed the line in a 7:52.61. 

In the final of the women’s single sculls, Margaret Fellows (Warwick, Mass./St. Lawrence University/Community Rowing, Inc.) missed the medal stand by less than one second, finishing fourth. While Australia’s Tara Rigney, the defending world championships’ bronze medalist, took the early lead and rowed away from the rest of the field to earn the gold medal, Fellows and the scullers from Germany and Switzerland were left to battle for the remaining spots on the podium. Switzerland’s Aurelia-Maxima Katharina Janzen got off the line in second position before Germany’s Juliane Faralisch and Fellows were able to move into medal spots at the halfway point. Faralisch solidified her silver-medal position in the third 500 meters as Fellows held a small advantage on Janzen coming into the final stretch. However, Janzen was able to pull ahead in the final sprint to claim the bronze medal. Rigney won the race in a 7:34.62, with Faralisch coming home in a 7:41.38. Janzen finished third in a 7:43.08, with Fellows clocking a 7:43.68.

In the B final of the women’s single sculls, Anneta Kyridou (Kalamaria Thessaloniki, Greece/Ohio State University/Next Level Rowing) finished sixth for a 12th-place finish overall. Kyridou rowed in fifth place for the first half of the race before dropping to sixth over the final 1,000 meters. Paraguay’s Alejandra Alonso led through the 1,500-meter mark before the Netherlands’ Nika Johanna Vos passed her during the sprint to win the race and finish seventh overall. Vos clocked a 7:59.00. Kyridou finished in an 8:13.53.

Click here for complete results. 

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games are scheduled from August 28 to September 8, with Para rowing events beginning August 30. Rowing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place July 27-August 4. 

The full Olympic team was announced this past Monday, while the complete Paralympic team will be officially nominated by July 1. For information, updates, and athlete features, visit our Row to Paris page.

Click here for the rosters of the 2024 Olympic Team and 2024 Paralympic Team. 

USRowing would like to thank our national team sponsors including our Official Boat Supplier for the U.S. Senior, Under 23, and Para Rowing National Teams, Filippi Lido; our Official Apparel Provider, 776BC; our Official Partner, Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc., our Exclusive Supplement Supplier, Thorne HealthTech; our Official Performance Electronics Outfitter, Nielsen-Kellerman; the National Rowing Foundation; and TrainingPeaks, the Official Training and Coaching Software of USRowing's High Performance Team.