Australia’s Isabella Scammell made an impressive debut at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Qingdao, China, today, topping the tables in the time trials of both the women’s solo and the mixed double with Oscar Scheel Gamborg. These are Scammell’s first beach sprint worlds. Last year she was focused on flat-water rowing, representing Australia in the women’s pair at under-23 worlds.
With storms closing in on Wednesday, Scammell will now need to double up again tomorrow. In the same way as all time trials were pushed to today because of storms yesterday, all finals have been moved to Tuesday because of incoming weather. Luckily, World Rowing has access to two separate beach sprint race courses in Qingdao, making such schedule changes possible.
In 2028, the challenge for the lucky few to be representing their countries at beach sprint’s full Olympic debut in Los Angeles will be to race in both the solo and mixed double events. But few of the athletes from the biggest rowing nations are attempting that this year. The USA’s Chris Bak, for example, a four-time beach sprint world champion in total, is competing in the men’s solo and the mixed quad. And Lithuania’s rowers, who combined to rival Scammell’s feat (qualifying second in both the women’s solo and mixed double, and third in the men’s solo) aren’t doubling up at all.
There are good reasons not to attempt that. Winning a medal in both is not easy—although Bak showed that it is possible last year, when he picked up gold in the men’s solo and silver in the mixed double—and can result in racing many more times than your competitors. Because Scammell won both her initial time trials she avoided two extra efforts. But with a severe storm pushing all time trials to this morning, she did have to race both about an hour apart.
There is also the argument that this year’s world championships are really still part of the training plan for something much more important. Finish on the podium here, and you’ll get a medal and guaranteed access to next year’s inaugural World Rowing Beach Sprint Series. But finish on the podium (or even in the top six) next year, and you’ll win your country a ticket to the biggest competition of all: the Olympic Games.
Many national teams are trying to develop more athletes and so unwilling to pass up on the opportunity to have more gaining experience at the highest level in the Olympic disciplines. Or they may have a larger group made up of rowers that have already proven themselves at this level—Spain, for example—and don’t want to exclude anyone quite yet.
But Scammell isn’t alone. Finland’s Joel Naukkarinen is another of the athletes racing both events this year. And he was also brave enough to test the course yesterday, in big waves that ultimately cancelled racing. Although his route through was more complicated. He missed the initial cut in both the first time trials, but made it through in his second attempts (going into the knockout round, he ranks 10th in the solo and 12th in the double with Eeva Karppinen).
And perhaps Australia might learn something extra from Scammell in China. This year the pressure is off, but in summer 2028, she, or one of her teammates, is likely to have to attempt the same thing. In Los Angeles the schedule is compressed to just two days, which because of the storms is now exactly the same at this year.