Laura McKenzie Wins Third-Straight British Beach Sprint Championship

The U.K.’s leading beach sprint athlete, Laura McKenzie, won both the women’s solo and the mixed double, with partner Tom Mitchell, at the British Beach Sprint Championships last weekend. This is the third consecutive year that McKenzie has won the women’s solo event, and the result highlights the form that she has been in so far this year.

In the men’s solo event, visitor Finn Hamill took the British title for New Zealand. Hamill has won a handful of silver and bronze medals in the flat-water men’s double at World Rowing Cups over the last two years, but is also the 2024 world champion in the coastal solo.

Next up for McKenzie (and Great Britain) are the European championships in La Línea, Spain, 16-17 September, followed by world championships in Qindao, China, a month later. McKenzie will again race in the women’s solo for Great Britain at Europeans, and seems certain to repeat that in China.

Last year she finished second in Europe, to Austria’s Magdalena Lobnig, and third at worlds, to New Zealand’s Emma Twigg and Lobnig again, respectively. But McKenzie defeated Lobnig in the final stage of the 2026 Filippi Trophy back in June, and is currently the second ranked beach sprint athlete in the world. (Lobnig is, however, top.)

The podiums from the 2026 British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships were:

CW1x:

1. L. McKenzie – Glasgow University Boat Club
2. S. Delray – University of London Boat Club
3. C. Jamison – Christchurch Rowing Club

CM1x:

1. F. Hamill – Waikato Rowing Club (NZ)
2. T. Mitchell – St Andrews University Boat Club
3. C. Buchan – St Andrews University Boat Club

CM2x:

1. T. Mitchell, J. Cox – Queen’s Park Chester/St Andrews University
2. M. French, S. Chamberlain-Hyde – Coastal Barbarians/Lymington
3. C. Thompson, G. Hall – Jersey/Stirling

CMix2x:

1. T. Mitchell, L. McKenzie – Glasgow University/St Andrews University
2. M. Hewison, F. Hamill – Molesey/Waikato (NZ)
3. C. Buchan, P. McCluskey – St Andrews University/Strathclyde Park

PR3 CMix2x:

1. C. Wallace, C. Jamison – Christchurch/St Andrews University
2. B. Lukowski, L. Freeman – Tynemouth Rowing Club

U23 CW1x:

1. O. Hodgson – Worcester Rowing Club
2. T. Phillips – St Andrews University Boat Club
3. E. Nicholson – Hexham Rowing Club

U19 CW1x:

1. L. Gill – Poole Amateur Rowing Club
2. E. Lunt – Hexham Rowing Club
3. E. Cole – Hartpury University & College Boat Club

U19 CM1x:

1. V. Giacchetto – Christchurch Rowing Club
2. L. Walker – Christchurch Rowing Club
3. G. Balkwill – Hartpury University & College Boat Club

U19 CMix2x:

1. A. Breese, M. Cartwright-Tickle – Lymington Amateur Rowing Club
2. E. Stoker, B. Wallis – Sunderland/Lymington
3. E. Nicholson, L. Gill – Hexham/Poole

U16 CW1x:

1. S. Bentley – Tees Rowing Club
2. E. Gray – Lymington Amateur Rowing Club
3. S. Mordaunt – Lymington Amateur Rowing Club

U16 CM1x:

1. A. Breese – Lymington Amateur Rowing Club
2. J. Main – Lymington Amateur Rowing Club
3. H. Morgan – Lymington Amateur Rowing Club

University CW1x:

1. E. Byrne – Queen Mary, University of London, Boat Club
2. R. Clifford – Loughborough Students Rowing Ltd
3. M. Sutton – Cardiff University Rowing Club

University CM1x:

1. T. Walker – University of Exeter Boat Club
2. H. Bisset – St Andrews University Boat Club
3. H. Flowerdew – Newcastle University Boat Club

Masters CW1x:

1. B. Jones – Llanion Warriors RC
2. S. Sljivic – Runcorn Rowing Club

Masters CM1x:

1. C. Wallace – St Andrews University Boat Club
2. M. Bateman – Henley Rowing Club
3. M. Davies – Mumbles Amateur RC