List of world best times in rowing explained
There are no world records in rowing due to the huge variability that weather conditions can have on times. Instead, there are world best times, which are set over the international rowing distance of 2,000m.
On-water records
Rowing times are strongly affected by weather conditions, and to a lesser extent by water temperature – the majority of these times were set in warm water with a strong tailwind. World best rowing times have also decreased because of improvements in technology to both the boats and the oars, along with improvements in the conditioning of the rowers.
Because environmental conditions have a strong impact on boat speed, World Rowing recognizes world best times instead of world records. A world best time is one recorded on a regatta course that has previously held the World Championships, Olympic Games, or World Cup since 1980. A number of record times were set at the 2005 World Rowing Championships held on the Nagara River at Kaizu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, but due to a fast current caused by heavy rainfall from the remnants of Typhoon Mawar, World Rowing declared that the race results were not eligible to be considered as world best times.
There is a category for lightweight rowing. For men, the crew average, wearing racing kit, cannot exceed 700NaN0 and no rower may be over 72.50NaN0. For women, the limits are 570NaN0 and 590NaN0.[1]
Hamish Bond and Eric Murray hold the record for most consecutive wins with 69.[2]
Men
| Width=120pt | Boat | Time | Crew | Nation | Date | Event | Location | Ref |
|---|
M1x
Single sculls | 6:30.74 | |  New Zealand | 2017 | Final
World Cup II | Poznań, Poland | [3] [4] |
M2-
Coxless pair | 6:08.50 | Hamish Bond
Eric Murray | New Zealand | 2012 | Heat
Olympic Games | Dorney, United Kingdom | [5] [6] |
M2+
Coxed pair | 6:33.26 | Hamish Bond
Eric Murray
Caleb Shepherd (cox) | New Zealand | 2014 | Final
World Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
M2x
Double sculls | 5:59.72 | Martin Sinković
Valent Sinković | Croatia | 2014 | Semi-final
World Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | [7] |
M4-
Coxless four | 5:37.86 | Andrew Triggs Hodge
Tom James
Pete Reed
Alex Gregory |  Great Britain | 2012 | Heat
World Cup II | Lucerne, Switzerland | [8] |
M4+
Coxed four | 5:58.96 | Matthias Ungemach
Armin Eichholz
Armin Weyrauch
Bahne Rabe
Jörg Dederding (cox) | Germany | 1991 | Final
World Championships | Vienna, Austria | [9] |
M4x
Quadruple sculls | 5:32.03 | Dirk Uittenbogaard
Abe Wiersma
Tone Wieten
Koen Metsemakers |  Netherlands | 28 July 2021 | Final
Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | [10] |
M8+
Eight | 5:18.68 | Johannes Weißenfeld
Felix Wimberger
Max Planer
Torben Johannesen
Jakob Schneider
Malte Jakschik
Richard Schmidt
Hannes Ocik
Martin Sauer (cox) | Germany | 2017 | Final
World Cup II | Poznań, Poland | [11] |
LM1x
Lightweight single sculls | 6:39.56 | Niels Torre |  Italy | 2024 | Heat
World Championships | St. Catherines, Canada | |
LM2-
Lightweight coxless pair | 6:22.91 | Simon Niepmann
Lucas Tramèr | | 2014 | Final
World Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | [12] |
LM2x
Lightweight double sculls | 6:05.33 | Fintan McCarthy
Paul O'Donovan |  Ireland | 28 July 2021 | Semi-final
Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | [13] |
LM4-
Lightweight coxless four | 5:43.16 | Kasper Winther Jørgensen
Jacob Larsen
Jacob Barsøe
Morten Jørgensen | Denmark | 2014 | Semi-final
World Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | [14] |
LM4x
Lightweight quadruple sculls | 5:42.75 | Georgios Konsolas
Spyridon Giannaros
Panagiotis Magdanis
Eleftherios Konsolas | Greece | 2014 | Final
World Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | [15] |
LM8+
Lightweight eight | 5:30.24 | Klaus Altena
Christian Dahlke
Thomas Melges
Bernhard Stomporowski
Michael Kobor
Uwe Maerz
Michael Buchheit
Kai von Warburg
Olaf Kaska (cox) | Germany | 1992 | Heat
World Championships | Montreal, Canada | [16] | |
The greatest distance rowed in 24 hours is 342 km (212.5 miles) by Hannes Obreno, Pierre de Loof, Tim Brys, Mathieu Foucaud, Thijs Obreno, Giel Vanschoenbeek, Arjan van Belle and Thibaut Schollaert (all Belgians) on the Watersportbaan in Ghent, Belgium, on 2–3 October 2014. All eight participants were members of a student rowing club called VSR (
Vlaamse Studentenvereniging der Roeiers [translates to Flanders Student Rowing Club]).
The greatest distance rowed in 1 hour is 17,555 m (10.91 miles) by the Delftse Studenten Roeiverening Proteus-Eretes during the Hour boat race on 17 December 2017.
Women
| width=120pt | Boat | Time | Crew | Nation | Date | Event | Location | Ref |
|---|
W1x
Single sculls | 7:07.71 | Rumyana Neykova | Bulgaria | 2002 | Final
World Championships | Seville, Spain | |
W2-
Coxless pair | 6:47.11 | Annabelle McIntyre
Jessica Morrison |  Australia | 24 June 2023 | Final
Holland Beker Regatta | Amsterdam, Netherlands | [17] [18] |
W2x
Double sculls | 6:37.31 | Olympia Aldersey
Sally Kehoe | Australia | 2014 | Semi-final
World Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | [19] |
W4-
Coxless four | 6:14.36 | Grace Prendergast
Kayla Pratt
Kerri Gowler
Kelsey Bevan | New Zealand | 2014 | Final
World Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | [20] |
W4x
Quadruple sculls | 6:05.13 | Chen Yunxia
Zhang Ling
Lü Yang
Cui Xiaotong |  China | 28 July 2021 | | Tokyo, Japan | [21] |
W8+
Eight | 5:52.99 | Magdalena Rusu
Viviana Bejinariu
Georgiana Dedu
Maria Tivodariu
Ioana Vrinceanu
Amalia Beres
Madalina Beres
Denisa Tilvescu
Daniela Druncea (cox) |  Romania | 28 July 2021 | | Tokyo, Japan | [22] |
LW1x
Lightweight single sculls | 7:23.36 | Imogen Grant | Great Britain | 9 July 2022 | Final
World Cup III | Lucerne, Switzerland | [23] |
LW2-
Lightweight coxless pair | 7:18.32 | Eliza Blair
Justine Joyce | Australia | 1997 | Final
World Championships | Aiguebelette-le-Lac, France | [24] |
LW2x
Lightweight double sculls | 6:40.47 | Emily Craig
Imogen Grant | Great Britain | 17 June 2023 | Semi-final
World Cup II | Varese, Italy | [25] |
LW4x
Lightweight quadruple sculls | 6:15.95 | Mirte Kraaijkamp
Elisabeth Woerner
Maaike Head
Ilse Paulis | Netherlands | 2014 | Final
World Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | [26] | |
Indoor records
These results are based on a standard distance of 2,000 meters.
SIR – Static Indoor Rower (Indoor Rower) – Concept2
IRwS – Indoor Rower with Slides (Slides) – Concept2
DIR – Dynamic Indoor Rower (Dynamic)[27] [28]
DIR Concept2
DIR RP3
| Type | Category | Time | Split | Width=25% | Nation | Year | Name |
|---|
| SIR | Open Men | 5:35.8 | 1:23.9 | Australia | 2018 | Josh Dunkley-Smith |
| SIR | Lightweight Men | 5:56.7 | 1:29.2 | Denmark | 2012 | Henrik Stephansen |
| SIR | Open Women | 6:21.1 | 1:35.3 |  United States | 2021 | Brooke Mooney |
| SIR | Lightweight Women | 6:53.8 | 1:43.4 |  Canada | 2019 | Jennifer Casson |
| IRwS | Open Men | 5:40.6 | 1:25.1 | United States | 2024 | Marcus Cannon Lorgen |
| IRwS | Lightweight Men | 6:06.0 | 1:31.5 | United States | 2023 | Jamie Copus |
| IRwS | Open Women | 6:46.8 | 1:41.7 | United States | 2006 | Taliesin Davies |
| IRwS | Lightweight Women | 7:29.7 | 1:52.4 | United States | 2008 | Lynn Bender |
| DIR C2 | Open Men | 5:41.8 | 1:25.4 | New Zealand | 2012 | Eric Murray |
| DIR RP3 | 5:25.5[29] | 1:21.3 | Germany | 2023 | Oliver Zeidler |
| DIR | Lightweight Men | 6:15.6 | 1:33.9 | Great Britain | 2017 | Tom Foster |
| DIR | Open Women | 8:00.6 | 2:00.1 | United States | 2015 | Karen Alt |
| DIR | Lightweight Women | 8:10.4 | 2:02.6 | United States | 2013 | Elizabeth Sheldon | |
- Lwt Men: 75NaN maximum weight
- Lwt Women: 61.5NaN maximum weight[30]
Note: the standard machine for indoor records is the Concept2 indoor rower. "Split" refers to the average time to complete 500m (i.e., the 2,000m time divided by 4).
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: FISA rule book – rule 31. FISA. 31 August 2014.
- Web site: Rio Olympics 2016: Hamish Bond and Eric Murray win gold in men's pair rowing . Stuff.co.nz . 2016-08-12 . 2017-06-02.
- Web site: World Rowing - Best Times. World Rowing.
- Web site: Manson at World Rowing.
- Web site: World's best time for New Zealand duo. Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 29 July 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120801100031/http://www.london2012.com/news/articles/world-best-time-for-new-zealand-duo.html. 1 August 2012.
- Web site: World Rowing - Nicolas ABLAIN. World Rowing.
- Web site: Sinkovic at World Rowing.
- Web site: Alex Gregory at World Rowing.
- Web site: Rabe at World Rowing.
- Web site: Men's Quadruple Sculls Final Results. olympics.com. 28 July 2021. 26 August 2021. 2 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802230028/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/resOG2020-/pdf/OG2020-/ROW/OG2020-_ROW_C73_ROWMSCULL4------------FNL-000100--.pdf. dead.
- Web site: Sauer at World Rowing.
- Web site: Niepmann at World Rowing.
- Web site: Men's Lightweight Double Sculls Semi-Final Results. olympics.com. 28 July 2021. 9 September 2021. 2 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802225702/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/resOG2020-/pdf/OG2020-/ROW/OG2020-_ROW_C73_ROWMSCULL2-L----------SFNL000200--.pdf. dead.
- Web site: Larsen at World Rowing.
- Web site: Magdanis at World Rowing.
- Web site: World Rowing - Gennaro AGRILLO. World Rowing.
- Web site: Koninklijke- Holland Beker Time-Team . 2023-06-28 . regatta.time-team.nl.
- Web site: World Rowing – Best Times . 2023-06-28 . World Rowing . en.
- Web site: Kehoe at World Rowing.
- Web site: Prendergast at World Rowing.
- Web site: Women's Quadruple Sculls Final Results. olympics.com. 28 July 2021. 9 September 2021. 2 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802225438/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/resOG2020-/pdf/OG2020-/ROW/OG2020-_ROW_C73_ROWWSCULL4------------FNL-000100--.pdf. dead.
- Web site: Women's Eight Repechage Results. olympics.com. 28 July 2021. 22 September 2021. 2 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802230544/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/resOG2020-/pdf/OG2020-/ROW/OG2020-_ROW_C73_ROWWCOXED8------------REP-000100--.pdf. dead.
- Web site: World Rowing - Imogen GRANT. World Rowing.
- Web site: World Rowing - Pamela BEHRENS. World Rowing.
- Web site: First medals awarded in Varese for the 2023 World Rowing Cup II. rowingnews.com. 17 June 2023. 20 June 2023.
- Web site: Paulis at World Rowing.
- Web site: Records.
- Web site: Comparing Concept2 and RP3 scores.
- Web site: Olli Zeidler stellt neuen RP3-Weltrekord auf!. ollizeidler.com. German. 30 August 2023. 11 October 2023.
- Web site: Records – Concept2. concept2.co.uk.
