The heat of Seville provided a fierce backdrop for the opening Rowing World Cup of the season, where seven CUBC athletes took to the water and delivered standout performances on the international stage.
Leading the charge, reigning World Champions James Robson, Douwe de Graaf and George Bourne, joined by Dan Graham, secured gold for Great Britain in the Men’s Four. In a commanding display, the crew surged clear of the field to defeat France by more than five seconds in the final. Reflecting on the race, Graham told British Rowing: “It was an amazing race. We’ve really built through the regatta, and that felt like a combination of all the best bits we’ve done so far. We’d been expecting, based on the Dutch’s previous races, that it was going to be an absolute humdinger, so that was the mentality coming into it. When you find yourself in that position it’s just a bit of a bonus.”
2025 Women’s Blue Boat stroke Samantha Morton played a pivotal role from the five-seat of the Australian Women’s Eight, powering the crew to gold ahead of the Netherlands and Great Britain. Their dominant victory marks Australia’s first women’s international win of the new Olympic cycle. Morton shared with Worldrowing.com: “We were just thinking, ‘hit the start hard, try to get into a rhythm…’ and I’d say we executed pretty well.”
Elsewhere, 2026 Blue Gabriel Obholzer formed part of the British men’s eight that claimed silver, racing alongside Oxford’s 2026 Blue Harry Geffen. The crew finished just behind Germany and ahead of the Netherlands in a competitive final.
Meanwhile, following their recent success at the German Small Boat Championships, Frederik Breuer, stroke of the 2026 Men’s Blue Boat, teamed up with Goldie’s Leonard Brahms in the Men’s Pair. The duo placed second in the B final, finishing seventh overall.
Everyone at CUBC warmly congratulates all those involved on their superb performances and wishes them the very best for the season ahead.