With the event’s Olympic debut in 2028 edging ever closer, a handful of British athletes are set to compete at the 2026 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals this weekend.
Qingdao in Eastern China will host the competition from 18 to 21 October, with three events each for men’s, women’s and mixed disciplines, and one for para athletes.
Beach sprint rowing is a fast-paced rowing format where competitors run to their boats, complete a 250-metre slalom row out to sea, return straight to the shoreline, and finish with a final sprint across the sand.
Three Beach Sprint events – coastal mixed double sculls, coastal men’s solos, and coastal women’s solos – have been added to the Olympic programme in 2028, taking place at Belmont Shore in Long Beach, California.
Cameron Buchan will be the British representative in the men’s sculls, two years on from his World Championship gold medal in the quadruple sculls.
The 33-year-old has a dedicated rowing YouTube channel, but originally put his 6ft 8in frame to good use in Great Britain’s U20 basketball squad.
Laura McKenzie also brings immense Beach Sprint pedigree, winning medals at both Commonwealth and European levels too, but her World Championship bronze from last year stands out.
Alongside her sporting career, McKenzie is studying a PhD on the sustainability of microelectronics at the University of Glasgow.
And in the mixed double sculls, James Cox and Heather Gordon will be splashing through the waves to round out the British lineup in China.
The ‘Golden Beach’ that will host the events is renowned as the best beach in Asia, boasting a mountainous backdrop behind the Yellow Sea, providing the perfect coastline for beach sprint rowing.
Wider and heavier boats allow athletes to be more stable on choppier waters than the still lakes of traditional rowing.
The GB Beach Sprint team have gone from strength to strength over the last few years, welcoming stars such as Helen Glover to their ranks.
And at the end of October, the British team at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar will make history by becoming the first athletes to officially compete in the sport under the Team GB banner.
Find out everything you need to know about the sport here.
Sportsbeat 2026