Romania’s women’s eight claimed gold at the 2026 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam on Sunday, August 30, producing an official World Best Time of 5:51.88 in a dominant final on the Bosbaan.
The Romanian crew composed of Cristina Drugă, Geanina Juncanariu, Ancuța Bodnar, Maria Lehaci, Magdalena Rusu, Amalia Chelaru, Adriana Adam and Simona Radiș, with Victoria Petreanu as coxswain took control from the opening stages. Romania had built a lead of more than 1.5 seconds by the 500-metre mark and remained in front despite a late push from Great Britain.
Great Britain finished second, recording its best-ever result in the women’s eight at a World Championships, while the United States took bronze. The Netherlands, Canada and New Zealand completed the six-boat final.
Romania’s 5:51.88 lowered the country’s previous official World Best Time, established at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The victory also brought Romania level with the United States on 11 World Championship gold medals in the women’s eight, underlining the country’s long-standing strength in one of rowing’s flagship events.
Amsterdam also produced an individual record for Simona Radiș and Adriana Adam. The pair won gold in the women’s pair earlier in the championships before racing in the victorious women’s eight and Romania’s gold-medal mixed eight. They became the first athletes in history to win three gold medals at a single World Rowing Championships. Romania finished the senior championships with three gold medals, with Radiș and Adam involved in all three winning crews.
The senior success comes only a month after Romania’s younger generation also reached the podium at the 2026 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Duisburg, Germany.
Romania finished the U23 competition with four medals – one gold, two silver and one bronze. Bianca-Camelia Ifteni won the women’s single sculls title in 7:33.83, a historic result that brought Romania its first medal in that boat class at the U23 World Championships.
Romania also collected two silver medals on the final day in Duisburg. David Costel Chitic and Stejara Olariu finished second in the mixed double sculls in 6:34.75, just 0.49 seconds behind Greece, while the Romanian mixed eight took silver in 5:52.47, behind the United States.
A day earlier, Patrick Francisc Sebestyen and Eduard Angel Moldovan had secured bronze in the men’s pair. Romania consequently finished seventh in the U23 medal table, while Greece topped the standings with four gold and two silver medals.
The results in Duisburg and Amsterdam place two generations of Romanian rowers on World Championship podiums within just over a month, with the senior team closing August with a world-best time and three global titles.
Photo courtesy of Romania Rowing Federation