Euro Masters 2025 Day 4

Monmouth Rowing Club Blog – European Masters Rowing Regatta, Lake Bled 2025

Day 4: A Golden Finale on the Lake.

A goodbye to Lake Bled

The final day of the European Masters Rowing Regatta on Lake Bled delivered a superb finish for Monmouth Rowing Club, with three gold medals won on the last morning of racing – a fitting end to what has been our most successful international regatta to date.

The day began with an emphatic performance from Roger in the G1x Trophy Final. In a fiercely contested race, Roger battled hard to take the lead and powered through to victory, greeted by loud cheers from the Monmouth supporters who had come down early to watch both Roger and MJ in their sculling races. A special shout-out to MJ, who qualified yesterday for the Women’s G Trophy final and had the honour of racing in the first event of the day.

Roger on the podium for G1x Trophy Presentation

Next came the fireworks on eight blades. First up were the Mixed E eights, and what a race it was. The crew of Mark, Tim, Alex, Andy, Louise, Sue, Kate, and Bonita, coxed by Liz, exploded off the start at a stroke rate of 44, leaving crews from Hungary, Italy, Austria and Germany in their wake.

The Mixed E8+

This wasn’t just a win – it was a statement. And it marked a historic first for the club: the first European Championship victory from the Monmouth Women’s squad. See some great drone footage of the race here.

The Mixed E8 pushing off

After a swift visit to the winners’ podium and a lightning-quick boat switch, the crew reformed into the Mixed F eight with Ian, Nick, Colin, James, Louise, Sue, Kate, and Liz, with Bonita now on the rudder strings. In a much tighter race, Monmouth surged through the field and held their nerve to take victory by a length, again overcoming strong opposition from Germany and Italy.

The Mixed F8

With those three golds, the club’s tally rose to 12 golds and one silver, making this our most successful international outing ever. It’s fair to say we’re incredibly proud of every athlete who raced, cheered, supported, drove, and coached this week.

The winning Mixed F Eight of Liz, Kate, Sue, Louise, Bonita, James, Colin, Nick and Ian

Once the racing was done, the main task left was to pack the trailer for the long drive home. While the men’s squad may have faced technical challenges earlier in the week (particularly with the dishwasher), they finally rose to the occasion, loading the trailer with the precision of a Swedish architect.

And there’s more good news: by happy coincidence, the 2026 World Rowing Masters Championships will also be held on Lake Bled in September next year. So if you fancy a shot at international glory, now’s the time to get involved — winter training starts soon!

Of course, events like this don’t run themselves. Huge thanks must go to:

Tim, for preparing all the crews so thoroughly;

Colin, for heroically managing all the import/export paperwork (yes, that’s still a thing); James, Nick, and Colin, for their efforts towing the trailer, and Mark, for lending us his truck.

Here’s to a phenomenal week in Slovenia – and to hopefully seeing even more of us here in Bled next year.

Go Monmouth! 🚣‍♂️🏅🇸🇮