National pride and international ambitions take centre stage at SA Rowing Champs

THE 2025 South African National Rowing Championships, held over the weekend of April 26-27, brought together the country’s finest rowing talent in an action-packed regatta featuring school, club, provincial and national team crews.

- STAFF REPORTER

A major highlight of the weekend was the impressive showing from South Africa’s junior, U23, and senior national squads, who used the regatta as a final opportunity to trial combinations and test speed ahead of upcoming World Championship competition.

Two of the standout women’s events of the weekend came in the Women’s A Single Sculls and Women’s A Pair. In the single sculls final, Kat Williams claimed a decisive victory, followed by Paige Badenhorst in second and Courtney Westley in third.

The final also featured strong performances from Chloe Cresswell and promising newcomer Doné Erasmus, who finished fifth and showed exciting potential for the future. In the A Pair, Katherine Williams and Courtney Westley delivered a dominant performance to secure gold, underlining their strength as a leading national combination.