If you live in the lower mainland you’ll know that rowing takes place in Delta at Deas Island Park which is run by the Delta Deas Rowing Club.
The club offers hosts rowing from Juniors to Masters which is the 19+ program and is open for instruction for those wishing to learn the sport.
Advancing at this level could see you eventually advance (if you qualify) to eventually compete in programs such as the World Championships.
We received the following press release from event and wanted to share the information about the 2026 FISU World University Rowing Championships currently held in London, Ontario at Fanshawe Lake.
Enjoy the read:
This venue previously hosted the 2001 Canada Summer Games and is the former home training facility of the Canadian national rowing team. More recently, the 2022 Can Am Mex Rowing Championships as well as the 2025 Canada Cup were hosted at this facility.
The 2026 Championships will be organized by Western University in collaboration with Rowing Canada, the City of London, Tourism London and other important partners. This event will bring together an estimated 300+ student-athletes from over 20 countries. This will be the first time that this event has ever been hosted in Canada.
Canada advanced three crews directly to A finals Thursday, while Gabby Yarema earned a berth in the women’s single sculls semifinals on the opening day of the 2026 FISU World University Championship Rowing at Fanshawe Lake.
Charles-Etienne Tabet (Brock/Boucherville, Que.) and Keithan Woodhouse (Brock/Fonthill, Ont.) turned in Canada’s lone heat victory of the day, winning their men’s double sculls race in six minutes 32.83 seconds.
The Canadians led from start to finish, holding a 0.55-second advantage over the United States at 500 metres and stretching the margin to 2.62 seconds by the finish.
The victory sent Tabet and Woodhouse directly to Saturday’s A final.
Canada also advanced directly to the A final in the men’s four.
Ollie Baker (Western/Kentville, N.S.), Simon Whittaker (Victoria/Toronto, Ont.), Gabe Dyer (Victoria/Cambridge, Ont.) and Aidan Hembruff (Western/Ottawa, Ont.) finished second in their heat in 6:12.91.
Canada led through the first kilometre before Italy moved in front during the third 500 metres.
The Italians finished in 6:10.67, 2.24 seconds ahead of the Canadians. Canada will race in the A final Saturday.
Jana Peachey (Michigan/Halifax, N.S.) and Cait Whittard (Washington/St. Catharines, Ont.) also booked a spot in Saturday’s A final with a second-place finish in their women’s pair heat.
The Canadian duo sat fifth at each of the first three checkpoints but produced the fastest final 500 metres in the field, covering it in 1:46.81 to move up three positions.
Canada finished in 7:30.96, 5.80 seconds behind the United States.
Yarema (UBC/Calgary, Alta.) finished second in her women’s single sculls heat in 8:04.49 to advance to Friday’s semifinals.
Yarema led through 1,000 metres, reaching the halfway mark in 3:57.42, before the Netherlands’ Kim Tijhuis moved ahead in the third quarter of the race. Tijhuis won in 7:59.16, 5.33 seconds ahead of Yarema.
Yarema will be the first Canadian on the water Friday, racing in the first women’s single semifinal at 8:30 a.m. ET.
She will start from Lane 2, with the top three finishers advancing to Saturday’s A final.
Three other Canadian boats qualified for B finals after Thursday’s heats.
Oliver Page-Kuhr (UBC/Seattle, Wash.) finished fourth in his men’s single sculls heat in 7:25.63.
He was fifth after 500 metres before moving into fourth by the halfway point and holding that position through the finish. He will race in Saturday’s B final.
Marese Fletcher (McGill/Vancouver, B.C.) and Julia Teixeira (Queen’s/Toronto, Ont.) placed sixth in their women’s double sculls heat in 7:34.18 and will race in the B final Saturday.
Canada’s women’s four of Claire Hallett (UBC/Victoria, B.C.), Danielle Hart (Western/London, Ont.), Roxy Nazar (Toronto/Toronto, Ont.) and Natasha Witts (UBC/Vancouver, B.C.) finished fifth in their heat in 7:30.08.
The Canadians will also return for the B final Saturday.
Canada will have three crews racing Friday, with the men’s and women’s eights joining Yarema on the water for their preliminary races.
The men’s eight will race at 9 a.m. ET from Lane 1 against Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States and Italy.
Canada’s lineup consists of Maijken Meindertsma (UBC/Yarrow, B.C.), Bennett Maijer (UBC/Vancouver, B.C.), Giancarlo DiPompeo (Victoria/Thorold, Ont.), Thomas Boruta (Victoria/Canmore, Alta.), Adrian Breen (UBC/Mississauga, Ont.), Ben Buchheit (UBC/Somerville, Mass.), Kyland Mels-Williams (Western/London, Ont.), Robert Walsh (UBC/Halifax, N.S.) and coxswain Oscar Wostenholme (UBC/Great Neck, N.Y.).
The women’s eight closes Canada’s Friday program with its preliminary race at 10:30 a.m. ET, starting from Lane 3 against the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Great Britain.
Coxswain Jack Pankratz (Carleton/Beijing, China) will steer a Canadian crew consisting of Ceilidh Aho (Guelph/Newmarket, Ont.), Willow Cherewaty (UBC/Mansfield, Ont.), Kaija Erickson (Queen’s/Thunder Bay, Ont.), Tess Friar (Trent/Roslin, Ont.), Kristina Harris (Brock/Guelph, Ont.), Anna King (Ohio State/Ottawa, Ont.), Kate Kulig (Southern Methodist/Kelowna, B.C.) and Kira Mels-Williams (Western/London, Ont.).
