Ways to row

Beach sprints

Beach sprints are rowing at its most exciting: a sprint down the beach, a dash through the shallows into the boat, a fast slalom course around the buoys, then back to shore and a run up the sand to the finish.

Races are head-to-head and over in minutes, and the format is heading to the Olympic Games for the first time at Los Angeles 2028.

Format: Run, row, run
Racing: Head-to-head knockout
Boats: Offshore singles and doubles
Olympics: Debut at LA 2028

How a beach sprint works

Regattas usually begin with time trials, followed by knockout rounds of two crews racing side by side. Speed off the start, sharp turns and reading the waves all count.

Crews start on the sand and sprint to their boat at the water's edge.
They row out through a slalom course of buoys, turn, and race back to the beach.
They jump out and run up the beach to cross the finish line.

An Olympic sport

In October 2023 the International Olympic Committee confirmed that beach sprint rowing will join the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic programme alongside classic rowing. World Rowing proposed three events: the men's single, the women's single and the mixed double.

Beach sprints also feature at the Youth Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games, as well as the annual World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals.

A rower launching through the surf at Duneen beach sprints, 2026

How rowers progress to beach sprints

Beach sprints are not where rowers start. Everyone learns the basics in the coastal yawls on the Lagoon, then moves on to sculling in offshore boats such as the quad. Only once rowers are confident and proficient sculling in open water do they progress to beach sprint racing.

If you are new to rowing, the first step is simply to get in touch about learning to row.

Beach sprints at Rosscarbery

Rosscarbery has become a real home for beach sprints. The club has hosted Rowing Ireland's Beach Sprints international qualifier at Duneen Beach, a day of racing for 91 athletes in 57 crews from 19 clubs, and Duneen beach sprints remain a highlight of our summer.

Over the winter, indoor beach sprint events keep the skills sharp.

Representing Ireland

Beach sprints have given Rosscarbery rowers the chance to wear the Irish vest. Our rowers have won the men's single at the Irish Beach Sprint Qualifiers in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and the junior men's single in 2024.

Jack Hehir has raced for Ireland at the Coupe de la Jeunesse, the European Championships and the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals, and won the junior men's single at the 2025 Home International Beach Sprints. In 2025 Gabrielle O'Donoghue also raced at the Home Internationals and the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Turkey, and Emma Crowley raced for Ireland at the 2025 Coupe de la Jeunesse Beach Sprint in Spain.

In 2026 Gabrielle and Jack were back in the Irish team at Nairn, Scotland, with club coaches Jeff O'Donoghue as Team Ireland head coach and Martin Hehir as team manager. Gabrielle finished fourth in the junior women's single time trial, before bad weather stopped the head-to-head racing, and Jack missed gold in the under-23 mixed double by just 0.3 seconds.

For juniors, the international pathway in beach sprints runs through the Home Internationals, the Coupe de la Jeunesse, the European Championships and the junior World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals.

See the High Performance page for how selection works.