Welsh rower Pritchard defends para-rowing world title in Amsterdam

Welsh Para-rower Ben Pritchard has successfully defended his PR1 men's single sculls world title at the Rowing World Championships in Amsterdam.

The 34-year-old, from Mumbles near Swansea, completed the race in eight minutes and 50.46 seconds, setting a new championship record. The time fell just short of his own world record of eight minutes 40.38 seconds, set at the 2025 European Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

After a fast start, Italy's Giacomo Perini and Australia's Erik Horrie narrowed the gap on Pritchard around the 500m mark, but he pulled away again to win by 6.81 seconds.

A difficult build-up

Pritchard is regarded as one of the leading figures in world para-rowing. Since claiming Paralympic gold in 2024, he has broken multiple world records and added both European and world titles to his achievements.

The 2025 BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year winner faced a challenging build-up to this title defence: thunderstorms delayed the semi-final in the Netherlands, cutting into competitors' recovery time. His latest world title arrives just weeks after he won the 2026 European title in Varese, Italy, and after sustaining an injury earlier this month.

Speaking to World Rowing after retaining his title, Pritchard described the build-up as a "story of calamities," referencing Friday's thunderstorms and other setbacks during the championships. He also noted that his rivals are becoming faster over the opening 500 metres of races.

Pritchard said the key was trusting himself and the training he had put in, adding that some of that preparation had taken place back home on Wales's River Tawe, often in rainy conditions.