Bradenton

Sarasota-Bradenton wins 2019 World Rowing event

The world championships for future Olympians will be held at Nathan Benderson Park next July One of the world’s top rowing events for aspiring Olympians will be held next year at Nathan Benderson Park, the first time the event will be held in the U.S.

The 2019 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, the top test of the year for future Olympic athletes and national team members, are scheduled for July 24-28. The event is expected to draw close to 1,000 international athletes, said USRowing CEO Patrick McNerney, who made the announcement at the park.

“This place is amazing — this event, this venue,” McNerney said. “People are comparing this to the Rio [de Janeiro] venue in 2016 and saying this is better.” The event will be the third World Rowing competition on the Sarasota-Bradenton regatta course in three years. Benderson Park held the 2017 World Rowing Championships and is slated to be the site of the World Rowing Masters Regatta in September. Although lacking some of the prestige of the World Rowing Championships and some of the size of the World Masters event for older enthusiasts of the sport, the Under 23 competition is a big deal, McNerney said.

“It’s the future Olympians,” he said. “The athletes you’ll see here in 2019 are the athletes you’re going to see in Paris in 2024.”