Mayo woman part of impressive Irish team who won 20 gold medals at international competition

The Irish women’s masters rowers have returned from the 2025 World Rowing Masters Regatta in Banyoles, Spain, with an extraordinary 20 gold medals.

The regatta held recently was the largest masters rowing event in the world this year, attracting over 5,000 athletes from 55 countries, with 5,428 entries across 745 clubs worldwide. Against this backdrop of fierce international competition, the Irish women’s crews delivered a dominant performance.

There were many standout performances across the four day event with numerous competitors securing multiple medals. One woman from Westport was amongst those most successful. Kate Rooney a native of Westport, secured five wins on the Spanish waters. Kate is a member of the Old Collegians Boat Club which is based in Dublin. Rooney played a big part in the team's success as the women collected an impressive tally of silverware.

A squad of 25 women, aged between 32 and 74, raced in 24 events and emerged victorious in 20 of them. Many athletes competed in multiple races across the four-day regatta, underlining the depth of experience, endurance, and teamwork within the group.

Irish clubs represented included St. Michael’s RC, Commercial RC, Killorglin RC, Old Collegians BC, Clonmel RC, Belfast RC, Lee BC, Tralee RC, Tribesmen RC, Skibbereen RC, Cork Boat Club, Belfast RC, and Shandon BC.

With a wide range of competitors at the Championships, it was an impressive achievement for the Ireland team as they were successful while competing against some of the finest rowers in the world with many women having had the experience of competing at the Olympics. 

The success in Banyoles highlights the strength of Irish masters rowing and reflects the continued growth of the sport across the country.

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