The World Indoor Rowing Championships is an indoor rowing championship competition organised by World Rowing. The competition has been held annually since 2018. So far, there have been championships organized in venues and with virtual formats.

The 2023 competition in Toronto, Canada was the first time a hybrid (virtual and in person) competition was available to athletes.^[1] It was also the first time the Versa Challenge provided qualified athletes the opportunity to compete for the title of the most fit 'versatile' indoor rower in the world.^[1][2] Athletes competed in four surprise versa challenges over two days.^[3] Finland's Joel Naukkarinen and Canada's Elizabeth Gilmore earned the most points in the Men's and Women's Versa Challenge in February 2023.^[3]

Venues

Year	Location
2018	Alexandria
2019	Long Beach
2020	Paris
2021	Virtual
2022	Virtual
2023	Toronto
2024	Prague

Medallists

Men's

2000m

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2018	Jakob Podrazil (CZE)	Joel Naukkarinen (FIN)	Thomas Phifer (USA)
2019	Oliver Zeidler (GER)	Arne Landboe (USA)	Alexander Richards (USA)
2020	Alexander Vyazovkin (RUS)	Barnabe Delarze (SUI)	Matthieu Androdias (FRA)
2021	Ward Lemmelijn (BEL)	Bartosz Zablocki (POL)	Chirill Visit Chi-Sestakov (MDA)
2022	Ward Lemmelijn (BEL)	Alexander Vyazovkin (RUS)	Joel Naukkarinen (FIN)
2023	Oliver Zeidler (GER)	Ward Lemmelijn (BEL)	Jakub Podrazil (CZE)
2024	Ward Lemmelijn (BEL)	Michal Szpakowski (POL)	Jakub Podrazil (CZE)

Lightweight 2000m

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2018	Artur Mikołajczewski (POL)	Matthias Taborsky (AUT)	Alistair Bond (NZL)
2019	Jason Osborne (GER)	Martino Goretti (ITA)	Alex Twist (USA)
2020	Pierre Houin (FRA)	Thibault Colard (FRA)	Martino Goretti (ITA)
2021	Florian Roller (GER)	Martino Goretti (ITA)	Boudina Sid Ali (ALG)
2022	Florian Roller (GER)	Boudina Sid Ali (ALG)	Ahmet Rapi (SWE)
2023	Jiri Simanek (CZE)	Florian Roller (GER)	Moritz Marchart (GER)
2024	Florian Roller (GER)	Jiri Simanek (CZE)	Jerzy Kowalski (POL)

500m

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2020	Phil Clapp (GBR)	Joel Naukkarinen (FIN)	Vincent Matz (FRA)
2021	Phil Clapp (GBR)	Anton Bondarenko (UKR)	Joel Naukkarinen (FIN)
2022	Phil Clapp (GBR)	Cameron Wharram (CAN)	Anton Grassi (SVK)
2023	Phil Clapp (GBR)	Cameron Wharram (CAN)	Matt Snare (USA)
2024	Joonas Kuivalainen (FIN)	Thomas Wilson (GBR)	Chris Scott (GBR)

Lightweight 500m

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2020	Adrien Decriem (FRA)  Damián Alonso (ESP)		Michal Zawadzki (POL)
2021	Benjamin Smith (AUT)	Martino Goretti (ITA)	William Legge (AUS)
2022	Mohamed Kota (EGY)	Chen Sensen (CHN)	Daniel Satch (GBR)
2023	Giovanni Ficarra (ITA)	José Daniel Martínez López (ESP)	Mohamed Kota (EGY)
2024	Mohamed Kota (EGY)	Francisco Pizana Iniesta (ESP)	Ahmed Meshref (EGY)

1 hour

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2021	Benjamin Reuter (GBR)	Joel Naukkarinen (FIN)	Tom Solesbury (GBR)

Team

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2021	Finland 1 (FIN)	Egyptian National Team (EGY)	UK Armed Forces (GBR)
2022	Finland (FIN)  Egyptian Rowing Federation (EGY)		No Rowing For Old Men (GBR)
2023	The International Men of Mystery	No Rowing For Old Men (GER)	Team FINLAND (FIN)
2024	The International Men of Mystery	Team FINLAND (FIN)	Czech Team (CZE)

Women

2000m

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2018	Olena Buryak (UKR)	Luisa Neerschulte (GER)	Rui Ju (CHN)
2019	Olena Buryak (UKR)	Brooke Mooney (USA)	Tracy Eisser (USA)
2020	Olena Buryak (UKR)	Helene Lefebvre (FRA)	Elodie Ravera (FRA)
2021	Kirsten Kline (USA)	Sophie Souwer (NED)	Marilou Duvernay Tardif (CAN)
2022	Zhang Peixin (CHN)	Lv Yang (CHN)	Olena Buryak (UKR)
2023	Olena Buryak (UKR)	Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski (CAN)	Sydney Payne (CAN)
2024	Pavlina Flamikova (CZE)	Anna Santruckova (CZE)	Kathryn Mole (GBR)

Lightweight 2000m

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2018	Christine Cavallo (USA)	Emily Schmieg (USA)	Kathryn Schiro (USA)
2019	Justine Reston (GBR)	Katelin Guregian (USA)	Toni Harding (USA)
2020	Laura Tarantola (FRA)	Marie Margot Joannes (FRA)	Jilly Tovey (GBR)
2021	Paula Pankratiew (POL)	Olga Svirska (LAT)	Krimi Khadija (TUN)
2022	Min Yang (CHN)	Jiaqi Zou (CHN)	Lai Weijuan (CHN)
2023	Krimi Khadija (TUN)	Silke Tamborijn (BEL)	Elisa Arcara (ITA)
2024	Bruna Parente (POR)	Barbora Podrazilova (CZE)	Zoe Dickson (DEN)

500m

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2020	Olena Buryak (UKR)	Lucie Giraud (FRA)	Rhian Rudkin (GBR)
2021	Ana do Carmo Caldas (POR)	Joanne Clapp (GBR)	Bianca Piloseno (USA)
2022	Bianca Piloseno (USA)	Olena Buryak (UKR)	Jade Lally (GBR)
2023	Olena Buryak (UKR)	Sonja Pentola (FIN)	Clara Hogan (IRL)
2024	Iida Niemi (FIN)	Sarah Maria Johansen (DEN)	Emma Simpson (GBR)

Lightweight 500m

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2020	Jilly Tovey (GBR)	Laura Barrigan (GBR)	Selma Dhaouadi (FRA)
2021	Anna Hughes-Davies (GBR)	Krimi Khadija (TUN)	Rouba Amina (ALG)
2022	Jiaqi Zou (CHN)	Tan Jinlian (CHN)	Nourelhoda Arafa (EGY)
2023	Krimi Khadija (TUN)	Sarita Kristina Hansen (DEN)	Laura Barrigan (GBR)
2024	Sarita Kristina Hansen (DEN)	Laura Allen (GBR)	Nourelhoda Arafa (EGY)

1 hour

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2021	Margit Haahr Hansen (DEN)	Ghada Ibrahim (EGY)	Larysa Zhalinska (UKR)

Team

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2021	Egyptian National Team (EGY)	Finland (FIN)	Danish Masters Team (DEN)
2022	Finland (FIN)	British Army (GBR)	Mannheim-Karlsruhe (GER)
2023	Team Finland (FIN)	Nordisch by Nature (GER)	Team Live2Row (USA)
2024	Team Finland (FIN)	Sexy Erg Screens	Impeccable Transitions

Mixed

Team

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third
2021	Finland 1 (FIN)	Egyptian National Team (EGY)	Concept Fitness (25x17px)
2022	Egyptian National Team (EGY)	Finland (FIN)	British Army (GBR)
2023	Team Finland (FIN)	Freespeed	KSA Team Mix (KSA)
2024	Team Finland (FIN)	Freespeed	Dream Team 2024