Out LGBTQ athletes power Team USA at World Rowing Championships
Out LGBTQ athletes contributed to a third of Team USA's World Rowing Championships medal haul, as gay rower Teal Cohen's coxless four won gold in a world-best time.
Mark
LGBTQ success at the recent World Rowing Championships is a welcome reminder of how the sport continues to shake off its lingering reputation for being conservative and overly traditional.
The standout moment within that representation was American rower Teal Cohen winning gold once again.
Cohen, an out and proud gay athlete who shared her story with Outsports last year, helped propel the U.S. women’s coxless four to a stunning victory in Amsterdam, retaining the world title.
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The 27-year-old Texan won gold alongside returning teammates Azja Czajkowski and Kaitlin Knifton. For this year’s regatta, the trio was joined by Molly Bruggeman to complete the dominant lineup.
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Together, the quartet delivered a record-shattering performance. They finished with a world-best time of 6:09.87, completely smashing the previous world record of 6:14.36 set by New Zealand 12 years ago on the very same Bosbaan lake venue.
In addition to her gold medal in the coxless four, Cohen teamed up with Czajkowski to earn a bronze medal as part of the U.S. mixed eight event.
It’s part of a strong turnaround for the American squad. Overall, this regatta marked Team USA‘s best showing at a World Championships since 2018, serving as a major confidence boost ahead of the L.A. Olympics in 2028.
The productive outing in the Dutch capital comes two years after a challenging showing at the Paris Olympics, in which the U.S. reached the podium in only two of the 14 rowing events, both of which were in the men’s category.
The team’s recent success is powered to a significant extent by its LGBTQ representation. Out athletes contributed towards at least a third of Team USA’s overall medal tally in Amsterdam.
Speaking to Outsports after her initial world title win last year, Cohen reflected on how living authentically fuels her performance on the water.
“Being able to be the best and truest version of yourself, within our immediate community that we spend 95% of all of our waking time, is really important,” she said. “It empowers you to continue being that best version of yourself.”
Czajkowski has also highlighted the value of queer representation in rowing. After competing at Paris 2024, she spoke to Autostraddle for an article titled ‘Meet the Queer Women of the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team.’
“[Sports] introduced me to more people who weren’t straight,” Czajkowski noted. “Seeing other athletes who had come out and been OK, who have families… it’s nice for me and nice for my family to see people whose lives have been on a similar track.”
More out rowers win medals and chase dreams at World Champs
Several other members of the group of six U.S. rowers who were publicly out at the Paris 2024 Games also claimed medals in Amsterdam.
Regina Salmons, who is bisexual, won a bronze medal with partner Mia Levy in the coxless pair. Salmons previously secured a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, as part of the women’s eight.
Nina Castagna served as the coxswain for the current U.S. women’s eight team, guiding a boat that included Jess Thoennes, who is also an out bi athlete, to bronze in an American record time of 5:53.76.
Out LGBTQ rowers from Germany were also out on the water on the biggest stage in the sport outside of the Olympics.
Tabea Schendekehl, who is pansexual, competed in two events. Alongside her coxless pair partner Louise Bachmann, Schendekehl won the ‘B Final’ after racing against America’s Salmons and Levy. She also rowed as a member of the German women’s eight.
Till Martini was the only out LGBTQ athlete known to Outsports competing on the men’s side of the World Championships this year.
Martini, who shared his story of being a gay man in elite rowing with us in 2023, coxed the German mixed eight team to a fifth-place finish and guided the PR3 mixed coxed four to sixth place.
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Martini recently moved across to the para-rowing squad, and speaking to Outsports this week, he said he retains his goal of competing at the Los Angeles Games.
“I made the change over to the Paralympic team this year. These were my first senior World Championships, and I gained some experience.
“Obviously the goal is still to make it to the L.A. Games, but now the Paralympics.”
Earlier in August, he guided the mixed eight to a silver medal on the event’s debut at the European Championships.
Martini is optimistic about the culture for LGBTQ rowers competing at the top level today.
“Rowing is a very traditional, elitist sport, but I don’t think there is a general issue for queer athletes,” he explained.
“At the end of the day, it always comes down to the individuals, and surely there are people who are not as accepting as others.
“Since the topic became more public in the past few years, the number of people identifying as LGBTQ increases through the generations, and general acceptance rises — until recently, at least.
“I think it’s easier now for athletes to come out than in the past. Generally I would say a young rower [who is a gay man] would feel welcome.
“I can mainly speak for the national team though, and it’s absolutely not a problem there.”
Looking back at representation in rowing at recent editions of the Olympics, the signs are certainly encouraging. There were no publicly out rowers at London 2012, and only two — New Zealand’s Robbie Manson and the USA’s Meghan O’Leary — at Rio 2016.
But for the Tokyo Games, there were nine out rowers (plus one reserve), and then nine again on the overall “Team LGBTQ” roster for Paris 2024.
For the World Championships, Cohen and her gold-medal-winning teammates are part of a proud history of LGBTQ athletes who have achieved top honors.
Other notable queer world champions include New Zealand’s Olympic gold and silver medalist Emma Twigg, who captured the women’s single sculls title in Amsterdam in 2014.
American rower Gia Doonan won gold as part of the U.S. women’s eight in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in 2018.
There is also Ireland’s Gearóid Towey, who won gold in the lightweight men’s pair in Lucerne in 2001 before representing his country across three separate Olympic Games. He later came out publicly as gay.
Outsports will again celebrate “Team LGBTQ” at the Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles in 2028. Are you an LGBTQ person aiming for the Games who is interested in sharing your story to inspire others? Contact us here.
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