Torrevieja rowers win double gold at European Beach Sprint Championships

Torrevieja is celebrating two new European champions after Real Club Nautico Torrevieja rowers Ander Martin and Esther Briz both struck gold at the European Beach Sprint Championships.

The pair were crowned individual European champions in La Linea de la Concepcion, Cadiz, putting their Costa Blanca club at the top of the continental podium in a rowing discipline that will make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028.

Ander Martin claims first individual European title

Martin arrived at the championships determined to improve on the silver medal he won at the 2025 European Championships.

He made his intentions clear by recording the fastest qualifying time before progressing through a demanding series of head-to-head races.

Martin edged Switzerland’s Yannick Raschle in the quarter-finals before defeating Germany’s Franz Werner in the semi-final.

That victory earned him a place in the European final against Finland’s Joel Naukkarinen, where the Torrevieja rower secured the gold medal.

The result gives Martin his fifth European medal and, importantly, his first individual continental title.

Esther Briz takes gold on European debut

Esther Briz completed a memorable double for Real Club Nautico Torrevieja by becoming European champion on her Beach Sprint debut.

Briz defeated Portugal’s Bruna Parente before facing Britain’s Laura McKenzie in the semi-final, where another victory secured her place in the gold-medal race.

Waiting in the final was Austria’s Magdalena Lobnig, the defending European champion.

Briz powered to victory to claim the European title and secure Torrevieja’s second individual gold medal of the championships.

Her success alongside Martin gave the Costa Blanca club two champions at the same European event.

Beach Sprint heads towards Olympic debut

Beach Sprint provides a very different challenge from traditional rowing.

Competitors begin by running across the sand before launching into the sea and tackling a fast 500-metre rowing course. They then return to shore for a final sprint up the beach, combining rowing ability with speed, coordination and quick transitions.

The discipline is also preparing for a much bigger international stage, with Beach Sprint set to make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028.

Before then, both Torrevieja champions have another major competition ahead.

Martin and Briz will now turn their attention to the World Beach Sprint Championships in Qingdao, China, in October, following their double European triumph in Cadiz.