Ben Pritchard continues to set the standard in PR1 rowing. The British athlete won the final at the 2026 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam on Saturday, successfully defending the world title he claimed in Shanghai last year. Up against a field led by Australia’s Erik Horrie and Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi, Pritchard never allowed the result to come into serious doubt. His latest victory further underlines his status as the leading rower in the class since winning Paralympic gold in Paris in 2024.
Pritchard remains the man to beat in PR1
Benjamin Pritchard had already made it clear this season that he remained the man to beat long before arriving in Amsterdam. After retaining his European title in Varese at the beginning of August, the British rower also won the PR1 Men’s Single Sculls at the third World Rowing Cup regatta in Lucerne. Making his first appearance of the season on the Rotsee, Pritchard initially had to deal with a fast start from Erik Horrie. The Australian took the lead over the opening 500 metres, but Pritchard began to make his move during the second quarter of the race and eventually won comfortably.
That victory confirmed a trend that had been increasingly evident over recent months : even when a rival manages to get the better of Pritchard off the start, the British rower has the power and endurance to turn the race around over the second half of the 2,000-metre course. His ability to build his pace and produce a decisive push in the latter stages was already regarded as one of his major strengths heading into the World Championships, with Polianskyi, Giacomo Perini and Horrie identified among his principal challengers by World Rowing.
In Amsterdam, the outcome was even more emphatic. Pritchard exploded off the start and had already established a clear advantage during the opening stages. Horrie and Polianskyi stayed within striking distance, but the British rower gradually extended his lead as the race progressed like he always does. By halfway, Pritchard had opened up an advantage of around three seconds, leaving the battle for gold looking increasingly settled. Horrie ultimately secured silver, improving on the bronze medal he won at last year’s World Championships, while Polianskyi took bronze. Pritchard crossed the line in 8 minutes 50.46 seconds, comfortably clear of the chasing pack.
The time was particularly significant, as it represented the fastest winning time ever recorded in the event at the World Rowing Championships. It was, however, marginally outside the world-best mark of 8:50.38, set by Polianskyi in 2023. Pritchard’s performance was hardly unexpected given the level he has shown throughout 2026. In June, the British rower broke his own PR1 2,000-metre world record on the Concept2 ergometer, stopping the clock at 6:56.7 at the National Training Centre in Caversham. That mark was 4.4 seconds quicker than his previous record and provided another indication of the form he was carrying into the international season.
On the water, Pritchard has also continued to rewrite the record books. In 2025, he twice broke the world-best time in the PR1 single sculls at the European Championships in Plovdiv, eventually recording 8:40.38 in the final. His progression has therefore been backed up not only by medals, but by performances at record pace. The latest world title extends an exceptional run since Paris. Paralympic champion in 2024, Pritchard became European and World champion in 2025 before successfully defending both continental and global titles in 2026. His recent record leaves little doubt that the British rower is now the benchmark in men’s PR1 single sculls.
At the age of 34, his attention is already beginning to turn towards the next major objective: the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games. Pritchard will have the opportunity to defend his Paralympic title and attempt to become a two-time Paralympic champion. For now, Amsterdam provides another clear indication that Pritchard remains firmly at the top of PR1 rowing.
