News · 7 September 2026
Oceania development camp, Gold Coast 2026
World Rowing's Oceania development camp ran on the Gold Coast from 31 August to 2 September 2026, in the days before the Oceania and Australian Beach Sprint Championships. Samoa was back in the programme, with one athlete and one coach.
Most, though not quite all, of the U19 women from the camp — French Polynesia, American Samoa, Vanuatu and Samoa — at Currumbin Creek, Gold Coast
Who was there
Rowing Australia and Duncan Free hosted the camp, and it was a wonderful few days: time to learn Beach Sprint racing properly, and to meet athletes and coaches from across the region. World Rowing's development coaches were Sizwe Ndlovu, Olympic champion in the lightweight four at London 2012, and Kevin Scott, recently appointed a World Rowing development coach. Rowers from American Samoa, French Polynesia, Vanuatu and Samoa trained together, then raced Australian and New Zealand crews at the championships on Currumbin Creek.
Samoa's athlete was Alia Marquardt. Her coach, Daniel Marquardt, the Association's Acting President, also took World Rowing's Coastal Race Module coaching course, which ran alongside the camp. Inas Hussein, World Rowing's Senior Development Manager, was there to talk through development opportunities for Samoa.
On the water — Alia and Lily in the Women's U19 Double, Currumbin Creek
Rowing in to the beach — the Women's U19 Double, Currumbin Creek
What came of it
At the championships Alia raced four events for Samoa and, in a composite crew with Lily Canfield of Gippsland Grammar (Australia), won bronze in the Women's U19 Double: Samoa's first medal at an international regatta, and the only medal won by an athlete from the camp. Her page has the results, photos and the commentary call →
The photo above is the other result. Beach Sprint in Oceania runs on composite crews and shared boats, and the Pacific teams left the Gold Coast knowing each other.
Fa'afetai tele lava
To World Rowing for the invitation and for running the programme, to Rowing Australia and Duncan Free for hosting the camp and the championships, to Sizwe and Kevin for the coaching, and to the athletes and coaches of American Samoa, French Polynesia and Vanuatu for the week. World Rowing's Oceania development activities are supported by PacificAus Sports, a programme of the Australian Government, and by the Australian Olympic Committee.