Row Results

This page provides information about a study conducted by GRI (Growth Resources Institute) to analyze the results of the USA U23 Women 8+ at the World Rowing Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 2016. The overall purpose of the study is 1) to confirm that the results of the 2016 USA Women U23 8+ team were uncommon by contrasting the results with others in rowing, and 2) to bring explanations from which we can learn in rowing, other sports, and business.

According to the analysis, the 2016 USA Women U23 8+ team achieved the largest winning margin in all 8+ events at the Senior and U23 levels since 1977. This was a monumental achievement in the sport of rowing, setting a new world record.

We were fortunate to obtain GRI's adaptive profiles of the team before the race, providing additional input on the individuals' character and style and on their team's "quiet diversity". Individual interviews were conducted at the end of 2023 to further progress in our research and analyze the crew's exceptional winning margin.

Margin's Plot

This plot illustrates the winning margin between the first and second 8+ boats since 1977, men and women, U23 and senior, at a World Championship level. The arrow shows where the results of the 2016 USA Women U23 8+ boat stand. See all the details of the data below, which were extracted from the World Rowing website. See also the details of the results of the 2016 US Women’s U23 8+ boat.

The margins were ordered by increasing value, from the smallest to the highest, in each of the four categories. Although the results are comparable, analysis by category may evidence striking differences between men and women, and between U23 and senior levels.

Results Analysis

To determine whether the 2016 U23 USA Women 8+ result was exceptional, we needed to compare it to other results at a similar world championship level. We examined the winning margin of all 8+ events at the World Championships and Olympics for U23 Women, U23 Men, Senior Women, and Senior Men. It is worth noting that the U23 championship for men and women only began in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

Anti-doping has been a matter of concern in the sport of rowing since the 1960s. The International Rowing Federation (FISA) was the first to introduce an anti-doping regulation in 1976, which was much earlier than the establishment of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 1999 and the adoption of the anti-doping code at the Sydney Games in 2000. As a result, only the results from 1977 onwards are taken into account for consideration.

Both Senior and U23 results tend to be comparable, which is why we included both. However, Junior results that are too distant from the senior level were not included.

Of the 17 data points collected on the U23 Women’s category, the 2016 US 8+ was the only crew to have a winning margin over 7 seconds, an incredible 3.56 seconds above the average winning margin. Furthermore, across all 122 data points collected, we found the average winning margin to be 2.05 sec, 5.11 sec less than the 7.16 sec winning margin of the 2016 USA Women’s 8+.

We didn't find evidence that the 2016 results would result from any external factors to the team efforts, such as the weather conditions at a specific location on the water. All athletes complied with doping regulations. Other boats from Great Britain, Russia, New Zealand, Australia, and Germany were equally engaged in the race.

Results Data

The tables below show the results of men and women at the U23 (Under 23 years old) and senior categories at a World Championship level, Olympics included. Since we were interested in testing how much the first boat won, only the two first results are included in the tables. Weather conditions can significantly vary from race to race; thus, the time of the winning boat doesn't provide an accurate assessment of how well it did when comparing the results with other years. However, the margin between the first and second boat does. This does happen in other sports like sailing, but not in others such as swimming.

Women's U23

Year	Winning Crew	Time	Second Place	Time	Margin(sec)
2023	United States	6:09.14	Germany	6:13.34	4.2
2022	United States	6:23.03	Great Britain	6:27.81	4.78
2021	United States	6:16.69	Netherlands	6:20.43	3.74
2019	Netherlands	6:17.93	Great Britain	6:22.52	4.59
2018	Canada	6:04.61	Netherlands	6:06.58	1.97
2017	Canada	6:09.89	United States	6:16.44	6.55
2016	United States	6:36.90	Great Britain	6:44.06	7.16*
2015	United States	6:19.49	Russia	6:22.02	2.53
2014	United States	6:07.88	Great Britain	6:11.76	3.88
2013	United States	6:16.81	Great Britain	6:19.15	2.34
2012	United States	6:25.92	Germany	6:30.47	4.55
2011	Canada	6:03.23	New Zealand	6:06.02	2.79
2010	United States	6:31.97	New Zealand	6:36.48	4.51
2009	Great Britain	6:20.71	United States	6:21.80	1.09
2008	United States	6:36.01	Poland	6:39.72	3.71
2007	Belarus	6:15.20	Germany	6:15.43	0.23
2006	United States	6:06.68	Belarus	6:08.98	2.3
				Average	3.6
				Standard Deviation	1.8

Men's U23

Year	Winning Crew	Time	Second Place	Time	Margin(sec)
2023	Great Britain	5:26.51	United States	5:28.90	2.39
2022	Great Britain	5:51.71	United States	5:53.97	2.26
2021	Great Britain	5:34.32	United States	5:34.55	0.21
2019	Great Britain	5:34.30	United States	5:36.21	1.91
2018	United States	5:22.48	Great Britain	5:24.93	2.45
2017	Netherlands	5:29.55	Romania	5:31.57	2.02
2016	Netherlands	5:54.10	Great Britain	5:57.26	3.16
2015	Germany	5:33.56	United States	5:36.49	2.93
2014	New Zealand	5:28.82	Australia	5:30.45	1.63
2013	New Zealand	5:28.63	United States	5:31.79	3.16
2012	United States	5:47.66	Germany	5:48.22	0.56
2011	United States	5:24.31	Czech Republic	5:26.21	1.9
2010	Germany	5:44.78	United States	5:47.48	2.7
2009	Poland	5:32.77	Germany	5:34.11	1.34
2008	United States	5:49.42	Canada	5:53.30	3.88
2007	Estonia	5:33.90	Germany	5:34.29	0.39
2006	Canada	5:30.72	Germany	5:31.78	1.06
2005	Romania	5:50.90	Italy	5:51.82	0.92
				Average	1.9
				Standard Deviation	1.0

Women's Senior

Year	Winning Crew	Time	Second Place	Time	Margin(sec)
2023	Romania	6:01.28	United States	6:03.73	2.45
2022	Romania	6:01.14	Netherlands	6:05.04	3.9
2021	Canada	5:59.13	New Zealand	6:00.04	0.91
2019	New Zealand	5:56.91	Australia	5:59.63	2.72
2018	United States	6:00.97	Canada	6:03.05	2.08
2017	Romania	6:06.40	Canada	6:07.09	0.69
2016	United States	6:01.49	Great Britain	6:03.49	2
2015	United States	6:05.65	New Zealand	6:08.52	2.87
2014	United States	5:56.83	Canada	5:59.66	2.83
2013	United States	6:02.14	Canada	6:07.04	4.9
2012	United States	6:10.59	Canada	6:12.06	1.47
2011	United States	6:03.65	Canada	6:04.39	0.74
2010	United States	6:12.42	Canada	6:16.12	3.7
2009	United States	6:05.34	Romania	6:06.94	1.6
2008	United States	6:05.34	Netherlands	6:07.22	1.88
2007	United States	6:17.21	Romania	6:18.34	1.13
2006	United States	5:55.50	Germany	5:57.29	1.79
2005	Australia	5:58.10	Romania	5:59.50	1.4
2004	Romania	6:17.70	United States	6:19.56	1.86
2003	Germany	6:41.23	Romania	6:44.63	3.4
2002	United States	6:04.25	Australia	6:05.10	0.85
2001	Australia	6:03.66	Romania	6:04.96	1.3
2000	Romania	6:06.44	Netherlands	6:09.39	2.95
1999	Romania	6:47.66	United States	6:48.81	1.15
1998	Romania	6:14.62	United States	6:15.81	1.19
1997	Romania	6:02.40	Canada	6:07.18	4.78
1996	Romania	6:19.73	Canada	6:24.05	4.32
1995	United States	6:50.73	Romania	6:52.76	2.03
1994	Germany	6:07.42	United States	6:08.24	0.82
1993	Romania	6:18.88	United States	6:20.42	1.54
1992	Canada	6:02.62	Romania	6:06.26	3.64
1991	Canada	6:28.20	URS	6:28.73	0.53
1990	Romania	5:59.26	United States	6:01.67	2.41
1989	Romania	6:07.92	Germany	6:08.19	0.27
1988	RDA	6:15.17	Romania	6:17.44	2.27
1987	Romania	6:55.61	United States	6:57.27	1.66
1986	URS	6:08.76	RDA	6:09.77	1.01
1985	URS	6:14.00	RDA	6:14.89	0.89
				Average	2.1
				Standard Deviation	1.2

Men's Senior

Year	Winning Crew	Time	Second Place	Time	Margin(sec)
2023	Great Britain	5:24.20	Netherlands	5:25.23	1.03
2022	Great Britain	5:24.41	Netherlands	5:25.52	1.11
2021	New Zealand	5:24.64	Germany	5:25.60	0.96
2019	Germany	5:19.41	Netherlands	5:19.96	0.55
2018	Germany	5:24.31	Australia	5:26.11	1.8
2017	Germany	5:26.85	United States	5:28.45	1.6
2016	Great Britain	5:29.63	Germany	5:30.96	1.33
2015	Great Britain	5:35.18	Germany	5:36.36	0.18
2014	Great Britain	5:24.11	Germany	5:24.77	0.66
2013	Great Britain	5:30.35	Germany	5:30.89	0.54
2012	Germany	5:48.75	Canada	5:49.98	1.23
2011	Germany	5:28.81	Great Britain	5:30.83	2.02
2010	Germany	5:33.84	Great Britain	5:34.46	0.62
2009	Germany	5:24.13	Canada	5:27.15	3.02
2008	Canada	5:23.89	Great Britain	5:25.11	1.22
2007	Canada	5:34.92	Germany	5:37.19	2.27
2006	Germany	5:21.85	Italy	5:23.29	1.44
2005	United States	5:22.75	Italy	5:24.01	1.26
2004	United States	5:42.48	Netherlands	5:43.75	1.27
2003	Canada	6:00.44	United States	6:01.46	1.02
2002	Canada	5:26.92	Germany	5:28.16	1.24
2001	Romania	5:27.48	Croatia	5:28.47	0.99
2000	Great Britain	5:33.08	Australia	5:33.88	0.8
1999	United States	6:01.58	Great Britain	6:03.27	1.69
1998	United States	5:38.78	Germany	5:39.48	0.7
1997	United States	5:27.20	Romania	5:27.76	0.56
1996	Netherlands	5:42.74	Germany	5:44.58	1.84
1995	Germany	5:53.40	Netherlands	5:55.54	2.14
1994	United States	5:24.50	Netherlands	5:25.10	0.6
1993	Germany	5:37.08	Romania	5:39.33	2.25
1992	Canada	5:29.53	Romania	5:29.67	0.14
1991	Germany	5:50.98	Canada	5:51.68	0.7
1990	RFA	5:26.62	Canada	5:27.57	0.95
1989	RFA	5:43.88	RDA	5:45.70	1.82
1988	RFA	5:46.05	URS	5:48.01	1.96
1987	United States	5:58.83	Germany	6:01.94	3.11
1986	Australia	5:33.54	URS	5:37.61	4.07
1985	URS	5:33.71	Italy	5:34.58	0.87
1984	Canada	5:41.32	United States	5:41.74	0.42
1983	New Zealand	5:43.39	RDA	5:35.94	1.55
1982	New Zealand	5:36.99	RDA	5:39.17	2.18
1981	URS	6:02.30	Great Britain	6:04.31	2.01
1980	RDA	5:49.05	Great Britain	5:51.92	2.87
1979	RDA	5:36.41	New Zealand	5:39.92	3.51
1978	RDA	5:54.25	RFA	5:55.17	0.92
1977	RDA	5:45.36	URS	5:50.71	5.35
				Average	1.9
				Standard Deviation	1.0

References

For results of all races in the World Rowing website https://worldrowing.com)

For results of the 2016 U23 USA Women 8+ boat here: https://worldrowing.com/event/2016-world-rowing-under-23-championships/