"Liv Cheesmur expresses a sense of immense satisfaction after a season brimming with success, both for her club and the national team"
Liv Cheesmur Wins Gold at U23 World Rowing Championships
Liv Cheesmur, a member of Molesey Boat Club, has claimed the gold medal at the 2025 U23 World Rowing Championships as part of the Great Britain Women’s quadruple sculls team. This victory marks a culmination of a three-year progression at international level, following previous wins of bronze and silver medals in U19 World Championships in 2023 and 2024.
The GB women's quad, including teammates Poppy Baker, Finnola Stratton, and Ellie Cooke, led the final race from start to finish to secure a decisive win by almost 3 seconds over Germany and Poland in Poznan.
Cheesmur, who is described as a stalwart of Molesey Boat Club, has been instrumental in the club's transformation and success story. Her international achievements have brought prominence to Molesey BC, showcasing the club’s ability to nurture world-class rowing talent.
The journey to gold was not an easy one for Cheesmur. She had to prioritize her time between the crew and the single, especially for major events. However, the U23 campaign helped build trust among the crew, as they all had similar experiences and had done this before.
Coached by Olympic silver medallist Chris Bartley, Cheesmur and her crew benefited from his extensive experience and success at U23 level. Bartley provided them with a clear race plan and winning speeds for the final campaign. His use of data and telemetry was instrumental in the crew's performance.
Cheesmur, who has been a sculler much longer than she has been a sweeper, learned a lot from Bartley's approach to data and telemetry. She is ready to take the lessons learned from the U23 campaign to university and back into a boat.
Before her U23 success, Cheesmur had already made a name for herself in the rowing world. She was part of the Reading girls, exceptional scullers who provided valuable learning experiences for Liv Cheesmur. The women's squad at Molesey BC, including members like Megan Slabbert, Ang Broughton, and Heloise Wormleighton, has been influential in her career, with many members performing at senior level.
Cheesmur's personal journey was noted as moving from bronze to silver to gold in successive world competitions. Ellie Cooke particularly stood out with silver and bronze medals from past U23 events before clinching the gold in 2025.
Despite stepping up an age group and into an arena packed with Olympic experience, Cheesmur embraced every step of the U23 journey. Molesey BC has a club project, the Wargrave Challenge Cup, that has been helpful for the women's squad. Cheesmur won the Wargrave Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.
With her U23 career now behind her, Cheesmur is set to return to academics at Princeton University in the autumn. She is ready to take the lessons learned from her rowing journey and apply them to her future endeavours.
References: [1] British Rowing. (2025). Liv Cheesmur reflects on U23 World Championship gold. [online] Available at: https://www.britishrowing.org/news/liv-cheesmur-reflects-on-u23-world-championship-gold
[2] British Rowing. (2025). U23 World Rowing Championships 2025: GB Women’s quadruple sculls win gold. [online] Available at: https://www.britishrowing.org/news/u23-world-rowing-championships-2025-gb-womens-quadruple-sculls-win-gold
The rowing community celebrates Liv Cheesmur's gold medal victory in the sports category at the U23 World Rowing Championships, contributing to the escalating wins of the Great Britain sports-analysis team. Liv Cheesmur's impressive rowing performance has reinforced the rowing’s sports-analysis capabilities of Molesey Boat Club, proving the club's proficiency in nurturing world-class rowing talent.
