Lightweight rowing (abbreviated Lwt or Lt) is a category of
rowing where limits are placed on the maximum
body weight
Human body weight is a person's mass or weight.
Strictly speaking, body weight is the measurement of weight without items located on the person. Practically though, body weight may be measured with clothes on, but without shoes or heavy accessor ...
of competitors. According to the International Rowing Federation (
FISA), this weight category was introduced "to encourage more universality in the sport especially among nations with less statuesque people".
At international level for crew boats the limits are:
*Men: Crew average 70 kg (154.3 lb / 11 st 0.3 lb) - no rower over 72.5 kg (159.8 lb / 11 st 5.8 lb)
*Women: Crew average 57 kg (125.6 lb / 8 st 13 lb) - no rower over 59 kg (130.0 lb / 9 st 4 lb)
For
single sculls the limits are and for men and women respectively.
History
The first lightweight events were added to the
World Championships in 1974 for men and 1985 for women. Lightweight rowing was added to the
Olympics in 1996 but this came under threat in 2002 when the Programme Commission of the
IOC recommended that, outside
combat sports
A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the oppo ...
and
weightlifting
Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various types of competition; pro ...
, there should not be weight category events. The executive board overturned this recommendation and lightweight rowing continues at the Olympics, though only in the men's and women's double sculls.
There are two Olympic-class lightweight events: men's
double sculls and women's double sculls. From 1996 - 2016 the men's Lightweight 4- was included in the Olympics.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, lightweight rowing is less prevalent than in the US. At
university rowing level, lightweight categories are offered at
BUCS events, such as the
BUCS Regatta, alongside openweight categories. In addition, both the men's and women's lightweight boat races are contended between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge as part of the
Lightweight Boat Races. In club rowing, regattas less often offer lightweight events. An exception is the
Henley Women's Regatta
Henley Women's Regatta, often abbreviated to "HWR" or "Women's Henley", is a rowing regatta held at Henley-on-Thames, England. Chris Aistrop and Rosemary Mayglothling were jointly responsible for setting up the Regatta in June 1988 and Aistrop w ...
where there are numerous lightweight categories. At the
Henley Royal Regatta lightweight rowers are expected to compete in openweight categories.
Under
British Rowing
British Rowing, formerly the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA), is the national governing body for the sport of rowing (both indoor and on-water rowing). It is responsible for the training and selection of individual rowers and crews representi ...
rules of racing, the lightweight limits during winter are different from those in summer.
United States
At the
collegiate level, many larger American
Division I schools can field between one and three lightweight boats for both men and women.
In both lightweight men's and lightweight women's collegiate rowing, competition at the school-funded 'Varsity' level is small but fiercely competitive; the ''de facto'' national championship for both disciplines is the
Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship held each year on Mercer Lake in New Jersey on the weekend after
Memorial Day. However, several club rowing programs (e.g., California Lightweight Crew), which receive minimal or no school funding, consistently field lightweight crews that compete for Division III equivalent titles at the
Dad Vail Regatta on the
Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, and, most recently, at the American Collegiate Rowing Association Championships.
In the US collegiate category, the following limits apply as of spring 2011:
* Men: no rower over .
* Women: no rower over .
High school age U.S. rowing teams also often compete in lightweight categories. In recent years the practice of juniors training down to a weight has been questioned, as low
BMI has been linked to health and growth problems in adolescents.
In 2019, USRowing introduced a protocol to require junior athletes to be assessed by their physicians to ensure they can compete as lightweights safely.
In the High School category, the following limits apply as of spring 2013:
* Men: no rower over .
* Women: no rower over .
References
External links
Fight In The Dog— Coverage of US women's collegiate lightweight rowing
{{Rowing (sport)
Rowing