Camden County will welcome the world’s top rowers to the Cooper River on Saturday, October 24, for the prestigious Gold Cup. Featuring Olympians from five countries, the field will compete in an 833-meter head-to-head race for the title of Gold Cup Champion, and a $16,00 prize.
The men’s race brings back three-time defending champion, Melvin Twellaar of the Netherlands, now a newly crowned World Champion, alongside three challengers who finished among the world’s best single scullers this year. The women’s field is equally competitive. Lauren Henry of Great Britain enters as the sole contender for the $50,000 Gold Cup Triple Challenge, having already won the World Championships and Henley this year, a Gold Cup victory would make her the first athlete to complete the three-event challenge.
“The Board of Commissioners has worked tirelessly over the past 10 years to ensure that the Cooper River is not only a destination for recreation, but one for high-level competition for rowers from across the world,” said Commissioner Al Dyer. “We are beyond thrilled to welcome these world-class athletes to Camden County, and I encourage all our residents to join us on Saturday to watch what is truly an incredible feat of athleticism, with our beautiful park as the backdrop.”
Men’s Gold Cup Athletes:
- Melvin Twellaar, Netherlands
- Three-time Gold Cup Defending Champion
- 2026 World Champion, Men’s Double Sculls
- 2024 Olympic Silver Medalist, Men’s Double Sculls
- 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist, Men’s Double Sculls
- Jonas Juel, Norway
- 2026 World Championship Bronze Medalist, Men’s Single Sculls
- 2024 Olympian
- Sam Melvin, USA
- 4th Place, 2026 World Championships, Men’s Single Sculls
- Victor Marcelot, France
- 5th Place, 2026 World Championships, Men’s Single Sculls
Women’s Gold Cup Athletes:
- Lauren Henry, Great Britan
- 2026 World Champion, Women’s Single Sculls
- 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist, Quadruple Sculls
- Karolien Florijn, Netherlands
- 2026 World Championship Bronze Medalist, Women’s Single Sculls
- 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist, Single Sculls
- Kenia Lechuga Alanis, Mexico
- 2026 World Champion, Women’s Lightweight Single Sculls
- Three-time Olympian (2016, 2020, 2024)
- Lauren O’Connor, USA
- Raced in the B final in the 2026 World Championships, placing 11th overall
- 2024 Olympian
Beyond the highly anticipated professional competition, the Gold Cup also creates new opportunities for the next generation of rowers through the U.S. Lotman and U.S. Hoffman Challenges. Open to eligible athletes through free registration, the U.S. Hoffman Challenge showcases the next generation of high school sculling talent, while the U.S. Lotman Challenge provides elite American athletes with an opportunity to compete on the Gold Cup stage. These competitions will also take place on Saturday, ahead of the Gold Cup Championship race.
The Philadelphia Gold Challenge Cup, known as “The Gold Cup,” began in 1920, during the height of Philadelphia rowing, and pitted the best male single scullers in the world against each other on the Schuylkill River. The event reemerged in 2011 after a 50-year hiatus and was expanded to include female athletes. The competition has been held on the Cooper River since 2019.
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