Canadian Olympic champions earn silver, bronze medals at world rowing indoor championships

In a star-studded race at the world rowing indoor championships (WRICH), Ukraine's Olena Buryak came out on top over Canadian national team members Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski and Sydney Payne to claim her seventh consecutive WRICH gold medal. 

While the event was taking place in-person in Mississauga, Ont., Buryak was one of several hundred athletes who competed virtually in World Rowing's first-ever hybrid event. Despite the turmoil in her country, Buryak competed from the Olympic Sports Centre in Kyiv and crossed the finish line with a time of 6:39.9.

"I prefer to be in person," said Buryak after competing virtually at WRICH 2023. "But this year, it's not our year. It's a year of war and we can't enjoy Toronto."

Buryak, a legendary indoor rower and a two-time Olympian in rowing, has been a shining example of resiliency and perseverance given the circumstances her war-torn country has encountered over the last year.

"It's so inspiring to be able to race alongside her just seeing her name on my monitor was so special," Gruchalla-Wesierski said. "She's an inspiration every time we hop on the erg. We think about her, and we talk about her at our training centre. We talk about how strong she is and we're always thinking about her and her country. We're just so proud that she's pushing on and pursuing the sport."

Sunday was Buryak's second gold medal performance of the weekend. On Saturday, the 35-year-old set a new world record in the women's 23-39 500m age category.

"I'm happy because if I'm inspiring at least one person in this world, it's already a win for me. This year has shown me that sport is not about competition. The sport of rowing is about friendship. It's about support because the world has been supporting