I’m Henrique Vellinho, and in September 2025 I competed at the World Rowing Masters Regatta in Banyoles, Spain, racing in multiple boat classes across a spectacular and historic Olympic course. It was an incredible experience to row among thousands of crews from around the world — all sharing the same passion for the sport — and to build new friendships and exchange training ideas with other rowers.

A real highlight was racing again with my twin brother, nearly 30 years after our last outing together in a double scull. The result wasn’t quite podium-worthy, but the laughter and memories more than made up for it. My biggest takeaway? The standard at this regatta is seriously impressive — so if you want to keep up, there’s only one recipe: train, train, and train some more!