Michelle Sechser and New Zealand's Finn Hamill took the honors, and the prize money, in the Champ Singles at the 2024 Head Of The Charles.

For Sechser, the two-time Olympian in the Light Women's Double, it was a second win in a row against a field that once again included Olympic openweights Kara Kohler and Emma Twigg, the silver medallist in Paris. Hamill, a Kiwi lightweight just finishing up his U23 career, stormed through the middle of the men's field to outlast all four of the Olympians in his race.

Both took home the $10,000 now awarded to the winners in this second year of the HOCR's cash prize for the event.

Champ W1x - Sechser, Once Again

Michelle Sechser came into the race as the defending champ, racing at bow # 1 ahead of Twigg and Kohler, both of whom made the W1x A Final in Paris.

"There was a lot of external chit chat about defending my title," she admitted, "and it did take a little bit of focus on my part to rid myself of that external expectation and just race free and enjoy what racing can be like when it's not all some sort of Master Plan towards the Olympics.

"The expectation going into this year was actually to be free of expectations," Sechser explained.

"A lot of this time since the Paris Olympics, for me, has been learning to just love rowing and the sport for what it is. I've entered a lot of fun races this fall, everything from the Head of the Kevins to the Tuxedo Regatta to the Lotman Challenge next weekend in Camden, New Jersey.

"It's been all about just training hard with a great, strong group of women, here in Boston and in Princeton, then showing up on race day, executing and rowing as hard as my body can, and just really enjoying the experience."

"It was a little bit tougher this year," Sechser said, about the race itself. "Last year, I was in really good form, preparing for the upcoming Olympic selection. I was very fit. I felt really strong. I'd been training very consistently with great coaching, and so this year has been a little bit different, since I've been taking some time after Paris to enjoy life outside of the gunnels.

"It actually gave me some nerves, because I thought, oh, I don't have strong fitness to rely on. I'll be honest, being on the start line and staring at Emma Twigg's and Kara Koehler's backs can be a bit intimidating when you know there's a headwind on the Powerhouse Stretch.

Sechser with her prize; US teammates Kara Kohler and Savannah Brija finished second and third

"But it was so fun. I loved the way that those women pushed me down the course, knowing that there were so many. I think this is the best depth we've ever had in the field. So it was a great time and now tomorrow, I get to go rip it in the eight with seven women from other countries and that'll be really fun."

You can read more about Sechser's Sunday race, in the Lightweight Women's Great Eight, here.

Champ M1x - Hamill Takes Some Good Advice, and the Win

Hamill said he got the idea to make the trip to Boston from Emma Twigg. She mentioned it to him when they were both at the World Rowing Beach Sprints Finals last month, and he followed her advice all the way to the top prize at the Charles.

"It was kind of last minute," Hamill said, "but I'm bloody glad I came. It's an awesome regatta."

Hamill throwing down the winning time

Hamill, who earned a U23 silver in the single in 2023 and then raced the LM1x at the Senior Worlds that year, won the 2024 Coastal Men's single in Genoa, but the Champ 1x title he now shares with Kiwi legend Mahe Drysdale is his biggest win to date.

Did he know he was having himself a great day as he came down the course?

"You're kind of racing yourself," Hamill pointed out. "So within myself, I knew I was doing the best I could. But where that put me, I had no idea.

"When I was warming down and rowing back to the club, someone yelled to me that I had won. And I just didn't know what to think. I asked if they were joking, because I couldn't believe it.

"I got a bit excited, but I thought, man, I need to see that result for myself before I can trust it. So it's a pretty big shock, because, obviously you shoot for that, but those are some pretty big names that I was racing. It's pretty incredible."

Hamill, with second and third place finishers, Spain's Javier Garcia Ordoñez OLY and Ireland's Paul O'Donovan OLY

Hamill may have made the trip at the last minute, but he took a full week to get himself ready once he got to Boston.

"I knew leading in that the course plays a major role in the outcome and result. So I did what I could to study up, and had a few rows this week. Basically, I went out, tried taking the best line I could, and rowed my hardest. And it paid off.

"I passed maybe five or six guys and most of that was pretty good. The only bit where I may have lost a little bit of time was on the Anderson Bridge, coming past Harvard. I took that a little wide, but the rest of it was perfect from what I could do myself. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

"I've never done anything like it, Hamill said, about the Charles. "All the people, the crowds, the bridges and just the course itself. Head racing is not really a massive thing back home, but it's pretty cool to come do it here."