1981 World Rowing Championships
The 1981 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 30 August to 6 September 1981 at Oberschleißheim outside Munich, Germany.
Medal summary
Men's events
Women's events
| Event: | Gold: | Time | Silver: | Time | Bronze: | Time |
| W1x | Sanda Toma | 3:54.46 | Beryl Mitchell | 3:55.58 | Irina Fetisova | 3:56.99 |
| W2x | Margerita Kokarevitch Antonina Zelikovich | 3:40.65 | Kerstin Kirst Jutta Hampe | 3:30.11 | Iskra Velinova Anka Bakova | 3:30.21 |
| W4x+ | Tatyana Danilova Olga Kaspina Yelena Khloptseva Larisa Popova Maria Zemskova-Korotkova | 3:19.83 | Heidi Westphal Birka Brandt-Fengler Cornelia Linse Jutta Ploch Jenny Gerber | 3:21.65 | Aneta Mihaly Valeria Răcilă Sofia Corban Olga Homeghi Ecaterina Oancia | 3:22.89 |
| W2- | Iris Rudolph Sigrid Anders | 3:45.50 | Elizabeth Craig Tricia Smith | 3:45.77 | Rodica Arba Elena Horvat | 3:50.45 |
| W4+ | Olga Pivovarova Marina Studneva Svetlana Semyonova Raisa Doligoiada Nina Cheremisina | 3:18.75 | Viola Kestler Silvia Fröhlich-Arndt Marita Sandig-Gasch Romy Saalfeld Kirsten Wenzel | 3:23.95 | Susan Tuttle Hope Barnes Shyril O’Steen Harriet Metcalf Nanette Bernadou | 3:27.35 |
| W8+ | Regina Baltutite Irina Teterina Elena Tereshina Nataliya Yatsenko Elena Makushkina Tatyana Shvetsova Nina Umanets Maria Paziun Nina Frolova | 3:07.58 | Carol Bower Carol Brown Jeanne Flanagan Patricia Spratlin Kristine Norelius Carie Graves Elizabeth Hills-O’Leary Liz Miles Valerie McClain-Ward | 3:10.32 | Rodica Frîntu Florica Bucur Luminata Furcila Maricica Țăran Cristina Onofrei Maria Naghiu Mariana Zaharia Elena Bondar Elena Dobrițoiu | 3:14.05 |