Image credit: World Rowing
Day one of the finals for the 2024 edition of the European Rowing Championships brought with it a host of Olympic and Paralympic line-ups alongside a blustery cross/headwind that dictated a redraw of lanes, with faster qualifying crews seeded into lanes #5 and #6. The Paris Olympiad is rapidly coming to a close and the narratives that will dictate every stroke taken in France are becoming increasingly more apparent. Here is our take on Saturday’s action…
PR1 Men’s Single
JRN Prediction: Italy, Ukraine, GB
Actual Result: Ukraine, Italy, GB
A dominant display of sculling from the Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi, who ripped open the field on his 2024 debut to secure bragging rights heading into the remainder of the season. The Paralympic champion was relatively untroubled throughout, able to put early distance between himself and Italian upstart Giacomo Perini, who succumbed to a bronze medal in the great Polianskyi’s shadow. Ben Pritchard secured an admirable bronze.
PR1 Women’s Single
JRN Prediction: Norway, France, Israel
Actual Result: Norway, Germany, France
A return to form for Norway’s Birgit Skarstein, who recovered from her surprising heat loss earlier in the week to secure victory over Germany’s Manuela Diening and France’s Nathalie Benoit, who will both have been delighted to knock Israel’s Moran Samuel off the podium. Samuel will now have to lick her wounds and hope that WC2 brings more focus and fairer wind in her pursuit of the Parisian Paralympic crown.
Women’s Four
JRN Prediction: GB, Romania, Netherlands
Actual Result: GB, Romania, Netherlands
A strong showing from JRN’s predictive team and another statement of intent from the British women’s four, who looked superlative in dispatching another field of pretenders. To find such rhythm and speed in an Olympic year is something of a specialty for the GB team and it seems as if the reintroduction of key figures to this premier women’s sweep boat has had the desired effect in elevating above the likes of Romania, who were 1.5 seconds back, and the Netherlands, who admittedly only sent a development boat but whose top athletes were roundly beaten at WC1.
PR3 Mixed Double Scull
JRN Prediction: France, Germany, GB
Actual Result: GB, Germany, Ukraine
A very strong opening for Great Britain, who seem to have found some hidden speed to unseat a French combination who were clearly not at their best in finishing fourth and 13 seconds behind the British. Germany in second will be keen to close the 1.7 second gap between themselves and the Caddick/Murray combo at WC2.
Women’s Quad
JRN Prediction: GB, Ukraine, Germany
Actual Result: GB, Ukraine, Germany
Another sound call from JRN, and what an explosive second-half of the course from Great Britain to validate us in our prediction. They trailed the Ukraine by over two seconds at the halfway point before finding that same turn of speed that served them so well in Belgrade last summer when they secured the world title. The Ukraine are gearing up for a pop at the FOQR in three weeks’ time so will be disheartened to lose out to a British crew who are arguably a little way behind on the development curve. Germany in bronze are making a slow methodical comeback to a podium they dominated for numerous Olympiads before Tokyo.
Men’s Quad
JRN Prediction: Poland, Italy, GB
Actual Result: Italy, Switzerland, Poland
This race was arguably won before the heavy-hitters over in lanes #5 and #6 could even really mobilise. Italy, who quad sculling has really evolved over the past few years, and Switzerland fired out of the blocks to take over a length’s lead at the 500m mark and despite late surges from reigning European champions Poland and Great Britain, they could not be overhauled. This was Switzerland’s first championship men’s quad medal since 1990 according to our resident almanac Dan Spring and leaves us with a fascinating field approaching WC2, when we can expect the return of the full force of world champions from the Netherlands plus a host of transatlantic and antipodean quality.
Lightweight Women’s Double Scull
JRN Prediction: GB, Italy, Romania
Actual Result: Romania, Greece, Italy
Both lightweight doubles were conspicuous in the absence of the world champions. For the women, this was not a true absence but a weakened crew, as Great Britain’s Emily Craig withdrew before the regatta and was replaced by Liv Bates. Although the boat performed admirably in Craig’s absence, it was not enough to stop a resurgent Romania, who won the world bronze in September in a slightly different combination and opened their season’s account by taking the European title. Behind them, a Greek combination performed exceptionally well to hold off late charges from Olympic champions Italy.
Lightweight Men’s Double Scull
JRN Prediction: Ireland, Switzerland, Italy
Actual Result: Switzerland, Italy, Norway
Again, no world champions from Ireland meant the Swiss could exact revenge on the Italians for the upset in Varese a couple of weeks ago. They did so in impressive style, stretching effortlessly away from their counterparts in blue to lay down a marker ahead of a probable return to competition for the Irish at WC2 in May. Behind them, Norway pushed Italy hard in the closing stages to round out a podium that, as is always the case with lightweight rowing, is delicately balanced.
Men’s Eight
JRN Prediction: GB, Italy, Germany
Actual Result: GB, Germany, Romania
Not the finest day at the office for JRN but at least Great Britain – world champions in 2023 – were able to claim their second successive title of the 2024 season. What will have alarmed them somewhat was a super row from a resurgent German boat out in a distant lane #1, a contest that we have not properly seen in action since the last Olympiad. If the Germans are coming good just at the right time – with world silver and bronze medalists from the Netherlands and Australia to re-enter the fray alongside Romania, who snatched a bronze away from Italy on Szeged waters – we should be in for a blockbuster summer in the blue riband men’s event.
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