Image credit: World Rowing
With the start of the Paris Olympics just a few weeks away the time has come for the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta, aka “The Regatta of Death”. This is the last chance for 28 boats to book their place at the Olympic party. Held on the glorious waters of the Rotsee in Lucerne – the aptly-named Lake of the Gods – it is, perhaps, the hardest and most brutal set of races throughout the entire Olympic cycle. The maths is very straightforward (unlike the Continental Qualifiers which are anything but); finish in the top two and you’re in. If you don’t then that’s it – the Olympic dream is over for another four years.
Entries: 14
This looks to be one of the most open fields throughout the men’s events, with no real standout crews. Perhaps just edging their bows ahead is Belgium, Tristan Vandenbussche and Aaron Andries. This duo were U23 world champions together in 2022 and made the A-Final at the 2023 Europeans. They had a disappointing world championships last season, only managing 22nd, but they’ve shown good form so far this season, winning the B-Final at the European Championships.
A-Finalists at the Europeans this season was Greece, Ioannis Kalandaridis and Nikolaos Cholopoulos. Kalandaridis raced in this boat class in 2022 and 2023 (with Athanasios Palaiopanos) with a best finish of sixth in 2022. At just 17 years of age, Cholopoulos is the youngest athlete in the field; he won silver at the U19 world championships last season and made his senior debut at the Europeans with Kalandaridis finishing sixth.
Australia’s entry includes world championship medallist David Bartholot. He won bronze with Caleb Antil in 2022. Last season he was a member of the Australian M4X that finished 11th. For Lucerne he’s joined by Sydney University’s Marcus Della Marta. The FOQR will be Della Marta’s senior debut. In 2022 he raced at the U23 world championships, finishing fifth in the BM4X. Last season he spent his time racing at the Coastal and Beach Sprint championships. These two finished first and second in the open M1X at the Australian State Championships in March.
The Moldovan duo of Chirill Visotchi-Sestacov and Ivan Corsunov made history in 2022, becoming the first Moldovans to make a world championship A-Final in an Olympic-class event; they finished that year in fifth place. They couldn’t replicate that form in 2023 and ended the season at the back of the B-Final. Visotchi-Sestacov tried qualifying the M1X at the European Qualifying Regatta but his eighth place wasn’t good enough. Lucerne will be the first time the Moldovans have raced the double since the world championships.
The USA are the only crew with Olympic experience; Ben Davison was in the M8 that finished fourth in Tokyo. He’s joined in the double by Sorin Koszyk. This duo raced at the 2023 world championships, winning the C-Final for 13th overall. The USA hasn’t qualified for this event since Beijing in 2008, but they will really fancy their chances for getting to Paris.
Poland finished tenth at the European Championships last month and their crew includes 20-year-old Jakub Wozniak, an U23 silver medallist from last year. He’s joined by Krzysztof Kasparek who raced in this boat class in 2022 and 2023 with Szymon Posnik with a best result of eighth at the 2022 world championships.
Sweden has never qualified a M2X for the Olympics and they are attempting to do so in Lucerne with a crew of Jonas Richter and Hugo Nerud. They were 18th at the world championships last year and started this season with 12th at the Varese World Cup. Nerud raced with Eskli Borgh at the Europeans whilst Richter attempted to qualify the M1X at the European Qualifying Regatta.
Other crews to mention include Finland, Juho-Pekka Petaejaeniemi and Jukka-Pekka Kauppi (11th at the first World Cup this season), Serbia, Aleksandar Bedik and Matija Rajkovic (15th at the Europeans) and the Uzbeks Shakhboz Kholmurzaev and Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov (19th at the 2022 worlds).
Prediction
This should be a good battle. I’m picking Australia and Greece to get the two qualifying spots with the USA and Belgium hot on their heels.
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