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.
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Another relatively small field, but one that is packed with talent. This is the first time that I can remember that the FOQR has featured the gold and silver medallists from the previous Olympics (and in their same line-ups). But we have just that this year with the Italian Olympic champions Valentina Rodini and Federica Cesarini and the French silver medallists Claire Bove and Laura Tarantola.
The Italians have been struggling a little to find the form that won them Olympic gold. Third at the 2022 Europeans was followed by a disappointing ninth at the 2023 worlds. This season they have been mixing and matching their line-ups with the Olympic champions taking silver in Varese, 2/100th ahead of their team mates, then at the Europeans Rodini raced with Silvia Crosio, winning the bronze. Cesarini moved to open-weight for the Europeans and raced in the W4X that finished seventh.
For the French, their 11th place at the 2023 worlds was a major disappointment and the first time the duo had missed an A-Final in the six years they had been racing together. They won medals at both the 2022 and 2023 Europeans as well as numerous World Cup medals over the last few years. They will have an expectation of securing qualification, and it’ll be a shock if they don’t.
But, with only two places available, the competition is going to be fierce. One of the other main contenders will be the young Greek double of Dimitra Kontou and Zoi Fitsiou. Despite still being a teenager, Kontou has achieved a huge amount. She made the world championships A-Final in 2023, the day after her 17th birthday and was U23 world champion last season. She and Fitisou won silver at the European Championships in both 2023 and 2024. Their 12th place at the 2023 Worlds was, by contrast, something of an underperformance.
Australia hadn’t intended on sending a crew to Lucerne for the FOQR, but the performance of Anneka Reardon and Georgia Miansarow at the first World Cup changed their minds. The duo just missed out on a podium, delivering Australia’s best performance in this boat class for ten years. A top-two finish might be just beyond the Aussies, but the racing will be invaluable experience for what is, essentially, a development boat for LA 2028.
The Swiss are another crew that can’t be discounted. Eline Rol and Olivia Nacht have been racing together off and on for the last few seasons, although the originally selected crew for the Europeans saw Rol planning to race (for the first time) with her cousin Federique. However, the latter pulled out just before the championships so Nacht re-joined the boat that she had raced in at the first World Cup. At the Europeans, Rol and Nacht made the A-Final.
Prediction
This could be one of the best races of the whole regatta. I’m picking the French in first with the Greeks edging out the Italians for the second qualification spot.
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