Photo credit: World Rowing/Benedict Tufnell
After finishing as the brightest light in a challenging Tokyo Olympic Regatta, the men’s sculling team have had an up-and-down Olympiad. In 2022, a difficult World Cup season ended with two medals at the World Championships. While 2023 had a stronger World Cup campaign, there were no medals collected by this group in Belgrade. A fourth-placed finish meant that at least the quadruple scull will be lining up in Paris but a disappointing result in the double and no boats entered in the single or lightweight double means that guaranteed seats will be hard to come by for this squad, and a trip to Lucerne for the Regatta of Death likely awaits.
The Favourite: Tom Barras
The only man left from the quad that won Olympic Silver in Tokyo, Tom Barras has an enviable racing record. He has represented Great Britain at every level, having not missed selection at senior or under-23 level since 2013, picking up two senior world championship medals along the way. Despite this glittering career, a championship gold at any level is still missing from his trophy cabinet. He will want to start off this Olympic season on a good footing with a strong performance at Caversham on Sunday.
The Returning Favourite: Graeme Thomas
After a 2022 season that included a win at Lucerne and a bronze at the World Championships, Graeme Thomas was lined up to be the star of British Rowing following his return to the single scull after the best part of a decade in crew boats. It transpired that this was not to be; Covid-related disruptions in combination with back surgery led to a season with no racing, as a quickly-withdrawn entry into the third of the World Cup series represented his only fleeting appearance on the international scene. The Agecroft sculler will be hoping to shake this off on the run-in to the Olympics where his absence at the World Championships will mean a trip to the FOQR if the single scull remains the priority.
The Dark Horse: John Collins
The oldest member of the British Rowing Team, John Collins will resent being labelled as a dark horse. Twice an Olympian, Collins made his first of eight senior World Championship appearances in 2014 but has not quite been himself in recent years after a demotion to spare in 2022, before a championship campaign this summer that left plenty to be desired. Aiming for one of 11 Olympic Qualification spots, the double of Collins and Aiden Thompson executed poorly in their heat and the resultant repechage, leaving them in the E Final. Their regatta came to an ignominious end on the Wednesday of the championships, as they finished 25th in a 30-boat field. Anyone who watched John’s interview with Sky Sports a few years ago, when he laid bare the toll of training and competing at the highest level, will know how much the sport means to him and the resolve he has to turn around his form. Coming into what is likely his final shot at an Olympic medal after two near-misses (5th and 4th in Rio and Tokyo respectively), John will be looking to start 23/24 with a bang.
The Rising Star: Miles Devereux
The top performing under-23 at all three rounds of trials last season, Miles Devereux narrowly missed out on making his senior international debut, being named a reserve for the World Championship squad in Belgrade. Still eligible, he raced in the single at the under-23 World Championship, placing seventh after winning the B-Final. This is a position he has become all too familiar, with having been best of the rest in the quad at both the 2019 junior and 2022 under-23 Championships. With so many spots in the sculling squad still far from decided, he will be hoping that in his first season as an out-and-out senior he will be able to make a case for selection at the biggest regatta of all.
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