How do you define greatness? A mind-bending feat that surpasses expectation and rationality? A moment of authentic surprise that inverts the weight of pressing odds? Or perhaps an incision in the linear unfurling of your heart?
In sport, we are quick to anoint greatness upon each other. A performance that impresses us is often bestowed the virtue of greatness before it can even truly be understood. It is easy to attach brilliance onto bravery and boldness but sometimes the two should not be conflated. True greatness should combine mastery, magnanimity and more than a hint of magic.
The Olympic Games is our ultimate magic show. A procession of truly elite talent, operating at the pinnacle of their sport and thrust forward into a limelight fostered by four years of relative translucency. These two weeks are stitched into the very fabric of competition, dating back to the lore of Ancient Greece, and have transcended the politics of modern society to become the ultimate marker in sporting excellence. To win Olympic Gold gives you immortality of a rare and timeless specification – your story will be perpetuated forevermore, carried forward by the whispers of generations to come, who too aim to climb those sacred steps and join this club of champions. Emerging over the horizon, this time in the blue and red hue of palatial Paris, we are ready for the very fastest in rowing to be crowned.
Step forward, my friends – The Olympic Games have come.
The Stats
Country
Great Britain
Crew Names
Emily Craig (B)
Imogen Grant (S)
Average Age
30 years
Olympic Record
Fourth in the LW2x at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games (Grant and Craig)
2024 Competitive Record
World Rowing Cup 1: 1st (LW2x)
World Rowing Cup 2: 1st (LW2x)
World Rowing Cup 3: N/A
European Championships: 3rd (LW2x – Grant and Bates)
The Profile
If you had to bet your house on one crew to win in Paris then the safest bet looks to be Emily Craig and Imogen Grant in the lightweight women’s double. They have totally dominated this event since agonisingly missing out on a medal in Tokyo. As a partnership, their record now extends to 25 races including two world championship wins and two European titles. The one fly in the ointment came at this year’s Europeans, when Craig had to withdraw at short notice due to illness and Grant raced with Olivia Bates, finishing fourth. Normal service was resumed at the Lucerne World Rowing Cup, where any concerns over Craig’s health were firmly allayed when she and Grant delivered another gold medal performance in winning by over three seconds. As in the men’s equivalent, there is an added sense of history in this event in Paris as it marks the swansong for lightweights at the Olympics, and whilst any Olympic gold is remarkable, both Paris golds will have just that little bit extra “specialness”.
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