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
Australia
Crew Names
Ben Canham
Josh Hicks
Spencer Turrin
Angus Widdicombe
Jack Hargreaves
Alex Purnell
Angus Dawson
Jack O’brien
Kendall Brodie (c)
Average Age
30 years
Olympic Record
Sixth in the M2- at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Turrin)
Tenth in the M2- at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (Hicks)
Gold in the M4- at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (Turrin, Purnell, Hargreaves)
Sixth in the M8+ at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games0 (O’brien, Dawson)
2024 Competitive Record
World Rowing Cup 1: N/A
World Rowing Cup 2: 4th (M8+)
World Rowing Cup 3: 1st (M8+)
European Championships: N/A
The Profile
As mentioned elsewhere, Australia are the only crew to have beaten the British this Olympiad, at the Lucerne World Rowing Cup last year. The Australians have prioritised this boat on their men’s team and moved the remaining members of their Olympic champion men’s four (Turrin, Purnell & Hargreaves) into the eight. They are a very experienced outfit, as, alongside the three Olympic four champions, they also have Hicks, Dawson and O’brien who all raced in Tokyo. The Aussies took bronze at the last two world championships (which was their first world championship medal in this event since 2010) but they’ve not won an Olympic men’s eight medal since bronze in Athens 20 years ago, and they’ve never won the title. With the stacking of their eight, they have signaled their intention to do whatever they can to break that duck. They made a mixed start to their 2024 campaign, looking sluggish and untidy at the Lucerne World Rowing Cup, where they could only manage fourth. They looked far smoother and more cohesive at the final World Rowing Cup, where they comprehensively beat the Germans to take the gold.
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