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.
France – Hugo Beurey, Ferdinand Ludwig
In front of a home crowd, expectations will be high for Hugo Beurey and Ferdinand Ludwig. Last season, they won gold at the European championships and the Lucerne World Rowing Cup but fell flat at the world championships as they withdrew from the event prior their C/D semi-final. Missing out on qualifying for the Games in Belgrade, they were forced to focus this season’s racing on the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta, but have had great success, winning in a tough field in Lucerne to book their spot in Paris. Since then, they have continued their success, winning gold in Poznan at the third World Rowing Cup against an admittedly weaker group, but they will be wanting to push for the medals next week and will view anything less than an A-Final as an absolute failure.
Norway – Lars Martin Benske, Ask Jarl Tjoem
One of the form crews of the season, the Norwegian double of Lars Martin Benske and Ask Jarl Tjoem have been right at the front of the most competitive fields so far this season. Last year, they made the A-Final at the world championships to book their place at the Olympics but finished in last place in that race, a little off the pace of the stronger crews. Over the winter, they took a real step forwards, putting themselves in the hunt for medals at all three major regattas they have attended. A pair of bronzes at the European championships and the Varese World Rowing Cup to go with a fourth-placed finish in Lucerne, the Norwegian duo will be ones to watch this year. While there may be murmurs around peaking too soon, they managed to peak at the right time for the world championships 11 months ago. If they can do the same this season, this crew could be a significant asset to the Norwegian Olympic squad.
Czechia – Jiri Simanek, Miroslav Vrastil
After finishing fourth at the world championships last summer, the Czech crew of Jiri Simanek and Miroslav Vrastil will have been hoping to push on and challenge for a medal in Paris, but their form this season hasn’t quite suggested they will be up to that level. Fourth place in a seven-boat field at the European championships which was followed up by missing out on the A-Final at the Lucerne World Rowing Cup, they have had several months away from the international racing scene in order to tune their speed around for the Olympic Games. In Tokyo they finished fourth but this may be the peak of their powers as a medal this year seems to be even further away.
Mexico – Miguel Carballo Nieto, Alexis Lopez Garcia
Likely to be the fastest non-European entry in the event, the Mexican duo of Miguel Carballo Nieto and Alexis Lopez Garcia have been hanging out with the more established rowing nations since uniting as a crew at the start of last season. They finished fourth in Lucerne in 2023, booked their spot in Paris by winning the B-Final at the world championships and then comfortably won the Pan-American Games in October. This season, their results have been less impressive as they finished eighth overall in Lucerne and second in the four-boat field at the Poznan World Rowing Cup. After a training camp, they will hope to bring more speed as they aim to make an Olympic final and possibly go a little further.
Spain – Dennis Carracedo Ferrero, Caetano Xose Horta Pombo
The Spanish double of Dennis Carracedo Ferrero and Caetano Xose Horta Pombo are on a phenomenal run. Since the 2023 European championships, they have finished in fifth place at every single major international regatta in which they have competed. If they can continue this through the next weeks, that would be a great result for the young duo. However, this consistency in results hide some inconsistent form for the Spaniards. At the European championships this season, there were only seven boats in the event and the crew finished far closer to the German crew who failed to qualify than to the front end of the field. In Lucerne they fared a bit better with many of their likely competitors for an A-Final spot in attendance. It remains to be seen how the youngest crew in contention can handle the pressure of the biggest stage this sport has to offer.
Ukraine – Igor Khmara, Stanislav Kovalov
After withdrawing from the 2023 world championships prior to competing in their D-Final, the Ukrainian double of Igor Khmara and Stanislav Kovalov have raced only once this season. In that race in Szeged, Hungary they won a spot at the Paris Olympics in front of some very competitive crews. Untested other than that, the only way to evaluate this crew’s prospects for their second Olympic games is through evaluation of results that are more than a year old. Since winning bronze at the 2022 world championships, the crew has struggled to replicate that performance, finishing 16th overall in Lucerne in 2023. This summer, if their form from the qualifier is anything to go by, they may be at the front end of the field, but could also be at the tail end of the B-Final as possibly the biggest unknown quantity in this year’s starting grid.
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