Italy (Bronze)
Italy have taken the bold decision to change their line-up for Paris with the hope of overhauling the Dutch and Poles. Out goes Niccolo Carucci, who had been in the quad for the past two season, and in comes Luca Rambaldi (the two swap seats with Carucci moving into the double). Rambaldi returns to the boat that he first raced in 2012 and in which he, Gentili and Panizza became world champions in 2018 and bronze medallists in 2019. These three then raced the quad at the Tokyo Olympics and were bitterly disappointed to miss out on a medal. After Tokyo, Rambaldi moved into the double, taking fourth at the world championships. This season, in the double, Rambaldi (and partner Matteo Sartori) took silver at both the first and second World Cups and fourth at the Europeans. For the other three in the quad they took bronze at the 2022 world championships and silver last season. This year, they have two bronze medals from World Rowing Cup’s I and II and took gold at the Europeans (where the senior Netherlands team were absent).
Poland (Silver)
Poland are one of the most well-established and highly experienced crews in the event, featuring Dominik Czaja, Mateusz Biskup, Miroslaw Zietarski and Fabian Baranski. This quartet won gold at the final World Rowing Cup (where the Dutch were absent) and were second in Lucerne and earlier in the season took bronze at the Europeans. They were bronze medallists in 2023 and in 2022 won both the world and European titles. Czaja and Baranski were in the quad that finished fourth in Tokyo and Biskup and Zietarski were the double in Tokyo, placing sixth. This duo were also in the quad that just missed out on a medal at the Rio Olympics. The Poles are the only crew to have gotten the better of the Dutch in the last two years.
The Netherlands (Gold)
The Dutch men’s quad are one of the most outstanding crews in the whole of World Rowing. Anchored by Olympic champions Tone Wietan and Koen Metsemakers, they are the reigning world champions and have only lost once in the last two years, a surprise defeat to the Polish at the 2023 Europeans. After that defeat, they tweaked their line-up, bringing in European singles champion, Lennart Van Lierop, in place of Simon Van Dorp. Since then the Dutch have been unbeaten and, frankly, look unbeatable. The fourth member of the crew is Finn Florijn, younger brother of women’s single favourite Karolein; he was the Netherlands single sculler at the Tokyo Olympics and was in the quad throughout the 2022 and 2023 season. This season, they continued their winning form with victories at both the first and second World Rowing Cups.
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