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.
United States
When USRowing announced their crews for this summer’s Olympics, the four became clear as the boat of the ‘young guns’. Made up of four first-time Olympians, three relatively recent graduates are joined by the older Kelsey Reelick who is still newer to the team. This crew raced together for the first time at the Lucerne World Rowing Cup, finishing third in a strong field. With more time together, they will be making significant process and with two athletes who won a NCAA Championships together at the University of Texas, they are well equipped with a winning mindset as they eye hardware on their first trip to the sport’s biggest stage.
Australia
After qualifying the boat with a fifth-place finish at the world championships, there has been a near-total reshuffle in the Australian women’s sweep squad. All four of the crew from 11 months ago now reside in the eight while the group entered in this event have generally been moved across. Even this season there has been plenty of adjustments as Olympia Aldersey and Lily Triggs raced in the pair in Lucerne before jumping into the four for the final round of the World Rowing Cup series. In their race together in Poznan, this crew placed second overall behind a Kiwi crew and ahead of a field largely consisting of development crews. Against the best in the world, they will face a stern test if they want to be at the pointy end of proceedings next week.
Romania
Another nation whose lineup has been through a lot of change is Romania. In Belgrade last summer, their crew won the world championship silver medal while doubling up to win gold in the eight. These crews would repeat that feat at the European championships to open the season, but from then on the balance would change as the selectors opted against doubling up at the Games, dividing their talent among the lineups. This combination contains Bogdan and Rusu from the crew last season, joined by two recent graduates from their U23 group. The Olympics will be their first race as a cohesive unit, and it remains to be seen if the new members of the team can match the level they replace. If they are close, they could be challenging at the front of the field.
China
The Chinese team, by contrast, have been together in their current lineup for almost the entire Olympiad. First racing together at the world championships in 2022, since then, they have won at the Asian Games and reached the A-Final at both world championship regattas. Despite this longevity, the crew is yet to win a medal at a global regatta, always just a level behind the established rowing powers. In Lucerne this year, they were eight seconds behind the British crew that came out on top and more than three away from the Americans in third. If they want to be competitive in Paris, they will need to have found some significant speed over the last couple of months.
Ireland
After winning bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, the Irish women’s four has been a significant point of pride for the emerald isle. However, at the 2023 world championships, it didn’t quite work as they would finish in ninth place overall, failing to secure one of the seven spots at this summer’s Games. Instead, they had to turn their focus to the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta, with Emily Hegarty returning from a year out alongside three of last year’s crew. In Lucerne, they came out on top, comfortably qualifying for the Games having previously placed fourth in a decent field at the Varese World Rowing Cup. After two months on camp without any racing, they will be aiming to rediscover their medal-winning form from three years ago as they hope to add to their silverware collection.
Denmark
The Danish crew contains just one returning Olympian but has been together all Olympiad. Racing together for the first time at the first World Rowing Cup regatta of the 2022 season, they are yet to make the A-Final at a world championship. For much of the last 12 months, their fate has been tied to that of their Irish competitors as they have been within a second of each other at all three of their meetings. Also coming through the ‘regatta of death’, they fought hard to earn their spot in Paris and will not be willing to underwhelm on the sport’s largest stage.
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