Romania (Bronze)
This was one of the biggest selection surprises when the entries were announced. The double of Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis were the defending world and Olympic Champions and had only been beaten once in five years. However, after being pushed into third at the European championships this season, the Romanians have taken the decision to break this partnership up. Radis moves into the women’s eight and Morosanu steps into the double. Morosanu was U23 world champion in the BW2X in 2022 and 2023 plus she made her senior debut last season, racing in the quad that finished sixth at the world championships in Belgrade. This season, she raced in the single at the Europeans, just missing the podium. At the final World Rowing Cup, she raced in the double with Iulia Balauca, finishing fourth. It’s going to be really interesting to see if this late selection change is a stroke of genius, or is sacrificing a possible gold in the double strengthing their chances in the women’s eight?
Lithuania (Silver)
This duo has, for the most part, been one of the most consistent performers in this boat class. They came together at the start of the 2022 season, placing fourth at the European championships. In 2023, they took a string of silver medals behind the dominant Romanians. They opened their 2024 season with another silver medal but then had a bit of a slip up at World Rowing Cup II, where they finished back in 11th. Karaliene is one of the most experienced athletes in the event, and Paris will be her fourth Olympics; she won bronze in Rio and finished fourth in Tokyo with her then partner Milda Valciukaite.
USA (Gold)
Prior to the entries being released, the USA were not my pick for the gold – I had them on the podium, but not the top. However, with some surprising selection decisions elsewhere (more of that below), this has elevated the USA double to the top rank. They are an experienced duo; Wagner raced with Gevvie Stone at the Tokyo Olympics, reaching the A-Final. Wagner teamed up with Vitas for the 2022 world championships, making the A-Final and then in 2023 they stepped on, taking silver at World Rowing Cup II and bronze at the world championships. This season they’ve raced once, at the second World Rowing Cup, where they produced a dominant performance to take the gold (America’s first women’s openweight double gold medal since 2009).
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