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.
Denmark – Hedvig Rasmussen and Fie Udby Erichsen
A highly experienced pairing, Rasmussen and Erichsen never seem to have an easy ride when it comes to Olympic qualification, but almost always impress when the lights go out. A long-time World Rowing heavyweight, Hedvig Rasmussen already has on Olympic bronze medal in this boat class following a phenomenal final in Rio, where Rasmussen and her then-partner Anne Anderson scrapped in a three-way melee with the British and New Zealanders for Olympic honours – and all that after failing to secure a medal at all in the preceding season.
Fie Udby Erichsen was another Olympic debutant in Rio, where she finished in the B-final of the single sculls, and has been Rasmussen’s parter since their first international outing at FOQR in 2021, where they secured Tokyo qualification. At the 2020 Games, the pair finished in the B-final, second to this year’s favourites for silver, the Australian combination of Jessica Morrison and Annabelle McIntyre.
Since Tokyo, we’ve only seen this pair on the water a handful of times, though their consistency in those races should worry rivals higher-up the bookies’ pecking order. They finished third at World Rowing Cup I, before winning at FOQR and securing another bronze at World Rowing Cup III.
Notably, in 2016, Rasmussen and Anderson were more than ten seconds off the pace at the third World Rowing Cup, a margin which they reduced by 80% two months later in Rio. In 2024, Rasmussen and Erichsen were only five seconds shy of the Dutch pair’s time at World Rowing Cup I in April: could we see a repeat of Rio, with the Danish making life difficult for those at the front of the pack?
Greece – Christina Bourmpou and Evangelia Anastasiadou
This young, exciting combination out of Greece could be just what the nation needs to revitalise what was, once-upon-a-time, a European powerhouse of rowing. With an average age of just 22, Christina Bourmpou and Evangelia Anastasiadou secured their spot in Paris at the 2023 world championships, where they edged out strong Spanish, British and Lithuanian competition to win the B-final, a result they have since only built on.
Like many on this list, the Greek team elected for a quieter 2024 season ahead of the Games, meaning we have only had the opportunity to see how this pair stacks-up against the competition on two occasions: the European championships and World Rowing Cup II.
They impressed at both races, with a silver medal at the Europeans and a fourth-placed finish at World Rowing Cup II, four seconds behind bronze medalists, Ireland. With this momentum in mind, an A-final finish in Paris shouldn’t be out of the questions for Bourmpou and Anastasiadou, and regardless of their final ranking, seeing them compete in a full-strength international field will give us a taste of what to expect in LA and beyond.
Great Britain – Rebecca Edwards and Chloe Brew
Another interesting duo with rising stock in the British rowing camp, Edwards and Brew head to Paris after only a single season together racing in the pair. In the 2021 season, Brew was resident in the medal-less GB women’s eight that dropped out of the Tokyo regatta after failing to secure a place in the final. She joins Edwards who, similarly, has spent the last few seasons in an admittedly stronger British eight. Since coming together in a new-look pair, Edwards and Brew have found reasonable success together, with A-final finishes at World Rowing Cup I and the European Championships, though a tough World Rowing Cup II saw them relegated to the B final.
Much like with the Greeks above, an A-final finish would be a fantastic achievement for this pair, both of whom will presumably become stalwarts of the squad looking to take the fight to LA in 2028. Whether they can overhaul strong competition in the earlier rounds to book a spot in that hallowed final remains to be seen.
United States of America – Jessica Thoennes and Azja Czajkowski
Could this be the crew that disrupts the established order? Thoennes and Czajkowski are a relatively recent addition to this cohort, having spent much of their time in the US team so far in the larger sweep boats. Notably, Thoennes was a member of the heartbroken US eight that missed out on a medal in Tokyo by just over a second to the Chinese crew; she has since continued to flirt with the eight (including a silver medal at the 2023 world championships), whilst also venturing into the four and pair.
Czajkowski made the step-up to the senior team for the first time this year when she joined Thoennes in the pair at World Rowing Cup II, where they finished less that a second behind the aforementioned Greek pairing. Prior to joining the big leagues, Czajkowski was already making a name for herself on the international scene, with a 2018 junior world championships silver medal in the eight, a record she strengthened in 2022 with a gold in the same boat class at the U23 world championships.
Though only tested once against the other crews in this class, the potent combination of a second-time Olympian gunning for the medal she missed in Tokyo and and a supremely talented debutant looking to make a splash at her first Olympics could be a winning combination for Team USA.
Czech Republic – Radka Novotnikova and Pavlina Flamikova
Radka Novotnikova and Pavlina Flamikova have shared a shell since 2020, when they first competed together in the four at the European championships, finishing fifth in the B-final. After coming together to race the pair throughout the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons, they’ve been able to challenge for good final finishes on a regular basis, often flitting between winning the B or finishing at the bottom of the A-final.
Progressing though the Olympic regatta to the top final is a tough ask, especially as at World Rowing Cup II – the most representative pre-Paris event – the Czech duo were unable to finish in the top six, instead winning comfortably ahead of Spain in the B final.
Spain – Aina Cid I Centelles and Esther Briz Zamorano
Another pair that regularly dabble in the delicate dance at the bottom of A-finals, Cid and Briz kicked-off the 2023 season in superb form, collecting a gold at World Rowing Cup I, before slipping to third place at the European championships and World Rowing Cup II. After such a promising start however, they apparently quickly fell out of favour with the rowing gods, and have since failed to finish higher than fifth in any World Rowing event. Most recently at the second 2024 World Cup, they finished second behind the Czech crew in the B-final.
Cid in particular has vast experience on the international circuit, with a passport rivalling some of the most established athletes on the water. First selected to represent Spain at the 2011 junior world championships in Great Britain, she has since travelled around the globe competing in the single, pair and four, picking up a variety of honours along the way. Her partner, Briz, despite being only 24 years old, is no stranger to the international spotlight either, with two coastal rowing world titles to her name.
Finishing in the top six will be a huge ask for this crew, but with vast experience across the sport, this is a crew that can capitalise on the mistakes of those around them at a moment’s notice.
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