Men’s Single
On a grey and gloomy day at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, racing begun with a slate of opening heats in the men’s single.Â
Kiwi Tom Mackintosh – world bronze medalist and soon-to-be Oxford University Boat Club president – took a few strokes to get going but slowly imposed himself in Heat One to take a convincing win. Behind him, Tokyo gold medalist Stefanos Ntouskos took second to secure a slot in the quarter-finals alongside Egypt’s Abdelkhalek Elbanna.
In Heat Two, Mihai Chiruta timed his effort to perfection to overhaul a fast-starting Damir Martin around the halfway mark before extending his lead to just over clear water by the finish. Having come through the 2024 World Rowing Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta, this was a special start to the Olympics for Chiruta. The battle for third – and the final automatic slot in the quarter-finals – came down to the line, with Giedrius Bieliauskas of Lithuania sneaking in ahead of Isak Ivan Zvegelj of Slovenia.
If the first two heats had multiple names vying for contention at the business end, then Heat Three was the reverse. Simon van Dorp of the Netherlands – world silver medalist and winner of the second 2024 World Rowing Cup in Lucerne – led from the first stroke, establishing clear water in a matter of 250m. The dogfight for second and third became a compelling side-show as Belgium’s Tim Brys and Ryuta Arakawa of Japan took it in turns to take lumps out of each other before the latter dropped the hammer with 250m to go and stole out to a canvas.Â
In Heat Four, Yauheni Zalaty wasted no time in finding the speed required to secure an automatic qualification spot, stretching out to over a length on the rest of the five-man field inside of 500m. Tightly contested throughout were the spots for second, third and fourth, as Brazil’s Lucas Verthein Ferreira, Monaco’s Quentin Antognelli and Jacob Plihalof the USA all took time to sit as the chief pretender behind Zalaty. Over the line, it was too close to call between transatlantic rivals Plihal and Verthein Ferreira, with the finishing judge determining that the USA sneaked it by 0.01 of a second.
Heat Five saw the introduction of world champion Oliver Zeidler to proceedings. Uruguay’s Bruno Cetraro Berriolo bolted from the blocks to catch the big German napping off the line, but it only took a few hundred metres for Zeidler to take the lead and clear any doubt in anyone’s mind that he’s here to go fast. His time was the quickest to 500m, 1000m and 1500m across all the heats, which is exactly the sort of start an Olympic champion in-waiting would have wanted to make, before he wound down in the closing moments. Uruguay and Cuba’s Reidy Cardona Blanco were second and third.Â
Rounding out the men’s single scull heats, Sverri Nielsen of Denmark showed his class to win but the race behind him for those crucial slots into the quarter-final dominated the narrative for Heat Six. Hong Kong’s Hin Chun Chiu punched hard all the way down the course but agonisingly missed out in the final few strokes as Kristian Vasilev of Bulgaria and Bendeguz Pal Petervari Molnar of Hungary secured second and third.
Women’s Single
Heat One was controlled by Tara Rigney of Australia, who won two consecutive world bronzes in 2022 and 2023 before taking silver and then gold at the second and third World Rowing Cups. Behind her, Spain’s Virginia Diaz Rivas and Paige Badenhorst of South Africa had the second and third spots wrapped up by halfway, with the Spanish sculler overhauling the South African in the closing stages.
Favourite for gold and unbeaten since winning silver in Tokyo in the coxless four, Karolien Florijn laid down an early marker of Dutch supremacy by winning her heat very comfortably over Switzerland’s Aurelia-Maxima Katharina Janzen. Nina Kostanjsek of Slovenia – who booked passage to this event via the 2024 World Rowing Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta – slotted into third.
The third Heat of the women’s single sculls unusually contained both the gold and silver medalists for the last Olympics in Emma Twigg of New Zealand and Anna Prakaten of Uzbekistan. Twigg took the win but not perhaps as comfortably as she would have liked, coming under moderate pressure from Prakaten all the way down but easing over the line to triumph by just over a length. Mexico’s Kenia Lechuga Alanis took third.
Heat Four was a ding-dong between Lithuania’s Viktorija Senkute and Tatsiana Klimovich, racing as an Individual Neutral Athlete. The Lithuanian was sixth at the world championships last year but had to work hard to see off Klimovich, whose form coming into this regatta has been the subject of some discussion amongst rowing punters. Brazil’s Beatriz Cunha Tavares Cardoso took third.
Germany’s young gun Alexandra Foester – a two-times U23 world champion – took a little time to get going but her rhythm paid dividends in the second 1000m, as she slowly moved away from Bulgaria’s Desislava Angelova. Despite a fast start from Thi Hue Pham of Vietnam, it was 2023 Henley Royal Regatta winner Diana Dymchenko who took the coveted third spot into the quarter-finals.
Heat Six contained significant pedigree, including Kara Kohler of the USA – who was fourth at the world championships – and Magdalena Lobnig of Austria, who won bronze in Tokyo. Not to be forgotten, Serbia’s Jovana Arsic was mixing it up with the leading two scullers right up until the 1000m mark but it was the American who dictated the pace in the second half, stretching away to clear water ahead of Lobnig.
Men’s Double Sculls
With only three Heats in this category but an identical progression pattern – three to the semi-finals – we were treated to another exhibition in double sculling from the Netherlands, who already hold the world and European titles. After losing out to the French in Tokyo, this Dutch duo have had an immaculate 12 months and won their heat in style. Behind them, a fast-finishing combination from New Zealand – featuring the charismatic Robbie Manson – snuck into second ahead of the USA, who had led them right up until the line.Â
With the Italians having switched their line-up in this crew, all eyes were on the new line-up of Nicolo’ Carucci and Matteo Sartori to see if they could deliver in their opening Olympic exchange. The answer – a devastating no. Trailing out of the back of the heat, and finishing some 24 seconds behind third-placed Croatia. Romania looked composed and assured in claiming the win ahead of a Kjetil Borch-fuelled Norway.Â
Ireland showed their steel in Heat Three, rowing through a speedy Spanish duo who were world silver medalists in 2022. The French – home favourites and reigning Olympic champions – do not look like they’ll be troubling the medals in 2024 with a slightly lacklustre third-placed finish.Â
Women’s Double Sculls
Heat One was all about a new-look Great Britain combination, who had to come through the 2024 World Rowing Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta, and New Zealand, who overturned their fifth-placed finish at the second World Rowing Cup to win this heat ahead of the USA and the Netherlands. The former will have been caught a little unawares by the fast-starting Brits and a rapidly-evolving Kiwi outfit.
As the morning progressed, so too did the quality of racing. Heat Two gave us all insight into the grit and determination required to win an Olympic heat, as Australia dug deeper and deeper to hold off a vociferously-supported French unit but were unable to withhold their opponents willpower, who found the extra gear with mere strokes to go. Lithuania – who were world silver medalists in 2023 – have a lot of work to do after slipping into fourth in this heat behind Ireland.Â
Much has been made of the Romanians chopping and changing their personnel but this world and Olympic champion double are back together and looking serious about retaining their title in 2024. They won their heat comfortably ahead of Czechia in second and China in third. European champions Norway were relegated into fourth. Â
Men’s Quads
With only two advancing to the final, Heat One was controlled from start to finish by the world, European and Olympic champions from the Netherlands. Superlatives run dry when describing this boat and their emphatic heat win will only serve to strengthen their odds of claiming a second successive Olympic gold. Great Britain locked up second through the middle 1000m, enabling them automatic passage to Wednesday’s final. Germany, Romania and Norway will go again in the repechage.Â
Whilst their men’s double was an unmitigated disaster, Italy’s quad fared considerably better in winning their heat over the Polish world champions from 2022. The latter two plus Great Britain all finished within a second of each other, setting us up for an enthralling final.Â
Women’s Quads
The Netherlands continued with what was a near-flawless morning of racing, as their women’s quad laid down the gauntlet for world champions from Great Britain to pick up in the following race. Behind the Dutch came the Ukraine, whose season goes from strength to strength after they took gold at the first World Rowing Cup in April. China – world champions in 2022 – finished in third and will race the repechage.
Immediately after, Great Britain responded as champions do by securing immediate passage and a heat win. They were closed down in the final 250m by Germany, whose late push evidenced that their hunt for a title they regard as their historical right is not yet out of the question. Switzerland and the USA will move to the repechage.
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