JRN

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Preview – Men’s Double Sculls

So here it is, the big one, the one all rowers want to race at, and for some, the culmination of years of training and dedication: it’s the Olympic Games. Finally, after months of uncertainty, it looks like the Games will happen. One thing’s for sure, these Games will be unlike any other in history. The venue is the Sea Forest Waterway, specially built for the Games and inaugurated in 2019. As the name suggests, it’s a coastal venue and has had its fair share of issues, from strong winds to oysters growing on the buoys. But when conditions are right, it’s a fantastic course.

As always, with my previews, I’ve tried to give a rundown of the form, experience and prospects of those competing. I hope that readers find this a valuable and exciting guide to those racing in Tokyo. If you have enjoyed what I write, perhaps you’d consider buying me a coffee via my Ko-Fi page https://ko-fi.com/X8X64ORYM

Current Standings:

Reigning Olympic Champions: Croatia (Martin Sinkovic & Valent Sinkovic)

Rio Silver medal: Lithuania (Mindaugus Griskonis & Saulius Ritter)

Rio Bronze medal: Norway (Kjetil Borch & Olaf Tufte)

China: Zhiyu Liu (28) & Liang Zhang (34).

Liu and Zhang are the reigning World Champions, having beaten the Irish by half a second in Linz. Zhang has been racing on the senior international scene for 14 years. At 20, he competed in his first World Championships in 2007, finishing 16th in the M1X. He caused a stir at the Beijing Olympics when he failed to appear for his race in the M1X, leading him to be disqualified in that event and the M2X event in which he was also entered. 2010 saw his best result in the M1X at a World Championships when he took 5th. He went on to race the single at the 2012 Olympics, placing 11th. He and Liu were members of the Chinese M4X that missed qualification for the Rio Olympics. In 2019 he formed a double with Liu that won the World Championship gold.

Liu started his career in 2014, finishing 4th in the M4X at the World Championships that year.2015 saw the Chinese M4X slip back to a disappointing 15th at the World Championships and, after missing the Olympics, placed 13th in 2017. This season the Chinese double have made one appearance at the Lucerne World Cup, which was a bit of a repeat of the 2019 World Championships, with Liu and Zhang beating the Irish by just 13/100th of a second!

Tokyo prospects: one of the favourites for gold, but it’s an incredibly tight contest.

Czech Republic: Jakub Podrazil (29) & Jan Cincibuch (23).

This pairing secured their spot in Tokyo with 2nd place at the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta. Podrazil was a world junior silver medallist in 2009 and made his senior debut a year later. In 2011 he won another age-group silver medal taking silver in the BM8 at the U23 World Championships. He won his first senior medal later that year when the CZE M8 won silver at the European Championships. He moved into the M4- for 2012, qualifying for the 2012 Olympics, although his crew didn’t progress beyond the repechage. The M4- finished 6th at the 2013 Worlds, and in 2015 he moved into the M2- and qualified for his 2nd Olympics ending up in 7th at the Rio Olympics. A disastrous 21st in 2019 saw him move into the double with Cincibuch for the 2021 season, and after securing qualification, they went on to finish 10th at the Lucerne World Cup. Cincibuch made his senior debut in 2017 in the LM1X, finishing 16th at the World Championships (having finished 4th earlier in the season at the U23 Worlds). In 2018 he won U23 silver in the BLM4X, and that crew went on to place 6th at the senior World Championships. He switched back to the LM1X in 2019 and finished 21st in Linz.

Tokyo Prospects: probably the lowest ranked crew in the event, so placing above 13th will be a good result.

France: Hugo Boucheron (28) & Matthieu Androdias (31)

Androdias made his senior debut in 2010 and, in 2012, was a member of the French M4X that came 10th at the London Olympics. He raced in the M8 in 2013 and 2014 – a crew that was less successful than it should have been given the quality of athletes onboard. Boucheron’s senior debut came in 2013, taking 8th in the M2X at the Europeans. He raced in the M4X the following year. These two began their doubles partnership in 2015 and made an immediate impact winning a silver medal at the European Championships and making the A-Final at the Worlds. In Rio, they also reached the A-final, and in 2017, they narrowly missed the podium at the World Championships. 2018 was an excellent year for the French, winning both the European and World titles. 2019, on the other hand, was something of a disappointment when they failed to defend either title, ending up 9th in Linz. 2021 has been a bit of a mixed season so far. They produced an outstanding performance at the Zagreb World Cup, sculling superbly to win the gold; however, at the Lucerne World Cup, they didn’t scull with the same effortless style and ended up last in the A-Final.

Tokyo prospects: if they scull as they did in Zagreb, they will be in the A-Final and have an outside chance of a medal. On the other hand, if they perform as they did in Lucerne, it’s more likely they won’t reach the A-Final.

Great Britain: John Collins (32) & Graeme Thomas (32)

GB have been consistent performers at an Olympic level in recent years; they are the only nation to have made the A-Final at the last 3 Games. Collins made his senior debut in 2012 and reached the A-Final of the European Championships in the M2X with Jonny Walton in 2014. He and Walton qualified the double for Rio with an 8th place finish at the World Championships. At the Rio Games, the pair reached the A-Final placing 5th overall. In 2017 Collins moved into the quad, winning silver at the World Championships. This was followed by World Cup gold in 2018. Thomas is a former rugby player who came to rowing via the GB Start programme. He made his international debut in 2011, finishing 5th in the M2X at the European Championships. In 2013 he was a member of the M4X, winning Britain’s first-ever World Championship medal in this event. The crew followed that up with another medal in the quad in 2014. Unfortunately, the injury just before the Rio Olympics cruelly robbed him of his first Olympic appearance. In 2019 Collins and Thomas formed a new double, and they have been consistent A-Finalists ever since, including two World Cup medals. They qualified the boat with a solid 4th place at the Linz World Championships and so far this season has a 4th place at the Lucerne World Cup.

Tokyo prospects: strong A-Final contenders, and they have an outside chance of a bronze medal.

Germany: Stephan Krueger (32) & Marc Weber (23)

Tokyo will be Kreuger’s 4th Olympic Games. He was U23 World Champion in 2007 and made his senior debut in 2008, finishing 6th in the M4X at the Beijing Olympics. World Championship gold followed the year after, and he won World Championship silver in the M2X with Hans Gruhne in 2011. At the London Olympics, he finished 9th in the M2X with Eric Knittel and in 2015, he qualified for Rio in the double with Marcel Hacker, and this duo finished 8th at the Olympics. Krueger raced in the quad in 2018 before moving back to the double in 2019. Weber was U23 World Champion in 2019 and made his senior debut at the 2020 European Championships when he and Kreuger formed a new double, finishing 7th. At the 2021 Europeans, they placed 9th but had a stronger race at the 1st World Cup, placing 4th.

Tokyo prospects: Mid B-Final.

Ireland: Ronan Byrne (23) Philip Doyle (28)

Ireland’s M2X were the breakthrough crew of 2019 when they won silver at the World Championships – Ireland’s first-ever World Championship medal in this event. Philip Doyle is a Doctor and spent much of 2020 combining training with working at a hospital in Belfast. He started his international rowing career in 2018, finishing 15th in the M1X at the Lucerne World Cup. At the 2018 World Championships, he and Byrne finished in 9th place. After a slightly disappointing 10th at the 2019 Europeans, they really stepped up at the 3rd World Cup-winning silver and then silver at the Worlds. Byrne came up through the Irish Junior and U23 team and made his senior debut with Doyle in 2018. This season they had a slow start with 7th place at the Europeans (mainly due to the limited training due to Doyle’s medical commitments). But at the Lucerne World Cup, they had an epic race against the Chinese, with the two crews swapping the lead down the course. In the final sprint, the World Champion Chinese just managed to get their bows in front. But, with more time together in the run-up to Tokyo, they may just well find the half a second needed to take the gold.

Tokyo prospects: Serious medal contenders, and that medal may well be gold.

Lithuania: Saulius Ritter (32) Aurimas Adomavicius (27)

Lithuania is the reigning Olympic silver medallist, and Ritter was in the boat in Rio with Mindaugus Griskonis. Tokyo will be his 3rd Olympic Games in the M2X. At the London Olympics, he sculled in the double, with Rolandas Mascinskas reaching the A-Final. He has been racing as a senior international since 2007. He and Mascinskas won two European titles together in 2011 and 2014 and picked up two World silver medals in 2013 and 2015. At the Rio Olympics, he raced with Mindaugus Griskonis winning the silver medal. Adomavicius made his debut at the 2015 Europeans and race in the quad at the Rio Olympics. He raced in the quad throughout the Tokyo Olympiad, winning World Championship gold in 2017. 2018 saw the quad win silver at the Europeans but then performed poorly at the Worlds, ending in 12th. 2019 was even worse for the Lithuanian squad as they ended up 15th at the Worlds. This meant they had to race at the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta this season but couldn’t secure the place for Tokyo. So, the Lithuanian coaches have put Adomavicius and Ritter together for the first time. They are very talented scullers, but they are something of an unknown quantity as a new combination.

Tokyo prospects: Not sure they will make the A-Final in such a competitive field, mid-B-Final, I reckon.

The Netherlands: Melvin Twellaar (24) & Stef Broenink (30)

Twellaar was World Rowing’s “Rising Star” of June 2019. He made his senior debut in 2018, racing at the 3rd World Cup with Luuk Adema (with whom he went on to win U23 silver that year). In 2019 he formed a partnership with Broenink winning silver at the Memorial Paolo d’Aloja Regatta (beating the Irish into 3rd) and taking the European title. Broenink started rowing at the age of 21 and was a member of the KSRV Njord club. He made his international debut at the Sydney World Cup in 2014, his vast power being utilised in the 3-seat of the Dutch M8 (after only a year of rowing, his 2K time was 5:53!). He switched to sculling in 2015 but was, by his admission, a “bit hit and miss” in the single. But when he was a “hit”, he could mix it with the very best in the world. 2019 saw him win silver at the European Championships and was involved in one of the best M1X finals ever at the Linz World Championships, where the top 5 finishers were separated by 1 second; unfortunately for Broenink, who was leading through 1500, he just lost out in the sprint finish and ended up 5th. This was good enough to qualify the boat for Tokyo, but the team coaches decided that their best option was the double with Twellaar. This season this double has won silver at the European Championships and bronze at the Lucerne World Cup. They have been having a ding dong battle with the British all season, and so far, the Dutch have gotten the better of the Brits, but it’s never been by more than a few tenths of a second.

Tokyo prospects: A-Finalists and will be battling the Brits for the bronze medal.

New Zealand: Chris Harris (35) Jack Lopas (22)

The Kiwis have quite a record in this event, world champions in 2010-2011 and Olympic champions in 2012. For Tokyo, the Kiwis have put together a new combination blending youth with experience. Chris Harris was a U23 medallist way back in 2007 and made his senior debut in 2010. He raced in the M4- at the London Olympics, finishing 12th, and in 2014 he moved into the M4X and finished in 12th at the World Championships. 2015 saw him form a M2X with Robbie Manson, and he won his first World Championship medal. However, they couldn’t repeat the feat in 2016 and slipped back to 11th at the Rio Olympics. In 2017 Harris formed a new double with John Storey, and the pair were unbeaten all season, culminating in a World Championship gold medal. They were unable to retain their title in 2018 but still made the podium. 2019 saw them qualify the boat for Tokyo, but only with 8th place. With Manson retiring, the Kiwis have turned to 22-year-old Jack Lopas to fill his seat. The Olympics will be Lopas’ senior international debut. The Yale University student has won age-group World Championship gold medals at both junior and U23 levels. He showed his speed by winning the New Zealand National Championships, beating his crewmate Harris and John Storey and defending Olympic Champion Mahe Drysdale. The big question is, with no international racing experience as a double, just how fast will this combination be? The Kiwis are incredibly strong in small boats, but can they get in the mix for the medals? I’m not so sure.

Tokyo prospects: I’m not sure they’ll make the A-Final, but they will win the B-Final for the 7th overall.

Poland: Miroslaw Zietarski (28) & Mateusz Biksup (27)

The Poles are another crew who can be a bit “hit or miss”. At their best, they can challenge for medals, but they are in the middle of the B-Final at other times. Both Biksup and Zietarski started their senior careers in 2014 and were members of the M4X through to the Rio Olympics, where they just missed out on a medal. They formed a double partnership in 2017, winning silver at the World Championships. In 2018 they finished 4th at the Europeans and then slipped back into the B-Final at the World Championships, ending up 8th overall. 2019 was a better year, winning gold at the European Championships and then bronze at the Worlds. This season, they competed at all three World Cups, taking silver in Zagreb, 7th in Lucerne, and then winning gold in Sabaudia (although only one other Olympic crew, Switzerland, was racing).

Tokyo Prospects: 8th or 9th.

Romania: Ioan Prundeneau (28) & Marian-Florian Enache (25)

This duo has been racing together as a double since 2017, taking 10th at the World Championships. They won their first Championship medal when winning silver at the 2018 Europeans. 2018 also saw them reach the A-Final of the world Championships, and in 2019 they again won an award at the Europeans and repeated their A-Final placing at the World Championships. A disappointing 10th at this year’s Europeans saw them move into the M4X for the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta. Still, with that boat failing to qualify, they moved back into the double for the Lucerne World Cup, finishing 8th.

Tokyo prospects: The attempt to qualify the quad shows a crisis of confidence in the speed of this double; they may find themselves at the back end of the B-final.

Russian Olympic Committee: Ilya Kondratyev (31) & Andrey Potapkin (24)

This duo secured their place in Tokyo by winning the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta.

Potapkin missed out on qualifying for the M1X at the Rio Olympics as a teenager, but he won silver in the BM4X at the U23 World Championships the following year. Kondratyev also missed out on qualification for Rio in the M2X and in 2019 raced in the M4X that finished 11th. He and Potapkin formed a double in 2020, placing 20th at the European Championships. However, 2021 saw them make significant progress reaching the A-final of the European Championships.

Tokyo Prospects: 11th or 12th.

Switzerland: Roman Roeoesli (27) & Barnabe Delarze (27)

This duo has been racing together since they were juniors (finishing 4th in the JM2X in 2011). In 2013 they were members of the outstanding U23 BM4X that won World Championship gold and raced at the senior World Championships, reaching the A-Final. 5th place at the 2015 World Championships saw them qualify the boat for Rio, where they missed qualifying for the A-Final by just 3/10th of a second. In 2017 they moved into the M2X, winning bronze at the European Championships. 2018 saw them produce an outstanding race at the World Championships to take the silver medal (the best result for a Swiss M2X at the World Championships). 2019 was another solid year for the Swiss with silver at the Europeans and two World Cup golds. 5th place at the World Championships secured their spot in Tokyo, and in 2020 they won another European silver medal. In 2021 they raced at all three World Cups winning a bronze medal in Zagreb, 5th in Lucerne and silver in Sabaudia.

Tokyo prospects: they can make the A-Final, but I don’t think they will be among the medal contenders, 5th or 6th.