The Netherlands won the first rowing medals awarded at these Paris Olympic Games, with the first-(men) and second-seeded (women) Dutch quads racing to gold and silver at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. Great Britain’s women’s quad lead on only one stroke—the last —in an exciting, come-from-behind victory at the line.
“It’s not over until you cross the finish line,” said Great Britain’s Lola Anderson through tears of joy after the win.
The U.S. women’s quad finished third in the B final, a race in which all three crews sculled nearly dead-level through the middle thousand, with more than a deck spread between them. They crossed the finish each a second apart, Romania, Australia, and the U.S.
“They raced their hearts out, they went for it,” said U.S. chief coach Josy Verdonkschot of the quad’s efforts throughout the Olympic regatta. “And it’s not big margins.” Every quad, four, and eight competing at the Olympics is top-10 in the world, having qualified to be here. “This is Paris.”
The U.S. men’s pair of Billy Bender and Oliver Bubb raced in an elite rowing who’s who A/B semifinal, featuring the two-time Olympic pairs champion Sinkovic brothers, South African Olympic champion John Smith, the defending world champion Swiss pair, and the Spanish pair seeded second in these Games. Bubb and Bender finished sixth and will race in the B final, on the pairs and lightweight doubles final day, Friday, Aug. 2.
The U.S. women’s pair led much of their A/B semifinal before the Australia pair passed them in the last 500. Azja Czajkowski (bow) and Jess Thoennes (stroke) rowed the lowest rate but highest speed off of the start, catching effectively into the light headwind, as they, Australia, and Lithuania advanced to the A final, where they’ll race the Netherlands, Romania, and Greece for medals.
Great Britain’s Emily Craig and Imogen Grant, clear favorites in the lightweight women’s double after winning both world championships this Olympic cycle as well as sculling the fastest time ever (6:40) in the event (Varese, 2023), continued their winning streak through their A/B semifinal, where the U.S. was third, and Canada fifth, in the three-to-final A race.
U.S. single sculler Jacob Plihal won his C/D semifinal and will race in a preferred lane in the C final, on Saturday, Aug. 3, the last day of the regatta, barring weather or other postponements.
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