Road to Paris : The Four

When you talk about classic boats to row, the four is one of them. Through most rowing careers the four will be in the mix of boats rowed for men and women.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the women’s four came back on the programme, and its status had noticeably improved internationally. Now that the four has been back for a full Olympiad and that new Olympic and World Champions have been established in this boat class, we can take a look at what’s at stake for Olympic Qualification in Belgrade and beyond.

Quota places : 9 for the Men’s Four, 9 for the Women’s Four

Total number of athletes : 72

Qualification pathway for both Men and Women :

7 quota places available at the 2023 World Rowing Championships

2 quota places available at the 2024 Final Olympic qualification regatta

Men’s Four

Reigning Olympic Champions : Australia

Reigning World Champions : Great Britain

An Australian – British tussle has been the men’s final formula for the last few Olympic Games. But since the gold medal of the “new” Oarsome Foursome of Australia in Tokyo, it looks like Great Britain has now the edge, having been crowned European and World Champions, and having won every race since the beginning of the Olympiad. This display of dominance was in full effect at the Worlds last year when, rowing with a substitute on board, the British still managed to win the gold medal.

Direct qualification seems to be promised to Great Britain and Australia in this boat class. And then? The Netherlands were on the podium at the last World Championships, and will be in contention for a medal. At World Cup III, it was the Kiwis that managed to grab the bronze, and their new combination, containing two gold medallists from their golden eight from Tokyo, can also be looking for podium places. The French, now coached by Juergen Grobler, won a bronze medal at the Europeans and have been in A-Finals all year, so they will be looking to directly qualify for their home games.

The last remaining spots will certainly be a battle between the USA, Romania, Ukraine, and Poland. Can Germany, with former stroke of the legendary “Deutschland-Achter” Hannes Ocik on board, can sneak into contention for qualification? Will Italy, who was on the podium in Tokyo but haven’t really focused on this event this season, aim for a qualification? One thing is for sure – the B-Final will certainly be as interesting as the A-Final, with whoever wins this race qualifies the boat for the Games.

 Women’s Four

Reigning Olympic Champions : Australia

Reigning World Champions : Great Britain

Last year, it seemed that Great Britain would be the heavy favorite to dominate the Olympiad in the women’s four. That domination was supposed to be even bigger with the addition of two-time Olympic champion, Helen Glover, to the crew in 2023.

But this year, it seems like the women’s four is up for grabs. The three world cups saw three different winners – Chile, the USA, and Romania. The Australians have a powerful crew, but Olympic champions Jessica Morrison and Annabelle McIntyre have been so dominant in the pair that seeing them doubling up with the four (as they did in Tokyo) seems unlikely.

With only seven spots for direct qualification, it’s hard to predict who will make the cut. Romania won the European Championships and World Cup III this year, so they will come in as the favourites. Australia and Great Britain were on the podium at both World Cups II and III, and the Americans were dominant in winning their gold medal in Varese, so they seem to be on their way to Paris too.

Behind these four crews, it is anyone’s guess. The Irish and the Netherlands were both on the podium in Tokyo, and in the A-Final in Bled and Lucerne this year, so they will have a slight advantage ahead of crews such as Denmark, New Zealand or China. For anyone not qualifying for the A-Final, or not winning the B-Final, they will have to go through Lucerne and the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta to keep their Paris 2024 dreams alive.