Road to Paris : The Lightweight Double Sculls

The Road to Paris continues, and we look now at the only lightweight Olympic events – the lightweight double sculls.

The lightweight double sculls have an added element of complexity – before any race the crew has to get themselves weighed and must weigh in under a specified amount. For women, the crew average must be 57kg or less and for the men 70kg or less. With all crews being so similar in weight, the competition is heightened, and leads to very tight race finishes. That’ exactly what we’ve seen so far this season, and that’s what we expect to see in Belgrade too, where the winners of the B-Finals will accompany all six A-Finalists in their first-class seat to Paris.

Total quota places for Paris : 16 for the lightweight men’s double, 16 for the lightweight women’s double

Total number of athletes : 64

Qualification pathways:
7 quota places for men and 7 for women at the 2023 World Rowing Championships

2 quota places each at the Asian/Oceanian, Americas, and European Qualification regattas, 1 quota place at the African Qualification regatta
2 quota places each at the 2024 Final Olympic Qualification Regatta

Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls

Reigning Olympic Champions : Ireland
Reigning World Champions : Ireland
World Rowing Cup III winner: France

In Tokyo, the duo of Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan won the first-ever Olympic gold medal for Ireland in Rowing. The golden combination won again in Racice last year, and while O’Donovan took some time off Rowing to focus on his medical studies this year, they only needed one regatta this season to show that they are still one of the most dominant crews in the sport, finishing just 0.9 seconds out of another gold medal at World Cup III. They are almost a lock for direct qualification to Paris.

Behind them, two crews are on the rise. Raphael Ahumada Ireland and Jan Schaeuble of Switzerland had a fantastic start of the season, winning the first two World Cups, the European championship title, ant the overall 2023 World Rowing Cup. But on home waters in Lucerne, their neighbours from France, Hugo Beurey and Ferdinand Ludwig, stole the show by beating both the Swiss and the Irish. On top form, we should see these crews not only punching their ticket to Paris, but also fighting for a gold medal in Belgrade.

That leaves four spots for direct qualification at this year’s World Championships. Italy should be in the mix, with Olympic medallist Stefano Oppo now teamed up with Gabriel Soares. Norway, Greece and Spain have been sneaking in A-Finals this season and have a legitimate shot at a direct spot. Don’t count out Mexico, who had an eye-opening performance in Lucerne by finishing fourth in the A-Final, or China, achieving the same result in Varese. As always with lightweight rowing, racing in Belgrade promises to be fast and furious.

 Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls

Reigning Olympic Champions : Italy
Reigning World Champions : Great Britain
World Rowing Cup III winner: Great Britain

The Tokyo Olympic Final was undoubtedly one of the best races we’ve ever seen, with five boats sprinting to the line… and Great Britain missing out on an Olympic medal by 0.1 seconds. How do you recover from that? Well, Emily Craig and Imogen Grant surely came back with a vengeance, having won every international race they competed in since then, and setting up a new World Best Time in the process.

The British duo is looking better than ever before. But in lightweight rowing, anything can happen – and this year, Craig and Grant were almost beaten by the US duo of Molly Reckford and Michelle Sechser in Varese. Both crews will be fighting for the gold medal in Belgrade (although Sechser with new partner Mary Jones Nabel), but should both be in line for a direct qualification for the Games. The French combination of Laura Tarantola and Claire Bove, silver medallists in Tokyo, has been in and out of podium places this season but should also easily be in the top 7 at the Worlds.

Two relatively new combinations stood on the podium in Lucerne. The very experienced Ionela Cozmiuc, and the newcomer Mariana-Laura Dumitru of Romania finished right behind the Brits and can’t be overlooked. The young Greek duo of Dimitra Eleni Kontou and Zoi Fitsou was also very impressive at World Cup III and will be in contention for direct qualification. The return of former World Champion Jackie Kiddle of New Zealand, with new partner Shannon Cox, was noticeable in Lucerne, with an A-Final qualification for their first-ever international regatta together. Don’t overlook Ireland and Canada, with very experienced combinations too.

What about the reigning Olympic champions? Since their gold medal in Tokyo, Federica Cesarini and Valentina Rodini have had a rough ride, finishing out of the A-Final in Racice last year. Cesarini was teamed up with Silvia Crosio this year with Rodini out because of an injury. Can the duo, winners of the first-ever gold medal for a women’s Italian crew in Tokyo, get back to form and qualify the boat for Paris?