American Continent rowers secure their spots for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

The 2024 World Rowing Americas Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta just concluded in Brazil. With fourteen Olympic and three Paralympic spots up for grabs, racing was hotly contested on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas course, which was the Olympic and Paralympic regatta course in 2016.

In the first A-final of the day, Michel Muñoz Malagon from México confirmed the domination that was seen Thursday when he won his heat in the PR1 M1x. He proved to be the best in this boat class en route to a comfortable victory in the A-final, with a very clear margin ahead of Uruguay and Canada. Uruguay was later relegated to last place.

Unfortunately the PR1 W1x  event could not take place due to only 1 athlete eligible to race. The quota place will be reallocated via the Bipartite Commission Invitation method and therefore no boat will qualify in the PR1 W1x in this qualification regatta.

The PR3 Mixed double sculls race had to be postponed because of an equipment breakage in the start zone for the Ecuadorian boat. After a 1-hour delay, it brought good news for the Mexican crew of Angeles Gutierrez and Miguel Nieto, who rowed beautifully to finish first and bring the crowds to a huge ovation. Argentina finished second.

As per the Qualification system, if an NPC would achieve more than one (1) qualifying slot, then the NPC must select the boat that will qualify for the Paralympic Games. Mexico will have to confirm which of the PR1 M1x or the PR3 Mixed double sculls will get the quota for Paris – see full document here.

The women’s single sculls had a very experienced field with a few former Olympians, including Kenia Lechuga from Mexico, Yariulvis Cobas from Cuba and Alejandra Alonso Alderete from Paraguay. But it was Beatriz Cunha of Brazil who had a strong start and surprised the Mexican. She managed to stay ahead throughout the race – and still had the energy for a strong finish that brought her to the line with 3 seconds ahead of the chasing group that had Lechuga of México in second, Maria Sol Amaya of Argentina in third, Alderete of Paraguay in fourth, Adriana Sanguineti Velasco of Peru in fifth and Yariulvis Cobas of Cuba in sixth.

The men’s single sculls was no less intense. Bruno Cetraro from Uruguay had a very strong start that had him in the lead with the Brazilian Lucas Verthein watching him to his left all the way up to 1’000m. All six boats were separated by only 4 seconds at the halfway marker. The experience of Verthein and Cetraro paid off with the Brazilian winning the race ahead of the Uruguayan. Behind them, it was the young Paraguayan Javier Insfran who claimed third, ahead of Dara Alizadeh of Bermuda and Reidy Cardona Blanco of Cuba.

There was only two spots available in both the lightweight men and women’s double sculls, which left very little room for error for crews that wanted to secure a place in Paris 2024. On the women’s side, Evelyn Silvestro and Sonia Baluzzo of Argentina had a beautiful demonstration of technical efficiency and very solid strategy against the Palacios sisters of Peru and Isidora Meyer and Josefa Vila Betancurt of Chile. Argentina and Peru both secured their spot for Paris.

The lightweight men’s double sculls saw a confident and experienced crew from Chile, with Cesar Abaroa and Eber Sanhueza leading a very tight field throughout the race. They were followed very closely by Argentina and Brazil within less than 1 second after the first 1000 meters. The Chileans had a bit more energy left to bring up their rate above 40 strokes per minute and cross the line in first, ahead of Pedro Dickson and Alejandro Colomino of Argentina. Both crews will compete at the Olympics in July.

For quota places obtained at the Americas Continental Qualification Regatta, the NOCs that did not qualify a boat at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, were able to qualify a maximum of two boats for the Games based on highest ranking. As Argentina had the lightweight men and women’s double sculls rank higher than the women’s single sculls, this will allow Cuba, in the W1x to claim a spot in Paris.

CHI and MEX were the only NOCs that qualified a boat in Belgrade, therefore only able to qualify a maximum of one boat (unless two or more boats would have placed first, which was not the case). CHI only obtained one qualification spot, in the LM2x, and MEX obtained also one qualification spot in the W1x.

The final qualification spots are now to be confirmed by the respective NOCs, they have two weeks to confirm their quota. More information on the qualification can be found here.

Copy thanks to Santiago Fuentes