Paris 2024 Olympic Games Preview : the Double Sculls

Two people, four oars, one boat. The double sculls is often considered a rower’s favourite. It’s not too big or too small and is overall just plain fun. There’s an element of consistency and partnerships often last for long periods of time. The World Best Time for the women and men has remained unbroken for ten years now. Sally Kehoe and Olympia Aldersey of Australia set it for the women in 2014 at 6:37.31. The men’s World Best Time was set at the same regatta by Valent and Martin Sinkovic when they became the first crew to go under six minutes. Their time is 5:59.72.

Men’s Double Sculls

Reigning Olympic Champions: Matthieu Androdias, Hugo Boucheron, France

Reigning World Champions: Stefan Broenink, Melvin Twellaar, Netherlands

Overall 2024 World Rowing Cup winner: Netherlands

It took the French duo of Hugo Boucheron and Matthieu Androdias until the final straight to get into the lead over Stef Broenink and Melvin Twellaar of the Netherlands at the Tokyo Olympics. Their time of 6:00.33 was just a fraction off the World Best Time and just 0.20 seconds ahead of the Dutch. The post-Olympic period has proved rocky for Boucheron and Androdias. They did come back to triumph at the 2022 World Rowing Championships but their results have been sporadic.

After a post-Olympic break with Twellaar racing the single, Broenink and Twellaar came back together to dominate the rest of this Olympiad. They finished it out by winning World Cup II in May. Such is the speed of Broenink and Twellaar, it looks to have help convince Olympic Champions, the Sinkovic brothers to go back into the pair. Who is left to challenge the Dutch? At World Cup II Italy’s Luca Rambaldi and Matteo Sartori scored silver. This duo came together in 2023 finishing fourth at the World Champs. The Dutch must be keeping an eye on them, although Sartori will be teamed up with another formidable Italian sculler, Nicolo Carucci, moving from the Quad to the Double.

There’s also the Irish combination of Daire Lynch and Philip Doyle. They came together in 2023 as a combination and finished third at the World Championships. Then this year they won World Cup III. The Dutch did not race at World Cup III leaving Germany and New Zealand to take out the remaining medals.

Women’s Double Sculls

Reigning Olympic Champions: Simona Radis, Ancuta Bodnar, Romania

Reigning World Champions: Simona Radis, Ancuta Bodnar, Romania

Overall 2024 World Rowing Cup winner: Norway

Of all the boat classes this one is hard to pick. Initially it looked like Romania had it wrapped up. But delving a little deeper opens up a different picture.

In Tokyo Romania’s Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis raced to gold like true Olympic Champions. They got into the lead and held off every challenge winning in a Olympic Best Time. Bodnar and Radis were both just 22 years old. The duo took gold at the 2023 World Championships, however since then they have only had one international outing, the 2024 European Rowing Championships. There the duo finished third in the double with Radis also racing in the eight. Enough for their head coach to call for a surprise change – moving Radis to the eight and teaming up Bodnar with former World Rowing Under 23 Champion Andrada-Maria Morosanu.

If Bodnar and Radis remain the favorites to win it all again, they are likely to have stiff competition from European Championship winners Norway and silver medallists Lithuania. The Lithuanian boat is definitely one to watch. Sitting in bow is 35-year-old Donata Karaliene. Karaliene is a three-time Olympian and has a bronze medal in the double from Rio. With new partner Dovile Rimkute, the duo have been regularly in the medals.

Norway looks to be coming up through at the ranks. Thea Helseth and Jenny Marie Rorvik qualified through the B-final at last year’s World Championships, marking the first Norwegian women’s Olympic Rowing crew since 1996. Now with Inger Seim Kavlie, Helseth has medalled at all three World Cups and won the European Championships. But beating them at World Rowing Cup II and World Rowing Cup III was Australia; Amanda Bateman has been joined this year by Harriet Hudson. Both raced in Tokyo, Bateman in the double and Hudson in the quad.

Keep an eye on the United States. Kristina Wagner and Sophia Vitas will be looking for their nation’s first ever Olympic medal in this boat class, after winning gold on the ‘lake of the gods’ at the 2024 World Rowing Cup II.

Olympic quota places: 13 each for the men’s and women’s double

Total number of athletes: 26

Qualification pathways:

11 quota places each at the 2023 World Rowing Championships

Men: NED, CRO, IRL, ITA, ESP, CHN, ROU, GER, NOR, FRA, NZL

Women: ROU, LTU, USA, IRL, NZL, FRA, ITA, AUS, NOR, CHN, NED

2 quota places each at the 2024 Final Olympic Qualification Regatta

Men: USA, SRB

Women: CZE, GBR

Want more?

2023 World Rowing Championships – Men’s Double Sculls A-Final : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbFO69tXT4o

2023 World Rowing Championships – Women’s Double Sculls A-Final : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb3dJXrnCWA