2024 World Rowing Women’s Crew of the Year - Romania’s eight

There is nothing more impressive than seeing a team of eight rowers lined up together. So when the entire nine members of the Romanian women’s eight took to the stage at the 2024 World Rowing Awards in Seville, Spain the image was striking.

Maria Rusu, Roxana Anghel, Ancuta Bodnar, Maria Lehaci, Adriana Adam, Amalia Beres, Ioana Vrinceanu, Simona Radis and coxswain Victoria Petreanu are the 2024 World Rowing Women’s Crew of the Year.

This crew wrapped up their 2024 year by winning the eight at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It was the culmination of a build up that began during the previous Olympic cycle when coach Antonio Colamonici (and 2024 World Rowing Coach of the Year) joined Romania’s coaching staff. The eight has always been a priority for Romania and the nation dominated the boat class through to the Athens 2004 Olympics. The United States then took over the top spot with Romania missing out completely on an Olympic medal in 2012 and at Tokyo. Romania, however, remained the most decorated nation in this boat class already with nine Olympic medals going into the 2024 Olympic Games.

The 2024 season for the crew was limited to just racing at the European Rowing Championships three months prior to the Olympic Games. At the Europeans the crew won the eight ahead of Great Britain. Members also raced in the four finishing second to Great Britain. Their double was third behind Norway and Lithuania and the pair took an easy first ahead of Greece. Romania was unable to race at the World Cups so in many respects they were an unknown quantity leading into the Olympics. They were, however, the reigning World Champions and in many respects touted as the favourites.

The Tokyo Olympics had been a lesson they did not want to repeat. The eight had set a World Best time in their repechage of 5:52.99. But then in the final they finished a hugely disappointing sixth. Four members of the crew remained in the boat in 2024.

In Paris, the eight put it all together to race their best race. They dominated from start to finish by opening with a 52 strokes per minute pace. At the 1000m mark they were looking solidly in first with a ¾ length lead. In an event that is often won or lost by milliseconds, Romania crossed the line almost four seconds ahead of second place Canada. This was Romania’s tenth Olympic medal in the eight – and that is in an event that was only added to the Olympic programme in 1976.

A strategy of doubling up and racing most of the crew in more than one event and also deciding the eight at the very last minute is not the strategy that most coaches would use. But it turned out to work and work well with Simona Radis and Ancuta Bodnar picking up a silver in the women’s double sculls and Ioana Vrinceanu and Roxana Anghel taking silver in the women’s pair. Adriana Adam, Maria Lehaci, Maria Rusu and Amalia Beres raced in the women’s four and only just missed out on a medal by less than half a second.

At the awards ceremony the team’s spokeswoman said: “This came after many hard trainings and this is the best way to end the year. I am very grateful. We are not just nine women here, we are like a family we support each other. This is one of our secrets. And we have a little advice; work hard, drink big, be patient and you will succeed. But after you succeed don’t forget to be kind to everyone.”

Finalists for Women’s Crew of the Year

• Women’s Quadruple Sculls, Great Britain; Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson, Georgina Brayshaw.
• Women’s Single Sculls; Netherlands Karolien Florijn.
• Women’s Eight, Romania; Maria Rusu, Roxana Anghel, Ancuta Bodnar, Maria Lehaci, Adriana Adam, Amalia Beres, Ioana Vrinceanu, Simona Radis, Victoria-Stefania Petreanu.