Qualification for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games continued for rowing with the World Rowing Asia & Oceania Olympic & Paralympic Qualification Regatta in Tokyo, Japan. This is the last of the four continental qualification regattas successfully staged in the lead up to the Tokyo Games and it was indeed a great success.

Perfect racing conditions greeted rowers for the final day of racing at the Olympic and Paralympic regatta course, the Sea Forest Waterway on Tokyo Bay. Flat water with moderate temperatures made for great racing as rowers vied for quota spots.

Japan dominated the finals taking out gold in all four of the Olympic races. For Japan this has been a long-term project to get to this stage with coach Xavier Dorfmann leading the success. Shiho Yonekawa was the women’s single sculls winner with Ryuta Arakawa winning for the men’s single. In the lightweight women’s double sculls Chiaki Tomita and Ayami Oishi were the fastest while Naoki Furuta and Mitsuo Nishimura won for the men. Tomita is one of Japan’s most accomplished contemporary rowers after taking silver at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in the lightweight women’s single sculls.

According to the qualification system for a continental qualification regatta, a member federation that has not yet qualified any crews for the games, may be entitled to two crews if both finish first. Japan has now to select two crews from among their four first place finishers. When they make this decision, two other countries’ crews will advance to the places not confirmed by the Japanese.

Iran looks set to have a boat qualifying for the Olympic Games after finishing second in both the men’s and women’s single sculls. They must select one in accordance with the qualification system. Kazakhstan will qualify the men’s single scull after placing third..

In the Paralympic events Sri Lanka’s Mahesh Jayakodi was first for the PR1 men’s single sculls earning the one quota spot. Japan was again successful with a win in the PR1 women’s single sculls.

Strict Covid-19 prevention measures meant that no spectators were allowed and participants described a quiet, no-hype atmosphere with social distancing regulations in place. This gave a taste of what the Tokyo Games could be like as similar strict measures will be in place.

The final quota spots for the Olympic Games from this regatta will be decided by 28 Maywhich is the deadline for National Olympic Committees to confirm their qualifications or make selections between equal placing boats.

There are two more qualification events remaining before the Olympic and Paralympic Games – the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta (15 – 17 May, Lucerne, Switzerland), and the Final Paralympic Qualification Regatta (3 – 5 June, Gavirate, Italy)

For full information World Rowing event page.

Olympic qualification information: https://worldrowing.com/event/2020-olympic-games-regatta
Paralympic qualification information: https://worldrowing.com/event/2020-paralympic-games-regatta

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