Olympic Rowing 2024: Day Four Review with Noel Donaldson in paris

 

Women’s Single Scull – Quarterfinals

Tara Rigney of Australia continued her strong performance from the heats with a commanding win in the first quarter-final of the morning. The Sydney native quickly took the lead, establishing nearly a length over the USA’s Kara Kohler within the first 25 strokes. Kohler remained comfortably in second, holding off Bulgaria’s Desislava Angelova, who secured the third and final spot in the A/B semi-finals.

Karolien Florijn showcased her dominance in the second quarter-final, quickly gaining clear water and setting the pace for the race. Germany’s Alexandra Foester overtook Tatsiana Klimovich, the Individual Neutral Athlete, to secure second place, with all three advancing to the semi-finals.

In the third quarter-final, reigning Olympic champion Emma Twigg faced a surprising challenge from Switzerland’s Aurelia-Maxima Katharina Janzen. Janzen matched Twigg stroke for stroke for the first 1000m before Twigg pulled ahead in the second half. Virginia Diaz Rivas of Spain made a late surge to overtake Jovana Arsic for the final qualifying spot.

Viktorija Senkute of Lithuania delivered an outstanding performance in the final quarter-final, overshadowing favorites Magdalena Lobnig of Austria and Anna Prakaten. The times were slower in this heat, suggesting that the fight for medals may not involve these scullers.

Men’s Single Scull – Quarterfinals

Olympic gold medalist and incoming Oxford University President, Tom Mackintosh, led the first quarter-final from start to finish. A tight battle for second and third ensued between Denmark’s Sverri Nielsen and Uruguay’s Bruno Cetraro Berriolo, with Nielsen overtaking Cetraro Berriolo in the final sprint.

In the second quarter-final, Paraguay’s Javier Insfran led briefly before being overtaken by world champion Oliver Zeidler. A close race for the A/B semi-final spots saw Belgium’s Tim Brys hold off challenges from Romania’s Mihai Chiruta and the USA’s Jacob Plihal. Zeidler’s time was the fastest of the day.

Simon Van Dorp of the Netherlands led the third quarter-final, followed by Olympic champion Stefanos Ntouskos and three-time Olympic medalist Damir Martin. Martin’s performance improved from the heats, securing second place, while Ntouskos finished third.

The final quarter-final featured a three-way contest between Yauheni Zalaty (Individual Neutral Athlete), Giedrius Bieliauskas of Lithuania, and Ryuta Arakawa of Japan. Zalaty timed his move perfectly to win, with Bieliauskas and Arakawa securing second and third, respectively.

Women’s Double Scull – Semifinals

New Zealand’s double scull crew continued their winning streak in the first semi-final, narrowly defeating the Netherlands, with France securing the third spot for the A-final.

The second semi-final was a thrilling race featuring world champions from Romania and European champions from Norway. Great Britain led for most of the race but was overtaken by Romania in the final sprint. Norway edged out Australia for the last A-final spot.

Men’s Double Scull – Semifinals

The first men’s double semi-final was intense, with the Netherlands, Spain, Serbia, and Romania all vying for the top spots. The Netherlands took the win, followed by Spain’s strong finish, and Romania overtook Serbia for the third spot.

In the second semi-final, Ireland, Germany, and the USA battled it out. Ireland’s late surge secured the win, with the USA and New Zealand also advancing to the A-final.

"Noel Donaldson commented on the thrilling performances, emphasizing the excitement and unpredictability of the upcoming finals. The competition has been fierce, and medals will be hard-earned."