THE RMB National Rowing Squad have showcased their prowess on the Olympics stage in the past, and are planning to qualify for the upcoming Games in Paris. | Supplied
ROWING, one of the sporting codes that is expected to get the medals for South Africa at the Olympics, is preparing its onslaught to crack qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The South African rowing team (RMB National Squad) is gearing up for their upcoming journey to Lucerne in Switzerland, where they have a final chance to grab a spot for the Games in July/August.
Among the team members are the talented men’s four consisting of Luc Daffarn, Jake Green, James Mitchell, and Henry Torr. In addition to the men’s four, the South African team will also boast the exceptional talent of Katherine Williams and Paige Badenhorst in the women’s double.
The team will fly out to Switzerland on Monday.
The Final Olympic Qualification Regatta is held at the Rotsee Lake from May 19-21 and offers only two qualification places per boat class for the Summer Olympics.
The regatta is infamously dubbed ‘The Regatta of Death’ by the World Rowing community, due to the extreme set of emotions on display at the event. Some rejoice in their qualification success, and others will go home having missed out.
The squad is positive and confident, with both the women’s double and the men’s four having had an excellent training block at their winter base camp in Tzaneen, Limpopo, in the lead-up to the event.
“The team has prepared exceptionally well and hard. We arrive in Lucerne with ‘plenty of nerves’ and a little more excitement.
“Our goal is to qualify two more boats for the Paris Olympic Games and there is no better place to give it our best shot than on the Rotsee.
“We need our country’s support as both crews strive to leave it all out there on the ‘Lake of Gods’,” said Tiago Loureiro, national squad coach.
The national squad have successfully qualified boats at this regatta over the last two Olympic cycles, achieving gold medal places in the men’s four in both 2016 and 2020.
This year there are 11 boats entered in the men’s four division while the women’s double has seven entries. The first and second-placed boats will secure their place at the Olympics. There are nine crews to beat for the men, and five crews to beat for the women to secure their Olympic dream.
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