Four years and millions of meters of training since London have led to Rio, with the first racing strokes starting on Saturday morning at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas for the 2016 Olympic Games Regatta. The USA qualified five of the eight men's events and will be without the heavyweight single, double, and quad.
The USA men's four had the most success during the quadrennial, winning a bronze medal in 2013, a silver in 2014, then taking gold this year at the Varese World Cup stop.
Here's our breakdown of men's events, be sure to check back for the women's event preview and make your picks for all the medal winners!
THE FAVORITE – Co-favorites for the M1x are Czech sculler Ondrej Synek and Kiwi sculler Mahe Drysdale, the reigning Olympic champion. The two premier scullers of the past decade have traded wins over the past quadrennial, with Synek coming out on top at the world championships in 2013, 2014, and 2015. In 2016, Drysdale defeated Synek in Lucerne, but was then upset by Belgian sculler Hannes Obreno in the final at Henley.
MEDAL CONTENDERS – While Drysdale and Synek will be likely take the top two positions, there are several scullers that will challenge for bronze or knock off one of the top two.
Damir Martin of Croatia has been wildly inconsistent since making the switch from the quad to the single, but when he has been on, has shown tremendous speed, finishing fifth at the 2015 world championships and winning the European Championship earlier this year.
Cuban Angel Fournier Rodriguez has also shown speed this quadrennial, winning the bronze medal in 2014 and finishing second in Lucerne. Then there's Obreno from Belgium. After missing qualification in 2015, he won the FOQR, then defeated Drysdale at Henley.
Mindaugus Griskonis of Lithuania finished third in 2015, and has been a mainstay in the M1x A Finals recently, however a recent injury to the Lithuanian M2x has pushed Griskonis into the double, so it’s unclear how this will affect Griskonis’ regatta.
USA PROSPECTS –The USA failed to qualify the M1x for 2016.
2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – After Griskonis from Lithuania grabbed an early lead, Synek and Drysdale surged ahead and traded the lead in the last 500m, with Synek grabbing the final lead at the line to win. Watch the final here.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALISTS
M1X | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
2012 | NZL | CZE | GBR |
2013 | CZE | CUB | GER |
2014 | CZE | NZL | CUB |
2015 | CZE | NZL | LTU |
THE FAVORITE – The Croatian brothers Martin Sinkovic and Valent Sinkovic have dominated the event since moving to the double from the quad in 2014, including setting the World Best Time of 5:59.72 during the semifinal in Amsterdam.
MEDAL CONTENDERS – New Zealand returns their bronze medal winning crew from 2015 of Chris Harris and Robbie Manson, and had a successful 2016 World Cup season, finishing second at Lucerne to Croatia, then winning in Poznan.
The new Norwegian double of two-time Olympic champion Olaf Tufte and Kjetil Borch has a clear pedigree; the crew won the FOQR and should be in contention to medal in Rio. Germany returns their fourth place crew from 2015, featuring Marcel Hacker and Stephan Krueger, and will also likely be in the medal mix.
Lithuania won the silver in 2015 and was a strong medal threat in Rio until a recent injury knocked Rolandas Mascinskas out. Replacing him is single sculler Mindaugus Griskonis, who finished third in the M1x in 2015. So, while certainly a capable replacement, there is no history on the new combination.
USA PROSPECTS –The USA failed to qualify the M2x for 2016.
2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Croatia set a blistering pace from the start and maintained nearly a boat length lead the length of the course to win. Germany ran in second place until nearly the 1500 meter mark, when Lithuania and New Zealand sprinting through to win silver and bronze over Germany. Watch the final here.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALISTS
M2X | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
2012 | NZL | ITA | SLO |
2013 | NOR | LTU | ITA |
2014 | CRO | ITA | AUS |
2015 | CRO | LTU | NZL |
THE FAVORITE – Germany returns their world championship quad from 2015 and has been the most consistent crew of the quadrennial, going silver, bronze, gold. 2016 has not been great though for the Germans, finishing fourth at Europeans, fifth in Lucerne, and second in Poznan.
MEDAL CONTENDERS – The quad will probably be the most closely contested heavyweight men's final, with many crews capable of winning or medalling. Australia finished second to Germany in 2015 but won in both Lucerne and Poznan earlier this summer. Estonia took third in Aiguebelette in 2015 and won the European Championship this spring.
Great Britain has been up and down lately, finishing second in Lucerne, but fifth in Poznan. Then on Tuesday of this week, Graeme Thomas was pulled out of the quad due to illness and replaced with Jack Beaumont. It will be tough for the Brits to keep pace in such a deep field.
Poland, Switzerland, and Canada have also shown speed over the last calendar year and could knock off some crews. New Zealand is the new addition to the event following the disqualification of the Russian quad. Russia won the FOQR, but had a sculler fail a drug test and DQ the crew.
USA PROSPECTS –The USA failed to qualify the M4x for 2016.
2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Germany edged out to about a half length lead over the field in the first 500 meters, with Switzerland, Australia, and Estonia keeping pace behind them to the 1000. The Aussies nearly drew level with Germany at the 1500, before the Germans pulled away for the win. Watch the final here.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALISTS
M4X | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
2012 | GER | CRO | AUS |
2013 | CRO | GER | GBR |
2014 | UKR | GBR | GER |
2015 | GER | AUS | EST |
THE FAVORITE – The New Zealand pair of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray. The Kiwis have been the top crew in the world since their inception in 2009 and have never lost a race in the event. Any crew to beat them in Rio would probably be the biggest upset of the entire 2016 Olympic Games.
MEDAL CONTENDERS – The British pair has come in second to New Zealand at the last two world championships; the 2016 pair of Stewart Innes and Alan Sinclair are new to the event and were part of the 2015 M4- that won bronze in 2015.
The Dutch crew of Mitchel Steenman and Roel Braas finished fourth in 2015, and have had a solid 2016 campaign, finishing second in Lucerne and winning in Henley. Australia also has a solid pair that has consistently performed in 2016, making the final in Lucerne and winning the silver in Poznan.
USA PROSPECTS –The new crew of Nareg Guregian and Anders Weiss won trials and will make their international debut in Rio. For Weiss it will be his first senior team event ever. A good showing in Rio would be to make the A Final.
2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – The Kiwis broke open water in the second 500 meters and won by nearly seven seconds. Great Britain and Serbia fought for second most of the second half of the race, with the Brits pulling away for the silver in the final 500m. Watch the final here.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALISTS
M2- | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
2012 | NZL | FRA | GBR |
2013 | NZL | FRA | NED |
2014 | NZL | GBR | RSA |
2015 | NZL | GBR | SRB |
THE FAVORITE – Great Britain prioritized the eight in 2015, but for 2016 they are putting their top four in the men's four. The crew of Gregory, Sbihi, Nash, and Louloudis won the European Championship, and then also won in Lucerne and Poznan.
MEDAL CONTENDERS – The top challenger to the British in 2016 have been the Australians. The silver medalists from 2016, Australia led the GB crew in Lucerne to just before the line before a crab opened the door for a British victory.
Italy won the world title in 2015 and have shown speed in 2016 as well, finishing second in Varese and Poznan. The United States top boat is also a medal contender, with a win in Varese and a fourth place finish in Lucerne.
The Netherlands brings a strong four to Rio. The Dutch finished sixth in 2015 and won the bronze medal in both Varese and Lucerne. Canada's only men's heavyweight sweep boat in Rio has yet to make a world championship podium this quadrennial, but is always dangerous.
The wildcard could be the Russians following the doping scandal that forced the withdrawal of all the Russian crews except the men's four, which is now made up from three athletes from the quad and one left from the four.
USA PROSPECTS –The USA men's four of Seth Weil, Henrik Rummel, Matt Miller, and Charlie Cole is the priority crew for the USA men's camp squad. They return three of the four from 2015 with Matt Miller swapping for Glenn Ochal. The crew was one of the favorites to win in 2015 but was struck with illness during the regatta and finished in seventh. In 2016, the crew won in Varese over Australia and Italy, but finished in fourth place in Lucerne behind Great Britain, Australia, and the Netherlands. A good showing in Rio would be making the final and winning a medal.
2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Italy grabbed an early lead, but Australia caught them and held a slight lead through the middle thousand meters. Italy responded with a fantastic finish to win, while Australia took the silver in front of the hard-charging British four. Watch the final here.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALISTS
M4- | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
2012 | GBR | AUS | USA |
2013 | NED | AUS | USA |
2014 | GBR | USA | AUS |
2015 | ITA | AUS | GBR |
THE FAVORITE – No true favorite for Rio in the men's eight. Great Britain have won the last three world championships, but have pulled their top four from the crew to prioritize the men's four.
MEDAL CONTENDERS – The three top contenders for medals are Germany, Great Britain, and The Netherlands. Germany has finished runner up to Great Britain in the past three world championships, but return seven of eight rowers from 2015 and finished second in Lucerne to the Dutch. The Netherlands won the bronze in 2015, and won in Lucerne, as well as at Henley.
Great Britain is the three time defending champion in the event, but has pulled their top four out to prioritize the men's four for Rio, so 2016 has been more of a struggle for their eight. In races this spring, the Brits finished third at the European Championships, fourth in Lucerne, and second in Poznan.
The young New Zealand eight and the USA crew could get in the mix for the medals if they hit their stride during the regatta.
USA PROSPECTS –After failing to qualify the event at last year's world championships, the USA retooled their eight and returned to the FOQR with only three rowers from 2015 and won a spot in Rio. The following weekend, the crew of Ojserkis, Hack, Munn, DiSanto, Kasprzyk, Ochal, Karwoski, Struzyna, and Dommer finished third at the Lucerne World Cup. A good showing in Rio would be making the final and winning a medal.
2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Great Britain got out to a slim lead over Germany and pushed it to a couple seats through middle thousand. Germany made a valiant sprint to catch the Brits, but came up about a foot short to take the silver. The Netherlands sprinted through New Zealand to take third. Watch the final here.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALISTS
M8+ | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
2012 | GER | CAN | GBR |
2013 | GBR | GER | USA |
2014 | GBR | GER | POL |
2015 | GBR | GER | NED |
THE FAVORITE – The French double has the crew to beat the last two years, with Jeremie Azou and Stany Delayre winning the 2015 World Championship. Despite the success, they broke up the combination this winter and swapped in Pierre Houin for Delayre. The switch has paid off so far, with the duo winning in both Lucerne and Poznan this summer.
MEDAL CONTENDERS – The British double of Will Fletcher and Richard Chambers finished second in 2015 and finished fifth at both Lucerne and Poznan. The Norwegian double has had one of the most consistently fast quadrennials, winning gold in 2013 and bronze in 2014 and 2015. This year has gone well too, as they finished second to the French at both Lucerne and Poznan.
South Africa finished fourth in 2015 after winning in 2014 and will definitely be pushing hard for a medal in Rio. Both scullers were part of the 2012 Lightweight Four that won gold in London. Then both Italy and Ireland have been consistently in the World Cup Finals in 2016 and could push into the medals.
USA PROSPECTS –The USA double of Josh Konieczny and Andrew Campbell won trials in April and made the final in Lucerne and will be looking to improve on their eighth place finish in 2015. A good showing in Rio would be making the A Final and being in the mix for a medal.
2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – The home favorite French double led wire to wire but could not shake free of the Brits until the last 500. Norway kept pace in third to win the bronze. Watch the final here.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALISTS
LM2X | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
2012 | DEN | GBR | NZL |
2013 | NOR | SUI | GBR |
2014 | RSA | FRA | NOR |
2015 | FRA | GBR | NOR |
THE FAVORITE – The Swiss Four of Simon Niepmann, Mario Gyr, Simon Schuerch, and Lucas Tramer won the 2015 World Championship, the 2016 European Championship, and finished second at the Lucerne World Cup.
MEDAL CONTENDERS – The New Zealand four won silver in 2013 and 2014, but was derailed by an injury in 2015 and finished just outside of the medals. In 2016, they defeated the Swiss to win in Lucerne and will be a serious threat for gold in Rio.
Denmark finished second in 2015 after winning in both 2013 and 2014. This year has gone to form as well, with a third place finish in Lucerne and second place finish in Poznan. France and Great Britain have been trading spots on the podium as well and will be likely be in finalists with shots at medaling in Rio.
USA PROSPECTS –The USA won the B Final to finish seventh in 2015. Three rowers, Mix King, Tyler Nase, and Anthony Fahden return from that crew and are bolstered by the return of 2012 Olympian Robin Prendes. The crew finished third in Varese in their only appearance of 2016. It was the first medal for the USA LM4- since 2003. A good showing in Rio would be an appearance in the A Final.
2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Switzerland jumped out early and controlled the race from the front, winning by a little bit of open water over Denmark. France finished third in front of New Zealand. Watch the final here.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALISTS
LM4- | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
2012 | RSA | GBR | DEN |
2013 | DEN | NZL | GBR |
2014 | DEN | NZL | GBR |
2015 | SUI | DEN | FRA |
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