As Japan continues to struggle with getting the upper hand in its battle with COVID-19, the supposedly settled US Women's Pair opens back up to trials, while the last continental Olympic rowing qualifier, for the Asia/Oceania region, locks up Olympic qualification for six more crews.
US Women's Pair Goes to Trials
We reported last month that Tracy Eisser and Kristine O'Brien were planning on making use of their right to represent the US at a World Cup regatta this spring in order to secure their Olympic team spots. This plan appears to have changed.
USRowing has announced that the women's pair will go to open trials in June, and that Eisser & O'Brien will not be contesting the World Cup regatta in Lucerne.
Eisser and O'Brien had won the National Selection Regatta back in February 2020, earning them the right to contest the World Cup, where a top-two finish would have clinched them the US Olympic berth - per USRowing's updated selection procedures for 2021, that option remained in effect for the postponed Games unless the pair declined, which they have done.
Eisser finished 4th in this event at the 2019 World Championships (alongside Megan Kalmoe), qualifying the boat for Tokyo, while O'Brien rowed in the US women's eight that finished 3rd at the Worlds that year.
The trials for the Women's Pair will take place on Mercer Lake, NJ, June 4-7.
Asia Olympic Qualifier Roundup
The Tokyo Sea Forest Waterway Olympic course got a full workout this week, with the Asia/Oceania Olympic Qualifier deciding the final Olympic rowing spots for that region.
And a full workout it was, 2021 style, with a day of racing cancelled due to wind and a positive COVID test for a support team member on site generating the appropriate off-the-water challenges.
"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," said WorldRowing's event release stated. "This gave a taste of what the Tokyo Games could be like as similar strict measures will be in place."
On the water, the Olympic host nation took care of business, with Japan winning 5 of 6 A-Finals at the regatta.
Of course, this is where it gets tricky, as we reported in our April "Road to Tokyo" update.
In a nutshell, should Japan not qualify any male or female crews following the qualifying regattas, they will be allotted a 'host country' entry into the M1x and/or W1x for Tokyo. If they do qualify, then that spot will be awarded to the next highest finishing country at the Asia/Oceania qualifier in each event that has yet to qualify a crew.
With Japan winning all four non-Paralympic events, the host country's decision which boats get to compete in the Olympics has implications for a half-dozen other countries.
Japan has to pick 2 of the 4 winners. Iran needs to pick M1x or W1x. Indonesia may need to pick one of the two doubles. Then the host country spots are no longer an option for Japan since they've now qualified at least one male and female crew. So, now theoretically M1x and W1x at this event should go six deep due to reallocation of the host country spots.
If Japan picks both their spots from the same gender, then they would get those two, as well as the host country spot in the other gender as it's unlikely they will qualify a third at FOQR.
So, if they select the M1x and LM2x, the W1x would get the host country spot since they would have no women's crews qualified.
Reread that if you have to - or just wait a couple weeks when it all sorts out.
A quick glance at the entry list for the Final Olympic Qualifier indicates that many of the Asian countries still seeking qualification are also competing at the FOQR next week. That's a quick turnaround, for sure.
Notes & News
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