Racing for the 2019 World Championships begins on Sunday, August 25, in Linz, Austria. Below, we preview the men's four and qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Regatta.
ENTRIES - 22
2018 WORLD CHAMPION – Hicks/Turrin/Hargreaves/Hill - AUS
2016 OLYMPIC CHAMPION – Gregory/Sbihi/Nash/Louloudis - GBR
2020 OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 8
PLOVDIV 2018 RECAP
The Australian four of Hicks, Turrin, Hargreaves, and Hill won their second straight world title in Plovdiv. The crew built an open water lead in the first half of the race, and held off a massive sprint from the Italians to win. Great Britain won the bronze over Dutch, Romanians, and Germans. Watch the final here.
2019 SEASON RECAP
Australia again has been the leaders of the four in 2019, winning both World Cup II and World Cup III. It seems as though they have been working on different lineups through out the season with Hill racing, and winning, in the pair. He has now moved back to the four, which now appears to be Australia's priority lineup again.
Great Britain has raced a completely new lineup in 2019, and has done well, winning the European Championship, finishing second at World Cup III, and fourth at World Cup II. Italy brings back three of its four rowers that won the silver in 2018, and took the silver at World Cup II.
Additional medalists from this season include Germany and Poland, with Denmark, Romania, and Ukraine also posting A Final finishes.
USA PROSPECTS
The United States is sending an untested but experienced lineup to the World Championship. The crew of Tom Peszek, Tom Dethlefs, Andrew Reed, and Clark Dean were selected out of the Oakland Training Center training camp and will race together for the first time in Linz.
Peszek will be making his eighth senior team appearance, having medalled twice with silver in the eight in 2017, and a bronze in the eight in 2013. This will be Dethlefs fifth senior team, also winning bronze in 2013. Andrew Reed will be racing for the third time, medalling in the 2017 eight. Then Dean, who is just off his freshman year at Harvard, is racing on his first senior team, but won the junior world title in the single sculls in both 2017 and 2018. The crew should be competitive and have a shot at qualifying for the final and securing a bid for Tokyo.
MEDAL PICKS
Australia is the favorite for the gold medal once again, but they should be under heavy pressure from Great Britain and Italy for the top spot on the podium. Germany, Poland, and potentially the USA could snag a medal as well.
GOLD – AUSTRALIA
SILVER – ITALY
BRONZE – GREAT BRITAIN
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