FOPQR: Men’s Four and Aurelia-Maxima Janzen Secure Tickets for Paris

The men’s four and single sculler Aurelia-Maxima Janzen secured the 5th and 6th Olympic starting spots for SWISS ROWING at the final qualification regatta on Lucerne’s Rotsee. The two women’s double sculls teams did not share the same success: Jeannine Gmelin and Nina Wettstein in the open weight, and Eline Rol and Olivia Nacht in the lightweight category, each finished their finals in fifth place.

A total of 183 boats competed for the remaining 37 spots (30 Olympic and seven Paralympic) at the final qualification regatta. Nineteen finals—14 Olympic and five Paralympic—were held on the final day of the regatta. Athletes had to contend with steady drizzle throughout the day.

Confident Olympic Qualification for the Men’s Four

Anticipation was high for the first competing Swiss boat of the final day: the men’s four. Kai Schätzle, Patrick Brunner, Tim Roth, and Joel Schürch delivered. By the 500-meter mark, they were in second place, close behind the favoured Italians. This positioning remained at the 1000 and 1500-meter marks. The boats from Germany, Denmark, and South Africa did everything they could to intervene in the fight for the two quota places but to no avail. The Swiss maintained their high pace and secured the ticket to Paris behind the Italians.

Olympic Ticket for Single Sculler Aurelia-Maxima Janzen

Aurelia-Maxima Janzen started well in the women’s single sculls and established herself in second place behind the heavy favorite, two-time world champion Sanita Puspure of Ireland. By the 1000-meter mark, Spain’s Virginia Diaz Rivas had caught up to and even overtaken the Swiss, while the Irish sculler pulled ahead. At 1500 meters, the race outcome seemed decided. But then the unexpected happened: Sanita Puspure faltered, being overtaken first by the Spaniard and then by the 20-year-old Swiss sculler, who still had reserves to draw upon at the end of the race.

Women’s Double Sculls Jeannine Gmelin and Nina Wettstein Settle for Fifth Place

In the women’s double sculls, Jeannine Gmelin and Nina Wettstein followed a good start by taking second place behind the favored Czech team of Santruckova/Luksova. Even at the 500-meter mark, the order remained the same, though the British duo Hodgkins-Byrne/Wilde was already exerting considerable pressure. In the subsequent segments, the Swiss pair lost ground continuously, ultimately being passed by the German and South African teams as well. They finished in fifth place, well behind the coveted quota spot.

Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls: Fifth Place Out of Reach for Olympic Ticket

Eline Rol and Olivia Nacht in the lightweight double sculls tried to turn the seemingly impossible into a positive outcome. Initially keeping up well, they were in fifth position at 500 meters. They held this position throughout the race, but the distances to the leading boats, the French pair Bové/Tarantola and the Greek pair Fitsiou/Kontou, steadily increased. The leading boats were not challenged by the Australians and secured the two quota places. The Swiss duo finished in fifth place.

Most Successful Rowing Nations

The most successful delegations at the “last chance for Paris” regatta were the USA with 4 quota places. Denmark and Italy secured three tickets each, while Switzerland, France, and Greece each claimed 2 spots for Paris. In the Para competitions, Paris Paralympic tickets went to France (2), Brazil, Israel, Italy, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.