Women’ Pair, Lightweight Women’s Double Qualify for Finals at 2024 Olympic Games

The U.S. women’s pair and lightweight women’s double sculls advanced to the finals on Wednesday at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The women’s pair of Jessica Thoennes (Highlands Ranch, Colo./University of Washington/USRowing Training Center – Princeton) and Azja Czajkowski (Imperial Beach, Calif./Stanford University/USRowing Training Center – Princeton) advanced to Friday’s final thanks to a second-place finish in the second semifinal. With the top three to advance, Thoennes and Czajkowski jumped to the front of the field ahead of Australia’s Annabelle McIntyre and Jess Morrison in the opening quarter of the race. The American boat continued to extend its advantage over the second 500 meters, pulling out to nearly a two-second lead at the halfway point of the race.

“Honestly, we were just focused on having a clean start and having a really aggressive first (1,000 meters),” Czajkowski said. “For us, it’s more about executing our race. We know we can do it.  I was a little surprised to look over and see we were up after 500 (meters), but it was good. We just did our thing. I think the heat shook some of the (nerves) out, and we’re in a good spot.”

Over the third 500 meters, the Australians, the reigning world silver medalists, began to reel in the U.S. boat, but the Americans entered the final quarter of the race still in the lead. While Australia was able to overtake the U.S. boat in the final sprint, the Americans finished in a comfortable second place ahead of Lithuania. Australia crossed the line in a 7:14.14, with the U.S. clocking a 7:15.59. The Netherlands won the first heat with a time of 7:10.16. Romania and Greece grabbed the other two spots in the final.

“I didn’t look once this race,” Thoennes said. “Azja said, ‘up,’ and I said, ‘sounds good.’ I trust her to be my eyes, ears, and otherwise. I think we did a really good job of staying internal and executing what we needed to.”

The U.S. last won an Olympic medal in the pair in 2000 and finished 10th in Tokyo.

“Medals are on the line, but it’s not about racing for a medal. It’s just about racing,” said Czajkowski about the final. “If we throw down our hardest piece that we can, we’re going to feel good about the way it turns out. Our fast is really fast and other people’s fast is also really fast. But, I think the best thing about the position we are in is that we can race freely, and we have absolutely nothing to lose. I’m just really stoked to go out there and give it a shot.”

In the lightweight women's double sculls, Michelle Sechser (Folsom, Calif./University of Tulsa/Cambridge Boat Club) and Molly Reckford (Short Hills, N.J./Dartmouth College/New York Athletic Club) finished third in their semifinal to advance to the medal race on Friday. Racing in the first semifinal, the U.S. got off the line even with Canada in third position, trailing Great Britain and New Zealand. The two lead crews continued to battle through the 1,000-meter mark before the two-time defending world champion British boat began to get some separation. The U.S. moved away from Canada in the second 500 meters to stake its claim the final qualification spot. Poland tried to make a late charge on the U.S., but Sechser and Reckford were able to take third by about a boat length.

“We went into the race with the right attitude today,” Reckford said. “We were there trying to get into the A final and I said to Michelle, ‘live or die, we’re fighting for the line.’ We were able to smile and keep it light on the start line, and I always love it when we are able to do that as a double. I think it can boost a lot of our speed. It was a dogfight out there. This is the sort of race where people go crazy out there and pull out moves that you’ve never seen before, but we stayed calm and trusted each other and when I said, ‘go,’ Michelle went. Love that.”

Great Britain won the race in a 6:59.79, with New Zealand clocking a 7:02.86. The U.S. finished with a time of 7:05.03. The three crews will take on Romania, Greece, and Ireland in the final. Sechser and Reckford finished fifth in Tokyo. The U.S. last won a medal in the event in 2000.

“We didn’t have our best performance in the heat, so being able to show up and have a better run down the track today meant a lot,” Sechser said. “I’ve been dreaming about the opportunity to race in this lightweight double Olympic final since Tokyo.”

After just missing a spot in the A/B semifinals, first-time Olympian Jacob Plihal (Vashon Island, Wash./Northeastern University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) came back to win his C/D semifinal to advance to Saturday’s C final for overall places 13-18. With three to advance, Plihal got off the line in fourth position but quickly moved into second place behind Serbia’s Isak Ivan Zvegeli in the second quarter of the race. Plihal then began his attack on the leader, overtaking the Serbian with about 750 meters to go. Zvegeli began to drop off the pace as Bulgaria’s Kristian Vasilev and Paraguay’s Javier Insfran moved into the qualifying positions. Plihal held about a three-quarters-length lead on Vasilev as the boats entered the final 500 meters. Vasilev cut into Plihal’s advantage with about 250 to go before the American took his rate up and extended his lead to about a length. Vasilev responded, but Plihal crossed the line about a half-length ahead of the Bulgarian. Plihal finished with a time of 6:56.95, with Vasilev crossing in a 6:57.75. Insfran finished third in a 7:00.93. The three qualifiers will take on scullers from Brazil, Hungary, and Algeria in the C final.

“Yesterday was probably the best race I’ve done, and I just felt that a bit today in the legs and in the cardio,” Plihal said. “Just getting out there and executing and getting the job done, experimenting with a few little things here and there. Now we get two days to rest and recover and get ready for Saturday’s piece. A statement piece, hopefully.”

Racing in the first semifinal, the U.S. men’s pair of Oliver Bub (Westport, Conn./Dartmouth College/California Rowing Club) and Billy Bender (Norwich, Vt./Dartmouth College/California Rowing Club) finished sixth and will now compete in Friday’s B final for overall places 7-12. Bub and Bender dropped to fifth off the start and were never able to contend for a top-three qualification spot for the medal race. Croatia’s Valent and Martin Sinkovic, the defending Olympic champions, won the race in a 6:29.98, finishing 2.2 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Andrin Gulich and Roman Roeoesli, the defending world champions. Spain finished third. The U.S. crossed the finish line with a time of 6:46.11 and will take on South Africa, Lithuania, New Zealand, Italy, and Germany in the B final.

“Obviously, it’s special to be here, especially as young as I am, but you beat people back home and you hope to show the rest of the world … It’s obviously great to be here, but you want to do well. You’re representing yourself and your country, but also those guys, so it’s tough to not perform the way you had hoped,” Bender said.

The U.S. women's quadruple sculls crew of Lauren O'Connor (Belleville, Wis./University of Wisconsin/ARION), Teal Cohen (Dallas, Texas/ University of Washington/USRowing Training Center – Princeton), Emily Delleman (Davenport, Iowa/Stanford University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), and Grace Joyce (Northfield, Ill./University of Wisconsin/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) finished third in the B final to take ninth-place overall. Australia took the lead off the start, with the U.S. and Romania sitting just off the pace 500 meters into the race. The Romanians were able to push their bowball ahead as the crews hit the halfway point, just 0.19 seconds ahead of the Americans. As Romania began to increase its lead, the U.S. continued to hold a narrow advantage over the Australians heading into the final 500 meters. At the line, Romania clocked a 6:29.64 to win the race by 1.21 seconds over Australia. The U.S. finished in a 6:31.71.

Six U.S. crews will be in action on Thursday including three in medals races.

The men's four of Liam Corrigan (Old Lyme, Conn./Harvard University/California Rowing Club), Michael Grady (Pittsburgh, Pa./Cornell University/California Rowing Club), Justin Best (Kennett Square, Pa./Drexel University/California Rowing Club), and Nick Mead (Strafford, Pa./Princeton University/New York Athletic Club) advanced to the final off a dominant performance in their heat. The crew will take on Italy, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and Romania in the medal race. New Zealand won the other heat. The U.S. finished fifth in the event in Tokyo and last won a medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, taking home a bronze.

The men’s double sculls crew of Ben Davison (Inverness, Fla./University of Washington/California Rowing Club) and Sorin Koszyk (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./Cornell University/California Rowing Club) finished second in its semifinal to advance to Thursday’s race for the medals. Davison and Koszyk will take on crews from the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, and Romania. The Dutch and Irish boats won the two semifinals. The U.S. reached the final in the event for the first time since the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The U.S. last won a medal in the event in 1984.

The women's four of Kaitlin Knifton (Austin, Texas/University of Texas/USRowing Training Center – Princeton), Mary Mazzio-Manson (Wellesley, Mass./Yale University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Kelsey Reelick (Brookfield, Conn./Princeton University/USRowing Training Center – Princeton), and Emily Kallfelz (Jamestown, R.I./Princeton University/Cambridge Boat Club) won their repechage to advance to Thursday’s final. The Americans will take on crews from China, New Zealand, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Romania in the final. Great Britain and the Netherlands won the opening round heats to advance to the final. The U.S. finished seventh in the event in Tokyo in its return to the Olympic program.

Women’s single sculler Kara Kohler (Clayton, Calif./University of California, Berkeley/USRowing Training Center – Princeton), a three-time Olympian who finished fourth in the event at the 2023 World Rowing Championships, will race in the second of two semifinals on Thursday, with the top three moving to Saturday’s final. Kohler finished second in her semifinal behind Australia’s Tara Rigney to reach the semis. Kohler will take on scullers from New Zealand, Lithuania, Germany, Austria, and Individual Neutral Athlete in the second semifinal.  New Zealand’s Emma Twigg, the defending Olympic champion, and Lithuania’s Viktorija Senkute won their quarterfinals.

The women's eight of coxswain Nina Castagna (Cincinnati, Ohio/University of Washington/USRowing Training Center – Princeton), Charlotte Buck(Nyack, N.Y./Columbia University/USRowing Training Center – Princeton), Olivia Coffey (Watkins Glen, N.Y./Harvard University/USRowing Training Center – Princeton), Claire Collins(McLean, Va./Princeton University/USRowing Training Center – Princeton), Meghan Musnicki(Naples, N.Y./Ithaca College/California Rowing Club), Regina Salmons(Methuen, Mass./University of Pennsylvania/USRowing Training Center – Princeton), Madeleine Wanamaker(Neenah, Wis./University of Wisconsin/USRowing Training Center – Princeton), Margaret Hedeman(Concord, Mass./Yale University/USRowing Training Center – Princeton), and Molly Bruggeman(Dayton, Ohio/University of Notre Dame/USRowing Training Center – Princeton) finished second in its heat behind Romania and now will race in the repechage on Thursday against Italy, Australia, Canada, and Denmark, with the top four finishers moving on to Saturday’s final.

In the women’s double sculls, Kristi Wagner (Weston, Mass./Yale University/ARION) and Sophia Vitas (Franklin, Wis./University of Wisconsin/USRowing Training Center – Sarasota) finished fifth in their semifinal and now will race in the B final for overall places 7-12. Wagner and Vitas will take on Italy, Ireland, Australia, Czech Republic, and China.

Rowing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will take place July 27-August 3. Medal races in the men’s and women’s pairs and lightweight double sculls will be held on Friday. Click here for a complete race schedule.

In total, the U.S. qualified 12 crews for the Olympics including the women's single sculls, men's single sculls, women's double sculls, men's double sculls, lightweight women's double sculls, women's quadruple sculls, women's pair, men's pair, women's four, men's four, women's eight and men's eight. The U.S. leads the way with Romania in qualifying the most boats to race in Paris.

Of the 42 athletes who will be competing in Paris, 17 are returning Olympians with three Olympic medals amongst them. Thirty-eight have competed on previous senior national teams, while four will be making their senior team debuts.

USRowing would like to thank our national team sponsors including our Official Boat Supplier for the U.S. Senior, Under 23, and Para Rowing National Teams, Filippi Lido; our Official Apparel Provider, 776BC; our Official Partner, Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc., our Exclusive Supplement Supplier, Thorne HealthTech; our Official Performance Electronics Outfitter, Nielsen-Kellerman; the National Rowing Foundation; and TrainingPeaks, the Official Training and Coaching Software of USRowing's High Performance Team.