Finding the best : the lightweight women's double sculls

Recap of last four-years:
The lightweight women’s double sculls often shows an interesting progression throughout the quadrennial. It is one of the boat classes with an ever-changing podium. Romania dominated the early part of the cycle, with New Zealand having some good, but mixed, performances. Coming into 2019, the Kiwis seemed to unearth their true speed and they dominated much of the season. The Netherlands has also been a top contender, while the United States has changed line-ups several times, but still managed a few medal finishes.

2019 World Championships: NZL, NED, GBR, ROU, FRA, BLR
2018 World Championships: ROU, USA, NED, SUI, GBR, NZL
2017 World Championships: ROU, NZL, USA, POL, GBR, DEN

Performance of the quadrennial:
There was no truly dominant crew this quadrennial. The Kiwis definitely had a flair for apt timing. They seemed to peak exactly when it was necessary: in 2019. But was it one, or even two years early? We’ll find out.

Fun fact: The Dutch combination of Ilse Paulis and former partner Maaike Head hold the World Best Time in the lightweight women’s double sculls at: 6:47.69. That is their second World Best Time as they were also part of the lightweight women’s quadruple sculls that set the best time in 2014. Jackie Kiddle and Zoe McBride were just one second slower when they set the World Championship Best Time of 6:48.49 at the 2019 World Rowing Championships. Paulis and her new partner Marieke Keijser have not yet found world-best speed yet, but the postponement of the Olympic Games gives them one more year to try.

Closest medal race: 2017 World Rowing Cup II when China2 and Denmark finished with exactly the same time: 6:52.63. See the photo finish here:

Must watch: 2019 World Rowing Cup II in Poznan, Poland – watch the blistering finish in which the top four spots are less than two seconds apart. Watch the race here.

Quote of the quadrennial
“This is surreal. We’ve been waiting a long time for this, and last year was a bit of a disappointment. I am absolutely stoked!” Jackie Kiddle (s), New Zealand, Gold at the 2019 World Rowing Championships

Olympic qualifiers:
Seven at the World Rowing Championships (NZL, NED, GBR, ROU, FRA, BLR, ITA); one at the African Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta (TUN). (8 of 18 spots)

The ramification of the ‘extra year’:
The Kiwis seem to have perfectly timed their performance in 2019, but this was also a common occurrence for New Zealand back in 2015. One year later they underperformed at the Olympic Games in Rio. This extra year will throw a wrench in the four-year plan for many teams, but for teams that might have peaked early in the Olympic cycle it could result in an Olympic advantage.

Olympic prediction: There are a handful of crews that have a significant chance of making the podium in Tokyo. The New Zealand duo is definitely on the top of the list, but the margins are infinitesimal, so it is far from certain. The Netherlands stands a chance to be on the podium, along with China and Romania. And then keep an eye out for the British and United States’ combinations – even with new lineups they might pull off a top finish.